Christmas brainteaser- answers

[Mark_Rowlinson]

A friend of mine had just completed the manuscript of a book about golf courses. He went for a celebratory drink and did not return home until 5 am. His wife was furious with him and fed his manuscript, sheet by sheet, into a shredder. My friend was too upset to try to piece it together again, so I thought I'd enlist your help. I think I have identified 100 golf courses around the world from the fragments I have so far. How many can you identify?

I'll post the answers some time between Christmas and New Year, so please don't spoil it for the rest by solving it in 10 minutes and posting the answers straightaway! And if you want more fun, try not to use a search engine.

First 10:

1.   ….during the Second World War in the area behind what is now the 2nd tee. They floated it out in sections for construction on the beaches. The pub beside today’s marina, The Mulberry, commemorates the…..
2.   ….For that Open the Fazios were commissioned to reconstruct the 17th green. But they did a lot more, including telescoping three holes to make the par-5 8th, getting rid of the ‘forgotten hole’, adding three completely new holes and….
3.   ….the island, which is named after the golfer who waded out to it to play his ball from it during that Open. It is followed by a 160-yard par 3, again played over water, and the drive at the 466-yard 18th is also threatened by water on the left. During the President’s Cup….
4.   ….that Justin Rose finally made his breakthrough. The course came onto the Open roster in 1951 and like so many courses here was first laid out by the club professional. In 1993, however, water hazards were introduced on the 7th, 13th and 14th, and the 18th was redesigned. The work was carried out by….
5.   ….had to be shortened for a time while construction work went on to build the new clubhouse, replacing the one burned to the ground in 2001. Happily the hole is once again played to its full length of 225 yards, being a daunting start to the round. It is followed by a par 5 on which the principal hazard is the cross-bunker at 352 yards, described by Henry Cotton as ‘the finest example of cross-bunkering.’….
6.   ….was built by Alister MacKenzie’s brother, Charles. A railway line runs through the course and it must be said that the 13 holes to the west of the railway are far superior to those on the east. Despite its being close to the Oresund, it is a parkland course, although the wind can whip off the sea to add to the difficulties….
7.   ….and with 216 holes this resort describes itself as ‘The World’s No 1 Golf Club.’….
8.   ….and so, with Evening Shadows, the round ends, a true tribute to the family of Emerson Carey….
9.   ….It may be this vast country’s only golf course but it has found itself a slot for an annual European Tour event, albeit the week before the USPGA, so fields are limited….
10.   ….such mouth-filling jewels as Magnificat Brut Nature. Here in Cava country the golfing priority is set by José Maria Olazábal’s……

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Second 10;

11.   ….No, it is neither Napa, nor is it Mendocino, nor Carneros nor the Russian River, but this coast shows great promise for Pinot Noir, according to wine-writer Hugh Johnson. Yet this 6275-yard course sounds as if it should be somewhere on the Spanish coast….
12.   ….the Royal prefix was dropped at the 1996 Annual General Meeting. By then the club had been in existence for 107 years. Nick Faldo holds the course record of 62, set in 1990….
13.   ….Many of the visiting ‘brimming with confidence’ low-handicap golfers who have played BPGC off the tournament tees have returned to the clubhouse chastened and wiser golfers. The club dates from the 1920s….
14.   ….Others are Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, The Country Club, St. Andrew's Golf Club, and Chicago Golf Club….
15.   ….’It's a 69 par of a 5402 meters length’. Their English may be quaint, but they have given their name to a much-copied feature of period-piece golf courses….
16.   ….At the 17th you fire away over an expanse of heather towards yet another fairway that seems to be determined by a ridge. It is some 230 yards from the back tee. Of course you can clear it, but the fairway immediately turns left, running downhill towards a further, even larger expanse of heather. It is a great hole, one of Colt’s finest in continental Europe….
17.   …. Hagen was probably still suffering from the after-effects of a lobster supper two nights earlier, but his final-day rounds of 75 and 73 were enough to give him the title – just! The amateur Chick Evans came storming through the field, almost driving the last green. Had his eagle putt dropped he would have carded a 69 and forced a play-off….  
18.   ….It was while Jones was constructing the 45 holes here that he attended a party for the King’s birthday. He found himself caught up in a coup attempt and was kept at bayonet point for some time before the coup failed and he was released….
19.   ….In the early days, before its permanent home at Wentworth and a change of name, the championship moved around from course to course, and several championships were contested here in the 1950s. Nowadays you have to cross a busy main road to get to the bulk of the course. Only the 1st, 2nd, 17th and 18th are close to the clubhouse. In a way the 1st is an unsatisfactory opening, for it is a short par 3 of little interest….
20.   ….in a letter of approval to Colt written in 1919. ‘The links that you laid out have been a very great success. The club is flourishing. From 290 members in 1913, we have gone up to over 600, and the club-house is now being enlarged to suit increased members. An electric tram runs right up to the gates, six tennis-courts have been built, and polo, golf and tennis have been played all through the War.’….

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Third 10:

21.   ….ravishing flowering shrubs set off against the backdrop of the Ngong Mountains. The club is proud of its conservation work and an area of managed wetland in the centre of the property is particularly well stocked with flora and fauna, as well as providing a nail-biting tee shot on the diminutive 14th….
22.   ….on this royal course. The front nine has a number of enticingly named holes, not least the 3rd (Redan), 5th (Eastward Ho) and 7th (Westward Ho) although the toughest hole going out may well prove to be the 2nd, which….
23.   ….For many the loveliest stretch of the course is that running beside the sea, with the 12th (The Crater) and 13th (Manx Mens Gap) among the best two-shot holes on the course, while turning away from the shore the 332-yard 14th (The Cup) is a great, bunkerless, short par 4….
24.   ….and as you view the 1st hole before you, trying to work out the best strategy for the prevailing conditions, a sundial stands behind you to remind you not to take too long over your decisions or you may run out of light. It is a serious par 4 of 420 yards….
25.   ….founded in 1930. Its original course is now known as the East Course because a 6540-yard second course, the West, has been added more recently. But it is the East which has played host to many professional tournaments over the years, perhaps its finest hour being the World Cup win of Ballesteros and Garrido for Spain, beating the home pair of Lavares and Arda into second place. That was in….
26.   ….and it is extraordinary to think that this enormous and proud sports club’s second home was a cottage in Sewer Road. It seems to have been almost profligate with its golf courses, and was already playing on its sixth different golf course in 1911. The fundamentals of today’s championship circuit date from 1922, and, so far, the club has hosted 11 national Opens. At 6940 yards from the championship tees….
27.   ….best-known hole is the monstrous par-5 18th, Chile’s longest hole. It is actually rather tedious, playing dead straight for 660 yards and leaving no room for creativity….
28.   …when the Duke of Devonshire decided to close the town’s 9-hole ladies’ course, as he wished to use the site for new housing. However, he provided land outside the town for the construction of a new 18-hole course. Alister MacKenzie was called upon to design it, the course opening in 1925. It is thus one of MacKenzie’s last English courses.
29.   ….in Middlemore, and Titirangi, dating from 1914 and updated – if at rather a distance – by MacKenzie in 1926, of a similar length at 6619 yards. In the 2004 New Zealand Open, the winning score of just 9-under showed that The Grange, even shorter at 6536 yards, was not yet done as a championship venue. But with a general lack of length a matter of concern if future international tournaments were to be attracted to the Auckland region, Bob Charles was commissioned to lay out what has turned out to be currently the longest course in New Zealand, the 7257-yard….
30.   ….the British Ryder Cup side which had lost heavily (9-3) at Ridgewood. Here they fared little better against a team of local professionals, going down 9-5. Perhaps it is surprising that this club has hosted only two Canadian Opens, given its….

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Fourth 10:

31.   ….at one time the longest hole in the USA at 678 yards. The course is described as links-style, and much can depend on the wind on some of the longer par 4s, such as the 481-yard 3rd and 467-yard 5th. Distinctive hole names, such as Grant’s March and Daley Dilemma, merely add to…
32.   ….When Alliss was told that Lema, the recently-crowned Open Champion, practising on the course for their afternoon challenge match, had driven the 282-yard 4th green, Alliss replied, ‘But he won’t do it this afternoon!’ Alliss’s prediction was wrong, Lema driving the green once again to the great delight of the assembled company. Then the 371-yard 5th runs along the course boundary, the green protected by a heathery hill on the left and five pot bunkers, two short left, three on the right of the putting surface.
33.   ….eventually the noise from Barcelona Airport proved too much and the club reluctantly abandoned its 36 Arana and Thomas holes, moving to a new site at Terrassa and 45 holes designed by….
34.   ….and as Gary Player, himself, has said of it, ‘This is probably the best real estate housing development course I have seen or designed. The houses are high above the fairways so golfers do not feel as though they are playing in a residential neighbourhood, yet residents can enjoy a beautiful view of the golf course below their homes.’….
35.   ….Its perfection was described by MacKenzie, ‘If a cross bunker were constructed at this hole, it would become appreciably diminished in interest in consequence. The narrow entrance and the subtle slopes have all the advantages of a cross bunker without making it impossible for the long handicap man. These contentions are borne out by those attempts that have been made to copy and improve on the hole by a cross bunker.’
36.   ….a risk-reward shot across water to a narrow fairway running parallel to the beach. It is followed by a substantial short hole, again over water, to a green on three levels the lowest part being in the middle, a Biarritz hole. In comparison with the dramatic contours of the Biarritz at Yale, this is a much more sedate affair. We are then taken inland from the Sound by a pleasant left-to-right dog-leg….
37.   ….It was during the course of expansion to a full 18 holes in 1962 that its designer George von Elm died….
38.   ….Its Japanese proprietor ran into financial difficulties before a shot had been played and the course quickly reverted to weeds and scrub. It was to be six years before Norman and Harrison were called back to clear out the rubbish and restore the course to what had been intended. 18 months later the club opened under the new name of….
39.   [Two fragments]….and during the war further holes were lost to coastal erosion. Another war-time casualty was Salem Bungalow which had been owned by the man who was credited with having invented a turntable for the electric tram….    ….the final catastrophe came during the club’s centenary year in 1990, when high tides and freak winds caused sea water to flood the course, killing much of the historic turf, and a fire destroyed the clubhouse along with the club’s irreplaceable records documenting its glory days before the Great War when all the illustrious names of British golf played in the high-profile tournaments and matches staged here….
40.   ….gets its name from a nearby rock which is said to mark the grave of an Indian Princess who was killed by white settlers. At full moon the ghost of the princess returns to haunt the descendents of her killers. As a precaution, the three MGA Public Links Championships played here were held when the moon was not full!....

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Fifth 10:

41.   ….Their consultant agronomist was JH Arthur, who wrote that the course, ‘has survived as a natural links where other courses have suffered almost a complete loss of links character due to chopping and changing of management policies. There have been many reasons for this – one being that in the dicey days of the fifties and sixties when so many heretical ideas were being promoted, initially to sell fertilisers, by those who should have known better, three factors stopped them being adopted here. The first was the continuity of direction rigidly imposed by Major Oswald. The second was a management policy based on traditional links methods, which with one or two lapses from grace has continued to this day. The third was a lack of money – which was a great limiting influence on the making of mistakes!’….
42.   ….Today’s configuration of the course dates principally from 1935, and is a somewhat convoluted reworking of Simpson’s 27 holes of 1930. The 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th holes of Simpson’s B-course were taken into the main course as the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th while the main course 12th to 15th became the 2nd to the 5th of the B-course. At the same time the B-course 2nd was renumbered as the 6th on that course, the original 6th now becoming the winter 16th of the main course. In 1965 the 1st hole of the B-course was abandoned to accommodate the new driving range and a totally new starting hole constructed. Then, towards the end of the 1970s, the parallel 5th and 15th holes, both par 5s, were interchanged….
43.   ….is the closest course to Continental Europe on the British mainland. The front nine play on the seaward side of a ridge, while the inland back nine overlook Otty Bottom….
44.   ….was established in 1893, making it the second oldest surviving club in the country, behind the 9-hole New Club Taiping. The club moved from its original site in 1920, with the first of its 18-hole courses, now known as The Old, opening in 1922. It was followed by the shorter New Course in 1931 and later a 9-hole beginners’ course was added. Its Royal title was conferred in 1962….
45.   ….From September to December 1923 Gannon was honorary secretary at the club and he was responsible for its expansion from 9 to 18 holes. The following year he began the construction of the beautiful 9-hole course at Stresa, and then in 1926 he completed the first of his great Italian courses, Villa d’Este….
46.   …. Fazio wrote, ‘However, the intended fairway was actually lower than the creek. We simply built a little berm and rerouted the water through the desired creek bed: the water is pumped uphill and over the berm to Salt Creek’….
47.   ….In order to achieve his wealthy patron’s wishes, Nicklaus needed more land and he was forced to eliminate the par-3 Inner Course. ‘I’m sure there are a few members who haven’t forgiven me for that yet,’ he wrote. But he was also pleased with the result, saying, ‘It’s a pretty darn good golf course, one I’m proud of, and I think it’s generally considered one of the best in Australia.’….
48.   ….In September 1895 eight leading professionals played a 36-hole competition, attracted north by their being paid £3 towards their expenses. An entrance fee of 5/- was imposed, to deter amateurs. The town council, members, ‘tradespeople and others’ provided a winner’s trophy and prize money. Willie Auchterlonie won the first prize of £20 – the same as he had received for winning the Open in 1883. He took the cup and his £20 back to Fife on the train, hiding them in a Grant’s biscuit box. The club’s next big professional tournament came in 1899, when, for the first time in Scotland, an admission charge for spectators was imposed….
49.   ….about which Peter Alliss asked the question, ‘Could this be the hardest place in Britain to play to your handicap?’….
50.   ….of the original course, which measured 6051 yards, with a par of 83. It was designed by the club’s inaugural professional and groundsman, Richard Leslie. The biggest change came in 1922 when the 17th was turned into a dog-leg par 4 with a raised green. This, and other modifications were carried out by….

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Sixth 10:

51.   ….Scottish soldiers who had fought in the Peninsular War of 1813. On their way home they discovered the plain of Billère which, with its views of the Pyrénées and its ‘wee burn’, reminded them of home. Some later settled in the town and it was only a matter of time before they noted the free-draining qualities of the plain, establishing the golf club there in….
52.   ….which, unlike its older brother, has four par 3s and three par 5s, giving an overall par of 71. However, two of those par 3s are stern, the 9th at 225 yards, the 17th at 229, and several of the two shot holes are long enough for most of us, the 6th at 445 yards, the 10th at 464, and the 16th at 431….
53.   ….Here, the two courses, Los Olivos and Los Lagos, both by Trent Jones….
54.   ….A  9-hole exhibition match was staged as the official opening. The players were Alex Duthie and Jimmy Yellowlees (who went on to become the club’s first Champion), Duthie remarkably having back-to-back holes-in-one at the 3rd and 4th holes!....
55.   ….gives a date of 1926, crediting the Harris Brothers. It opens with a slight dog-leg to the right of 399 yards, followed by a downhill par 4 of 382 yards, a 315-yard two-shotter which might be driven were it not for two big bunkers, just short of the green. Then, at the 4th, comes the first par 5 of 482 yards, and the 5th, 6th and 7th continue the trend of short par 4s. In fact there is only one short hole on the front nine, at the 8th, and with the 9th also a short par 5, the par for the outward nine is 37, despite the modest length overall length of 3285 yards….
56.   ….parkland opening holes on the banks of the Margy and Carey Rivers, close to the ruins of Bonamargy Abbey….
57.   ….wonderfully scenic site on the Kullaberg peninsula, a rocky nature reserve set out into the Kattegat. It is not a long course at a mere 5789 yards and a par of 70, but the breathtaking views are special….  
58.   ….The West is the original course, dating back to 1909 when the club moved to its present day home. It measures a healthy 7019 yards from the back tees with a par of 72. The East course is newer, dating from 1935. It plays to a monstrous 7490 yards from the championship tees, and was designed by the club’s professional at that time….
59.   ….was given the title Royal in 1926, at the time of the opening of its 18-hole course. The architect was George Smith. This must be one of the shortest royal courses, measuring a mere 5866 yards from the white tees, with a par of 71. In fact there is only one par 4 in excess of 400 yards, the 6th, known as Hillock. There are three par 4s under 300 yards, the 1st, 5th and 14th, but, as we all know,….
60.   ….during the Revolution the district was known as La Montagne Fromentale. It was in the 1950s that the owner of the Ferme de la Tuilerie, near the Forest of Marly, approached an estate agent seeking to sell his farm. The agent, Daniel Feau, recognised that this was an ideal site for the development of a golf course, and eventually, in 1959 not one, but two courses, a composite one going on to be used for the prestigious….

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Seventh 10:

61.   ….one of three clubs in the county founded in 1889. There were close ties with Lytham and St Annes, and Lowe, the Lytham professional, laid out the club’s first 9-hole course. Initially they also adopted the rules of Lytham, changing to the R&A rules in 1891. However, the club took possession of a farm a couple of miles away in 1902 and left its original site (which is now played over by Alderley Edge Golf Club), its new 18-hole course also being laid out by Lowe.
62.   ….not to be confused with the one in Massachusetts. This one was described as the first member-owned club formed in the Westchester area since the 1920s. The architect was….
63.   ….Nick Price and Steve Smyers. The opening is long with holes of 536, 443, 477 and 531 yards to be covered in 18 strokes, followed by a 204-yard short hole. But there is respite at the 6th at only 341 yards from the back plates….
64.   …. At only 75 yards the 4th hole (The Quarry) is one of the most memorable on the entire course, for it is played over a yawning chasm on the very edge of the sea. And while the 395-yard 13th (Safety First) may not be the longest par 4 in the county it is certainly one of the best….
65.   ….It is an old club, founded in 1894 with a 9-hole course on land adjoining the town’s racecourse. But it was too vulnerable to the ravages of the sea, and eventually a move was made to land which some locals described as ‘only fit for snipe shooting.’ Little has had to be changed since this fine course was laid out in 1939 by Captain Tipping….
66.   ….formed in 1889, only dropping its royal title in 1996. It began modestly, its course sharing its golf with other sports such as hockey, football and polo as well as military parades. A search for a new site was undertaken and exactly what they were looking for was found at Deep Water Bay, at that time only reachable by sea. It had sufficient room for a small course and provided idyllic bathing….
67.   ….originally for British servicemen stationed on the island. The most intriguingly-named hole is the par-3 4th, Maid’s Bedroom, on which the tee shot must be played over the ruins of the house in which the club’s maids used to live,…
68.   ….The course was built on 162 acres of land owned by the local municipal water authority, and its lease was coming to an end. So the club acted pre-emptively, purchasing some 2,200 acres of watershed land which it was then able to trade with the water company to give the club control of its own land for the first time. And what land it is! With not a single private house visible from the course and, to the south, ‘reared against the sky, the great bulk of Mt T…..’
69.   ….inland from the resort, in the Vallon de l’Oeuf. Robert von Hagge was responsible for the design which features extensive use of water and extravagant bunkering, although you are broken in gently, the 1st hole (La Restanque) being a 347-yard par 4 on which the left side of the fairway leaves a simple short iron shot to the green….
70.   ….only gently undulating dunesland. Harry Colt made a few alterations here, but the course remains something of a sleeper, on the shores of Cardigan Bay. The views are enchanting, and they are, from time to time, enhanced by the visits of red kite, now such a successful species in the country….

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Eighth 10:

71.   ….the 540-yard 9th taking play to the far end of the course, in the manner of a traditional links, before the longest of the par 4s, the 450-yard 10th begins the journey back towards the clubhouse overlooking the bay, nestled between the first and last fairways….
72.   ….when suddenly, on the 5th tee, you break out from the pines, the fairway  climbing before you towards a distant ridge. Get to the summit of that ridge and spread before you is a jumble of sand dunes, the Mediterranean sparkling beyond. It is a great moment, and the hole is a beauty, sweeping down from the top to a green backed by the dunes. The 6th is one of the best holes of all, a par 4 running back in parallel with the 5th, the drive again made to, or over, a rising fairway, the lengthy approach shot then played down to a huge and severely contoured green with enormous sentinel bunkers….
73.   ….the name of Peter Thomson. It was built by Tameshi Yamada in 1971 and had a number of unusual features. Most notable was the double green shared by the 4th and 7th holes, which was at the time of its construction the only double-green in the country. Another was the 12th, which had two quite separate greens, the one on the left beside a lake, whereas the approach to the right-hand green was semi blind….
74.   ….two brief excursions to the shores of the Red Sea, at the 5th and 6th and later on the 14th and 15th. The 5th is a short hole played over the beach to a green set out into the waters, the 6th a short par 4 played to a raised green overlooking the sea. The 14th, however is played in a south-easterly direction, another short hole, this time with a mini-desert to be cleared between tee and green, while the 15th green is perched on a rocky peninsula….
75.   ….The Old Course is located within the city, only a matter of minutes from the centre. Its 5263-yard, par-67 course is pleasantly tree-lined and there are good views of the city. Twenty miles away is the New Course, a 7044-yard par-72 course laid out in rolling woodland, beside Lake Kin….
76.   ….a few miles south of the city centre in the township of Højbjerg. It was designed by the Welsh golfer, Brian Huggett. From the higher ground there are views out to sea, but for the most part this is a nicely undulating parkland course. On the 1st you might not see the fate of your tee shot, for you drive out over a shoulder of a hill to fairway rolling to the left. The 2nd is a huge par 5, just over 600 yards in length, while the 3rd is a tiddler of a short hole. Then comes a very tough par 4, the fairway cut by a stream at the length of a good drive and trees narrowing the gap through which the ball must be threaded. Although the green is open, there is an out of bounds threat on the left in the form of the enchantingly named Moesgørd Allé….
77.   ….featured in Brian Morgan’s A World Portrait of Golf. On paper it looks to have an unusual card in that there are only two short holes and a single par 5, and the back nine is made up of eight par 4s and a single short hole (the 11th). But there is more to this course running right down to the banks of the Clyde than a quirky card, and the views across the river to the heather-clad hills to the north are worth the green fee alone….
78.   ….designed by Donald Ross, hosting its only US Open eleven years after its opening….
79.   ….in 1920. The first twelve holes were laid out by club professional, Sam Bennett, the remainder being added by the club captain, Charles Lane. It was not until the 1960s when an additional piece of land became available, thus enabling the 10th and 11th holes to be re-designed and a number of greens altered, by long-serving club secretary,….
80.   ….Unfortunately, the club has had to make alterations to MacKenzie’s layout, not because of some whim on the club’s part, but because of the actions of its neighbours, one club selling up and moving completely out of town, the other cashing in on selling part of its land for housing development….

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Ninth 10:

81.   ….Open winners on this course including Payne Stewart, Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer (twice). The club dates back to 1915, but today’s course is much newer, begun in 1969. It is a links course for the most part but there are a couple of excursions into the woodlands which occupy the more inland section of the dunes….
82.   ….David Feherty, before the move to Gleneagles. Originally (in 1910) there were just 9 holes bounded by the road and railway. In time the course was expanded to 18 holes by routing the new holes through the woodland at the far end of the course. The most recent amendments were made by Dave Thomas, in consequence of the building of the M77 motorway….
83.   ….is the fifth oldest in the country, founded in 1956. The course was designed by Fred Smith and is laid out in undulating countryside, with small greens and tight, tree-lined fairways. The 7th is one of the hardest holes, a 407-yard par 4 running downhill, angled to the left, the trees waiting to thwart even the slightest deviation….
84.   ….the state’s oldest Country Club. Seven of Tillinghast’s holes remain, which are currently played as the 1st to the 6th plus the 9th….
85.   ….close to the old city of Graz. Its golf course was laid out in 1963 by that prolific course designer Bernhard von Limburger. Alterations were made to the course between 1996 and 2000, during which time the course played host to three Ladies’ Austrian Opens. These have been followed by two tournaments on the men’s European Challenge Tour….
86.   ….The original course was built by the British partnership of Ken Cotton, Charles Lawrie and Frank Pennink, the additional nine holes being contributed by the Gary Player design team. Four Italian Opens have been played here, beginning with a native winner, Baldovino Dassù….
87.   ….as the home of the ‘Devil’s Triangle’, three extraordinary holes played along the edge of the precipitous….
88.   ….Tiger Woods played as an amateur, finishing joint 34th in 1994. He returned in 1998, this time as a professional, and caught up 9 shots on the leader, Ernie Els, to force a playoff, which Woods won at the second extra hole….
89.   ….built as a mansion for the Duke of Monmouth, who lived there only briefly before being executed for his part in leading a rebellion against King James II ….
90.   ….founded in 1910 by a group of members who did not relish the lengthy trip to Ottery. The course is parkland, but it is close enough to the oceanfront that the wind is frequently a major factor. Although the ground is largely flat, there are sufficient water hazards and trees to give definition to the individual holes, and then there is always the uplifting background of Table….

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Final 10:

91.   …Vardon was fond of the short 2nd and others praise the par-5 3rd with its bouncing fairway and sunken green. In fact a number of greens are raised up, none more so than the 17th which was constructed on top of a wartime German bunker….
92.   ….It was the Furness Withy Steamship Company which had the idea of bringing these two leading architects to the island. After checking out sites across the island the pair persuaded Furness Withy to part with $600,000 for some 600 acres which they considered perfect for the purpose….
93.   ….This was the second time Trevino had broken 70 in all four rounds of a Major. It was a remarkable display, particularly when it is realised that he was over par on only three holes all week!....
94.   ….was laid out originally in 1890 by a group of British wine shippers on a stretch of sandy soil on the coast a few miles south of the city. It is not a long course, measuring a little over 6100 yards for its par of 71, but the fairways are narrow and there are outcrops of sea grasses and scrubby bushes, plus the dunes themselves, to remind members and visitors of the traditional old links in Britain….
95.   ….the 4th is an excellent heathland par 4. There used to be a hazardous crossing of the A3 at this point, but the construction of a by-pass has made this much safer today. The 5th and 6th occupy their own parcel of ground between the road and the main London-Portsmouth railway line, before you cross the line to access the 7th tee. It is a splendid little par 3 with a highly contoured green. The 8th runs parallel to the railway before we come to the very characterful 9th, which used to be the final hole until the building of the new clubhouse. Its approach, semi-blind over ridged ground is exciting. From here….
96.   ….came to the club for the first time in 1938. They were required to put up a bond for $10,000 to ensure that the event was profitable – this was the farthest west it had been played up to that point. With 37,000 spectators attending and spending, it is estimated, $200,000 in the city, the club was able to make a profit of $23,000 on the event. Par was changed from 72 to 71….
97.   ….quieter now that the airport has been replaced by a new one 40 minutes to an hour to the east of the city, depending on the traffic. The course, designed by Donald Harradine, opened in 1966. It is the only one in the city – and one of only two on the mainland! Although it is close to the sea you rarely catch a glimpse of its waters, as flats and other buildings surrounding much of the course remind that this is a very populous and polluted city. The remnants of the old airport do not help either!...
98.   ….with terrific views of Ganesh Himal and Langtang Himal. The club was given royal patronage in 1965 by the King. Although the course is only of 9 holes there are different tee boxes allowing some variation in play to be arranged and par is 67 for 5433 yards. So the 1st is played as a stern 452-yard par 4 on the front nine and a more approachable 471-yard par 5 when it is played as the 10th….
99.   ….one of only two courses in the country at the moment, and the only 18-hole course. The original fairways were laid 45 years ago, and, in order to turn this into a resort of international standing, Pete Dye has been engaged to revamp the whole place. He is adding over 300 yards to the length of the course, and in order to keep the club and course open during the work a temporary 9-hole par-3 course has been made, and at most times nine holes of the main course will also be available.
100.   ….is said to have gone up in a balloon to determine the routing for the course. It has always attracted the rich and famous, and Bobby Jones, no less, described the short par-4 14th as one of the finest holes of that length he had played….

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Drat! I've only identified 99 courses. One of them is mentioned twice. However, I've found this fragment which will, I think, bring the total up to 100.

101....the club, which is older even than the Open Championship. Its own silver claret jug dates from 1857, making its look-alike (THE Claret Jug) seem a mere youngster (1872).

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Bump, for those who only read top pages.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Last chance! Answers coming shortly....

[Mark_Rowlinson]

OK, How did I do? Did I guess right? This is what I came up with:

1.   Conwy Golf Club in North Wales. Much of Mulberry Harbour used in the D-Day landings was constructed in what is now a marina in the Conwy Estuary.
2.   The Inverness Club. For the 1979 US Open the Fazios built three new holes, the present 3rd, 5th and 6th, combining the old 6th, 7th and 8th to make today’s 8th. When Inverness was first laid out (by Bernard Nicholls) it was realised that he had only built 8 holes, and a 9th hole (the ‘forgotten hole’) was hastily added. It lasted from 1903 until 1979.
3.   Royal Montreal Golf Club, Blue Course. Pat Fitzsimons hit his ball onto an island in the lake to the left of the 16th during the second round of the 1975 Canadian Open. He waded out to the island to play his second shot. The President’s Cup was held there in September 2007.
4.   Houghton Golf Club, Johannesburg. Rose won the 2002 dunhill championship there, his first professional victory. The course was originally laid out by AM Copland, the club’s first professional. The 1993 changes were made by Matkovich and Hayes, and later bunker modifications were made by Gary Player.
5.   Royal Mid-Surrey. When the clubhouse burned down, temporary Portacabin huts were erected beside the 1st hole and the length of the 1st hole had to be reduced to around 185 yards. Henry Cotton was Professional at the club at the time of his 1948 Open Championship victory at Muirfield.
6.   Rungsted in Denmark.
7.   Mission Hills in China.
8.   Prairie Dunes in Hutchinson, Kansas
9.   Moscow Country Club.
10.   Masia Bach is the name of both a wine-making firm and a golf course (18+9 holes), the latter designed by José Maria Olazábal.
11.   Bodega Harbour.
12.   Hong Kong Golf Club, previously the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club.
13.   Bombay Presidency Golf Club.
14.   Newport Golf Club, one of the five founding members of the USGA.
15.   Biarritz.
16.   Hamburger, Falkenstein.
17.   Midlothian Country Club, the site of the 1914 US Open won by Walter Hagen.
18.   Royal Dar es Salam, Rabat, Morocco.
19.   Maesdu at Llandudno, north Wales. It held the PGA championships of 1956, 7 and 8.
20.   Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro.
21.   Karen Country Club, Kenya.
22.   Royal Norwich Golf Club.
23.   County Louth (Baltray).
24.   Ekwanok Country Club, Vermont.
25.   Wack Wack Golf & Country Club, Manila, Philippines, which hosted the 1977 World Cup.
26.   Royal Sydney Championship Course.
27.   Club de Golf Las Dehesa, Chile.
28.   Cavendish Golf Club, Buxton, Derbyshire. Cavendish is the family name of the Dukes of Devonshire.
29.   Formosa Auckland Country Club.
30.   Rosedale, Toronto, host to the 1912 and 1928 Canadian Opens.
31.   Golf Club of Illinois (Dick Nugent).
32.   Parkstone Golf Club where Alliss was Professional from 1957 to 1970.
33.   Real Golf El Prat. Greg Norman is credited with the design of the new holes.
34.   Diamond Run, Sewickley, Pennsylvania.
35.   The Old Course, St Andrews. MacKenzie was writing about the 11th hole.
36.   The Creek, Long Island. Holes 10, 11 and 12.
37.   Sun Valley, Idaho. First 9 holes by Billie Bell (1938). Course redesigned by Trent Jones Jr 1978-80.
38.   The Grand Golf Club, Queensland, formerly Gilston Golf Club.
39.   Rhyl Golf Club, North Wales, now a short 9-hole links with 18 tees.
40.   Spook Rock Golf Course, NY.
41.   Southerness Golf Club, Scotland.
42.   Royal Antwerp Golf Club, Belgium.
43.   Walmer and Kingsdown Golf Club, Kent.
44.   Royal Selangor Golf Club, Kuala Lumpur.
45.   Menaggio and Cadenabbia, Italy.
46.   Butler National, Chicago.
47.   The Australian Golf Club.
48.   Nairn Golf Club.
49.   Aldeburgh Golf Club, Suffolk.
50.   Glen View Golf Club, Illinois. The 1922 changes were by William Flynn.
51.   Pau Golf Club, the earliest in Continental Europe, established in 1856.
52.   St Andrews New Course.
53.   Mijas Golf, Spain.
54.   Vancouver Golf Club, Canada.
55.   Golf- und Land-Club Berlin-Wannsee.
56.   Ballycastle Golf Club, Northern Ireland.
57.   Mölle Golf Club, Sweden.
58.   Royal Johannesburg. The east course was designed by Robert Grimsdell.
59.   Royal Tarlair, Scotland.
60.   St Nom la Bretèche near Paris, the prestigious tournament being the Trophée Lancôme.
61.   Wilmslow Golf Club, Cheshire. The other clubs founded in 1889 were Disley and Macclesfield.
62.   Brae Burn Country Club, Purchase, NY, (not to be confused with that of the same name at West Newton, MA). The architect was Frank Duane.
63.   The Members Club at Four Streams, MD.
64.   Ilfracombe Golf Club, Devon.
65.   Tramore Golf Club, Co Waterford, Ireland.
66.   Royal Hong Kong Golf Club, later Hong Kong Golf Club. A 9-hole, par-3 course at Deep Water Bay is still played today, but the three 18-hole courses are on the mainland at Fanling.
67.   Royal Malta Golf Club.
68.   The Meadow Club, Fairfax, CA. The mountain is Mt Tamalpais.
69.   Royal Mougins Golf Club, Cannes, France.
70.   Borth and Ynyslas Golf Club, Wales.
71.   The National Golf Links of America, Long Island.
72.   El Saler, Valencia, Spain.
73.   Fujioka, Nagoya, Japan.
74.   Cascades, Soma Bay, Egypt.
75.   Ashburn Golf Club, Halifax, Nova Scotia. The lake is Kinsac Lake.
76.   Aarhus Golf Club, Denmark.
77.   Erskine Golf Club, Renfrewshire, Scotland.
78.   Worcester Country Club, Massachusetts.
79.   Commonwealth Golf Club, Victoria, Australia. The long-serving club secretary was Sloan Morpeth.
80.   Moortown Golf Club, Leeds. Its neighbour, Moor Allerton sold its MacKenzie-designed course for housing, moving into the countryside and a brand new Robert Trent Jones 27-hole design. Sand Moor, also MacKenzie, sold some of its land adjacent to Moortown for housing.
81.   Noordwijk Golf Club, Netherlands.
82.   Haggs Castle, Glasgow, which hosted the 1986 Scottish Open won by David Feherty.
83.   Stavanger Golf Club, Norway.
84.   Essex County Country Club, New Jersey.
85.   Steiermärkischer Golfclub Murhof, Austria.
86.   Is Molas, Sardinia.
87.   Mahogany Run, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
88.   Blue Canyon Country Club, Canyon Course, Thailand.
89.   Moor Park, Herts.
90.   Mowbray Golf Club, South Africa.
91.   Royal Jersey Golf Club, Channel Islands. Harry Vardon was born in a cottage beside the course.
92.   Mid Ocean Club, Bermuda. The architects were Charles Blair Macdonald (golf) and Charles Wetmore (hotel).
93.   Shoal Creek, Alabama. 1984 US PGA.
94.   Oporto Golf Club, Portugal.
95.   Liphook Golf Club, Hampshire.
96.   Cherry Hills Country Club, Colorado. 1938 US Open.
97.   Glyfada Golf Course, Athens.
98.   Royal Nepal Golf Club.
99.   Caesarea Golf Club, Israel.
100.   Coombe Hill Golf Club, Kingston, Surrey. The designer was Abercromby.
101.   Lanark Golf Club, Scotland, founded in 1851, making it the 25th oldest golf club in the world. Now, name the 24 older ones!

[Tony_Muldoon]

Thanks Mark for this briliantly conceived and put togther Quiz. I printed it off but never found the time to have a serious go.

a couple of thoughts though.

Missed 15, Doh!

19 fell into your trap, could so nearly have been Walton Heath.

70      Guessed Borth, but on that fragement doesn't Aberdovey also fit the description?

Perhaps 101 qs are a bit daunting?
 

Thask Mark

[Philip Gawith]

Mark this is a prodigious effort and I am sorry I am not up the challenge. I think I got about 5 out of first 25!

I agree with Tony that 100 is daunting. I think you should maybe do a shorter one on a quarterly basis.

I will forward it to an acquaintance who has played the "top 100" in the UK and see how he does. I fear he may find it too international.

I think this is "Mastermind" level when most of us would find A Level a decent challenge!

[Phil McDade]

OK, How did I do? Did I guess right? This is what I came up with:

101.   Lanark Golf Club, Scotland, founded in 1851, making it the 25th oldest golf club in the world. Now, name the 24 older ones!

Mark:

I'll take a stab:

The Honourable Company
The R & A
Bruntsfield Links, Edinburgh
Royal Blackheath, London
Royal Burgess, Edinburgh
Royal Musselburgh, East Lothian (shared the famous old links w/ The Honourable Company before the latter's move)
Royal Aberdeen
Crail
Glasgow GC
Burntisland, Fife
Royal Montrose (orig. Royal Albert)
Scotscraig, just north of St. Andrews
Leven, Fife (initially Innerleven)
Royal Perth
Royal Calcutta, India
North Berwick, East Lothian
Peterhead, north of Aberdeen
St. Andrews Mechanics
Monifieth, Fife
Panmure (next door to the more famous Carnoustie)
Carnoustie
Prestwick
Prestwick St. Nicholas

I see that I'm missing one, as that's 23 clubs. Did the original Luffnes Old predate Lanark? Kilspindie was formed in 1867 from members of the original Luffnes club.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Most impressive list.

Manchester Golf Club 1818.  The club is still in existence but lost its (third) course in the 1960s.   At some point changed its name to Old Manchester.