The Berkshire Fowler & Simpson

[Sean_A]

The Cooden Beach thread got me to thinking about The Berkshire.  Some folks have suggested that  these courses may be more Simpson than Fowler.  This also begs the same question concerning Cruden Bay & Blackwell.  I went to the Berkshire site, I was surprised they had one.  Anyway, there are some interesting pix.  What really struck me was the lack of bunkers in the old pix (but that could be because the site looks to have been far more sandy than now) and especially the strip bunker on #12 Blue.  I know that Paul Turner has a pic of a strip bunker at Blackwell and he seems to think it is the work of Simpson - I am not convinced.  It was my impression that Simpson was building quite high flare bunkers by this time, but I could be wrong. 

http://www.theberkshire.co.uk/index.lasso?pg=37aad5a5483e48af&cl=1&catid=b79e942788837e96&mp=34b5ff8d1a8620b1&-session=ldcms:586822C409fcc2A000vtXo2E3C18

Ciao

[Paul_Turner]

Sean

It's not just me that think Blackwell is primarily Simpson.  The club does too!  And why wouldn't they with  all those Simpson drawings?
 
I don't think that's a bunker on Blue 12. 

Intrigued by the huge looking "bunker" on 11 in background.  Or at least a whole lot of sand!

[Sean_A]

Sean

It's not just me that think Blackwell is primarily Simpson.  The club does too!  And why wouldn't they with  all those Simpson drawings?
 
I don't think that's a bunker on Blue 12. 

Intrigued by the huge looking "bunker" on 11 in background.  Or at least a whole lot of sand!

Paul

I have seen some copies of the drawings, but does his mean Simpson was the archie?  Perhaps it is true, but the course looks and feels like a Fowler.   I know of one case (UofM) where the final routing map of the course was done by Dr Mac and he even offers credit to Maxwell on the document, but Maxwell did the original routing with changes done later by Dr Mac.  What is the result?  Everybody calls the course a Dr Mac when to be fair the course is more Maxwell than Mac. 

The timing of Blackwell is interesting - early 20s - not long after the partnership of Fowler & Simpson started.  That could mean that Simpson was well into the work before the partnership started or that Simpson may have done the course very much in the Fowler mode or that Fowler did it with help from Simpson.   

Ciao 

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Sean, I don't think there is such a thing as a Fowler style. I know most of his UK courses and what strikes me is that they are all so different. Maybe that is because some were done with Simpson, because they have been altered or, what I suspect, he reacted differently to each site he encountered.

By the way, I notice that your wish list includes Noordwijk. I think you wll be disappointed. Of course you should play it if you are in Holland - and the links holes are good - but the non-links holes are not great and the short holes are undistinguished. Make time also to play Hilversum and De Pan.