Mac's Buxton putting green

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Lavinia and I drove across to Buxton this morning. Armed with the photos from Neil’s thread it was easy to find the course. The good news is that to my untrained eye the course appears to be intact and I doubt it would take much to get it into playing shape. True, the big trees which were there in MacKenzie’s day have grown and shade might be a problem. A few younger trees have been planted and a miniature railway runs across the very lowest part of the course. A tarmac path also runs through the course, from which I took these photos, because the ground was very slippery from all the rain we have had (and were still having when these photos were taken) as well as the many fallen leaves. So I made no attempt to discover a routing. I doubt it would take an architect more than a few seconds. I think there were two kinds of greens: armchair, most of which were full of leaves; and domed, which remained free of leaves.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Of course, MacKenzie wasn’t the first golfer to visit Buxton:



I thought you might like a few pictures of what is a delightful little spa town on a dismal November morning.

[Tom Naccarato]

I love England.....Just love the place.

Mark, you can see that everything is indeed still there--at least in pictures. AMAZING!

Neil, Great job in uncovering this diamond. Now we have to get it restored!

[Marty Bonnar]

Just terrific, Mark. Many thanks! Trust MacKenzie to retain a link with the railway in this design

Some very enticing contours there. Let's have at it, boys.

Buxton looks extremely enchanting despite the rather dreich day. I'm pretty sure I can see a First Edition of 'The Links' there in the window of Maggie May's too....it's mine, it's MINE, I TELL YOU!

cheers,
FBD.

[Bill_McBride]

Buxton looks a bit like Bath, I guess the spa towns all date back to the late 18th century?

The rail line is great stuff, don't all great British and Scottish courses have a rail line alongside?

[James Bennett]

Buxton looks a bit like Bath, I guess the spa towns all date back to the late 18th century?

I thought the Buxton Baths would have fitted in perfectly in Harrogate.

James B

[Mark_Rowlinson]

The nice thing about Buxton is that it missed out on all that expansion that went on in Spas such as Harrogate aimed at hosting conferences and so on. It's just a lovely little town - in the right weather. And Cavendish is a fascinating course. Some day I'll photograph Buxton and High Peak - gloriously old-fashioned.

[Neil_Crafter]

Mark
Thanks so much for the photos from Buxton - it certainly appears to be all there, and apart from the mini railway line (with hints to Royal Adelaide right there!), it looks like the original contours from the 1920's have not been touched. A few more trees of course. Could it be restored? A very strong case would need to be made to the local council.

Mark do many of the public putting greens that seemed to proliferate in a number of UK towns still exist in usable condition? I expect most have become disused or redeveloped. It is fortunate that Buxton's one is still there in the ground.

And Buxton looks like a nice place to be on a sunny spring day - not so sure about a drizzly cold one in late autumn!

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Neil, I don't know how many public putting greens still exist in the UK, or how you would find out. I think the main problem is upkeep and vandalism. Also you need to pay someone to give out clubs and balls and collect green fees. There is a public pitch-and-putt in Wilmslow (just put The Carrs, Wilmslow into Google Earth and it will find it) and I played it a few times when the children were young, but some of the holes are crazy and maintenance is poor. There was rarely anybody else playing or anyone to collect your fee so you could make up your own holes which was great fun. The only time there was anyone to collect a fee was in Wimbledon fortnight and for a short period thereafter when the tennis courts were busy.

In fact there is a good par-3 course (Hawtree-designed) nearby at Adlington which has two courses, rather better maintained. One course is pitch and putt (longest hole ca 85 yards, shortest about 40), the other is more serious ranging from 110 yards to 240. If you put the postcode SK10 4NG into Google Earth it will find it (well, a little to the south-east, to be accurate). To the north-west of it is Woodford Aerodrome where Avro lancasters and Vulcans were built. To the south of runway 07 is Avro Golf Club, which I presume was started by employees but is, I believe, a provate club these days. It is a 9-hole course with 10 greens, and oodles of character. I've no idea who may have designed it.


Here's a challenge for you, Neil. What can you find out about Marbury Country Club (ca 1933-1939) just outside Northwich and Hurdsfield Golf Club (just north of Macclesfield) which I think also perished in the war and is now a factory estate? It, apparently, had a high reputation pre-war - and it had some good competition from Prestbury, Stockport, Wilmslow etc.

[Rich Goodale]

Neil (and Mark)

There are TWO public putting greens in my little (pop. ~ 2,500) seaside village of Aberdour which have been abandoned in the 15-20 years I have lived here.  At both (on different sides of the village) the wee sheds for taking money and the contours still exist, but there seems to be no serious demand nor private or public money willing to try to recreate any of the demand that must have existed at some time in the past.  Outside of St. Andrews I can't think of any public putting greens in Fife that are popular, or even in use.  I can only see this changing by some sort of labour of love (i.e. a private benefactor who will step in and sponsor such a venue).  As the Fife Council is in the planning stages of making some if not all of its local courses NLE (NOT including any at St. Andrews, in case anybody is getting palpitations--they are not under the direction of Fife Council) I cannot see it spending money to create a new golfing money pit (some people's point of view).

Rich

[Bill_McBride]

Is the public putting green in North Berwick still in operation?  I've seen a handful of people on it, an it appears to be mowed from time to time, but I didn't see a "wee shed" for collection of fees.

[Rich Goodale]

Bill

Yes.

j-p p

[Neil_Crafter]

Mark and Rich
Sounds like public putting greens are nearly extinct in the UK from what you say, which is a shame of course but no real surprise with so many other forms of entertainment available.
Neil

[James Bennett]

Neil

do you recall the public putting green/pitch and putt course at Elizabeth, just off the Main North Road (on the western side, after the City Centre IIRC)?  I suspect the Adelaide version of a public putting green in our 'little England' probably died about 20 or so years ago.

James B

[Neil_Crafter]

 
No recollection of it whatsover James. Afraid I avoided travelling beyond Scotty's Corner if at all possible.

[Mark Chaplin]

Bill - You are quite right concerning the railways and the great links of the UK. Certainly in the 1890s early 1900s rail was the only quick method of travel and the coastal links of Kent and Sussex would never have developed without the railway.

Reading the history of Rye there was a railway line - you can stll make it out around the back of the 11th green and alongside the 12th - to the town from the club. A special train met members from a Friday evening train from London and dropped them back on Sunday. The train was rather unique as it had 2 carriages, 1st class and 3rd class. Gentleman golfers would never travel 2nd class and the caddies couldn't/wouldn't pay for 2nd class!

[Mark_Rowlinson]

When I was a boy in the 1950s all British Railways passenger trains only had 1st and 3rd class, no 2nd. I don't know where or when this peculiarity came from. Does anyone know?

Here is a link to the railway (which seems to have been a narrow-gauge tramway):
http://www.urban75.org/railway/camber.html