Golf architecture by Hitler

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Bunkers on the 18th on the Old Course at Sunningdale were added by a German bomber - dumping his load to try to get away from the RAF quickly.  What other novelties have been introduced to courses in such unplanned fashion?  It does not have to be an act of war.  

[Phil_the_Author]

Mark,

Fear of invasion also had a big influence. The British government took over the old 9-hole Kingsbarns course and planted mines, barbed wire and cement bunkers. These were removed after the war, but by then the old course was destroyed for good.

As a result, the new Kingsbarns was able to be built on this wonderful property. During the construction, one of the earth movers "found" a land mine that was supposed to have been removed years before.

Land mine 1 earth mover 0!

No onw was hurt.

 

[peter_p]

Aerodrome runway at Turnberry. Many courses have pillboxes.
Here are temporary rules (1941) from the Richmond Golf Club in London.
1. Players are asked to collect the bomb and shrapnel splinters to save these causing damage to the mowing machines.
2. In competitions, during gunfire or while boms are falling, players may take shelter without penalty or ceasing play.
3. The positions of known delayed action bombs are marked by red flags at a reasonable, but not guaranteed, safe distance therefrom.
4. Shrapnel and/or bonb splinters on the fairways , or in bunkers, within a club's length of a ball may be moved without penalty, and no penalty shall be incurred if a ball is thereby caused to move accidentally.
5. A ball moved by enemy action may be replaced, or if lost, or destroyed, a ball may be droped not nearer the hole without penalty.
6. A ball lying in a crater may be lifted and dropped not nearer the hole, preservng the line to the hole, without penaly.
7. A player whose stroke is affected by the simultaneous explosion of a bomb may play another ball. Penalty one stroke.

This says something about the fortitude of golfers and the allure of the sport.
 

[michael j fay]

Royal Cinque Ports, Royal St. Georges and Princes were all used as training ground on the Deal Coast.

After the war Cinque Ports and St. Georges were restored (rebuilt) (?). In any event they are wonderful venues today. Princes was not as lucky as the course was turned into a 27-hole facility that is decent golf but not the experience to be found at the neighboring links. Princes is the only missing in action of the Open Championship venues, although there is still talk of the obliteration of the nine-holer at Musselburgh in favor of an expansion of the race track.

Musselburgh is still a great pleasure, especially with the old weapons.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Fecund replies!

[Marty Bonnar]

There's a phenomenal area of duney ground at Goswick between the course and the sea which has the potential to be amongst the most amazing links golf in England.

Rather unfortunately, US Air Force F-16's are still dropping bombs on it with annoying regularity!

FBD.

[Paul_Turner]

Posted this before.  But it's a good'n...Domburgsche in Holland

[Sean Leary]

Sean,

Looks like one might be a practice green if that is the clubhouse.....

[Sean Leary]

Sean,

It could be, as it looks like the cart path comes around what I am thinking is the Clubhouse.....

[Yancey_Beamer]

Hitler"s bunker at Stonehaven lies on the left fairway of the 1st hole and also the right fairway of the adjacent hole.
This architectural addition to the course was created by a fleeing German airplane that dumped it's bomb load.It is certain that this bunker will never be removed or renovated.
 

[Brian_Ewen]

"It is certain that this bunker will never be removed or renovated" .

Yancey
Believe me , if you knew the Stonehaven GC committee as well as I do , then "certain" would be far too strong a word to use .

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=15378;start=msg263171#msg263171

[TEPaul]

"Fecund replies!"

MarkR;

That's a classic!

You wouldn't happen to be English, would you?  

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Tom, So much better than pregnant, don't you know?

[Paul_Turner]

Sean

It agree it must be a practice green.  I think there's a tee tucked behind that pond, for a par 3.

[Paul_Turner]

Mark

There's a crater between the 17th and 18th at Stoke Poges which I think was a bomb.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Paul,

Thanks - I didn't know that.

It sent me to dig out my course planner for the present day 27 holes.  They claim that the 9 holes opened in 1998 'recreated the original 27 hole course designed by Harry Shapland Colt.'  It seems they were lost to agriculture during the Second World War.  How true are the 9 new holes to Colt's?  Presumably that short par 4, the old 15th, which used to play over the entrance road, a monumental bunker about 100 yards out, past the clubhouse walls, windows and parked cars, and then through the kitchen garden to a narrow green at 45-degrees to the approach, with bunkers both sides and a big drop from right to left, was not, in that case, a Colt hole - but it would not have been out of place at Painswick!  It's the hole I remember best.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

I should have said that it was a 326-yard par 4, a marvellous little short par 4.

I was very lucky to play Stoke Poges a number of times when it was a very run down private club.  It was affordable and the bar food was excellent value.  But all good things come to an end.

[Paul_Turner]

Mark

I knew it a little in those days too. Now it's big and brash claiming to be Britian's finest parkland course, which it isn't, and having Colt's "finest single hole", the 7th, which it certainly ain't!

I haven't pinned down the course's evolution.  It's coming up for its centenary so I hope someone is (maybe a job for you!).  I doubt that the new 9 is much like the old that was lost, I've never played it and it didn't look all that inspiring other than a nice par 3 across a stream.  

Here's a pic (from their website) that I often see, from memory I think it's similar to that H Rountree painting in Darwin's British Isles book.
And I think it may be from that lost 9?  It looks to be on the reclaimed land, to the left of the entrance drive.  And with a tee near to that beautiful house where King Charles 1 was imprsioned before being sent off for execution.



PS The 15th was a neat hole! A wicked green that for sure.  The current Steel par 3 is poor compensation.

[Doug Siebert]

Any unexploded bombs ever get found during renovations on these courses?  That would certainly make an architect's life a bit more interesting!

[Marc Haring]

Mark and Paul.

I worked at Stoke Poges as a greenkeeper from 1983 to 1987. The picture is indeed of the old nine. I think that great 15th with the crazy green was obliterated during the construction of the new nine which was a great pity as indeed it was one of the best on the course and had great character.

Steele’s new nine was quite good in places IMO but I was more concerned at the presentation philosophy which was to encircle every green with US Open style thick rough. This ruined it for me and destroyed any ground game options and completely took away the English parkland feel to the place. If everything was mown down out it would be so much better.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Doug,  Judging by the number of unexploded bombs still being discovered in gardens and on building sites (2 or 3 a year) I should be surprised if there were not a few found while building new courses, although I've not actually heard of a specific instance.

Paul, How much of Colt's work survived the war at Kennemer?  Were there plans from which it could be reconstructed?

[Brian_Ewen]

Doug
Not quite what you were looking for , but this just happened the other month at my local links .

Brian

Golf course closed after mortar shell found in bunker
CHARLOTTE THOMSON
28-Feb-06
 
A WARTIME mortar shell has been found buried in a bunker at a Scottish golf course.

The unexploded shell was found by two workers who were digging on the course yesterday.

The Stokes mortar shell, believed to be from the First World War, was unearthed at the Kings Links public golf course in Aberdeen. The discovery was made at about 4pm yesterday and the two men immediately contacted the police.

The area was sealed off and a bomb disposal team from the army's Royal Logistic Corps arrived at the scene.

Specialists clad in safety gear examined what is understood to be a three-inch shell and cleared the area in preparation for a controlled explosion.

A Grampian Policespokes woman said: "A Stokes mortar had been found and the Beach Esplanade was closed off to ensure there was no danger to the public while a controlled explosion was carried out."

A spokesman for Aberdeen City Council, which runs the course, praised the actions of the staff members. He said: "They were quick to raise the alarm and ensure the safety of their colleagues and members of the public.

"This kind of thing should always be left to the experts to take care of and we are very happy to leave them to do that.

"The course will stay closed until such time it is deemed safe to reopen it."