Britain from the air 3

[Mark_Rowlinson]

To please Sean here is Kington:



We may as well have a few more upland courses.



Known to and loved by many on GCA, Painswick.



This is West Monmouthshire in South Wales which is said to be the highest golf course in the British Isles. I know I’ve shown this before, in one of those infernal quizzes. Similarly the next one.



Ffestiniog in North Wales, probably the most primitive golf course I have ever played, yet great fun. Not to be missed if you are in the area – it’s only about half an hour’s drive from Royal St David’s.



This is Braid’s Welshpool in the Welsh Marches. It is an extraordinary course with several really spectacular holes including a vertiginous Spion Kop. The 18th is one of the most demanding long par 4s I have ever played.

There are, of course, many bracing upland courses in Scotland but few, if any, feature in high res on GE, so we’ll return to England.



Church Stretton is Shropshire’s oldest 18-hole course. It was first laid out by Jack Morris of Hoylake and one James Hepburn. Later alterations were made by Harry Vardon and James Braid. The course roams the end of the Long Mynd and is spectacular if diminutive.



Broadway is situated on the western edge of the Cotswolds with stunning views out over the Vale of Evesham and onwards for miles and miles and miles…. It is reputed to be the driest course in England and it has won awards for the standard of its greenkeeping. I last played it in a snowstorm!



This is Cavendish, Alister MacKenzie’s fine course in Buxton. There are several first rate holes and much fun to be had.



Saddleworth is another MacKenzie course in the rugged country of the Pennines.



There are many upland courses throughout the Pennines. This is Halifax, a Braid layout modified by MacKenzie. Essentially you play out climbing all the time until you reach the top of the course when you break out onto Ilkley Moor. You play along the moor for a few holes then plunge down a dramatic hillside in a single blow on the 17th. Some very uncompromising holes, especially the 3rd, 4th and 5th.



Finally Windermere, a diminutive course in the heart of the Lake District, very short on the card and very long in character.

[Mark Pearce]

Mark,

Another great series and an esoteric and interesting set of courses in all three so far.

[Bill_McBride]

Mark,

Another great series and an esoteric and interesting set of courses in all three so far.

Thanks for including Broadway, the first course I played in the UK back in 1989 I think.  The views off the escarpment down over the Vale of Eavesham are indeed amazing, and also amazing was how quickly I hit the deck when an F-18 from the US Air Force base down below buzzed the course at maybe 100 feet!  There are some cracker jack holes on that course.  I played with a couple of very nice locals and for some reason we started on #10, so I am a bit confused about the routing.  There was one very nice short par 4, lavishly bunkered, that was followed by a 460 yard par 4 with a wall to be carried on the long second shot.

I discovered it on a long walk with my wife from Chipping Campden, spotting the Dormy House first.  My long suffering wife was nice enough to let me go back the next day where I begged the loan of a set of clubs from the club professional.  He was a very nice guy and wouldn't accept a few pounds as a rental fee.  Then he set me up with a game with those two nice guys.  It was a good day on a fun course, lots to recommend at Broadway.

[Sean_A]

Mark

Thank you so much!  I thought Kington may look like a mess from above and I bet folks can't identify 18 holes let alone figure out the routing!  If anybody knows how I can number the holes on the aerial I would appreciate it as I would like to add the aerial to photo tour.


Bill

You are right.  The 1st (and 10th) is a par 5 which bisects the 9th and starts about an inch left of the clubhouse (top centre in the photo).  Your convoluted bunker hole is the very good reachable par 4 2nd which turns back on the 1st.  The 3rd is the excellent long par 4 over the wall clearly seen on the aerial (heading toward the top left of the photo).  The entire front 9 is very good and perhaps the best stretch of holes in Worcestershire.  However, the newer back 9 is less enticing as the land isn't nearly as dramatic.  But it does have a few high points with a few reachable par 4s and a cracking par 3 along the ridge (far lower right in the photo) with a wall in play.



Ciao

[Bill_McBride]

Sean, thanks for refreshing my memory!  That hole along the escarpment (far left edge of the aerial) doesn't look very dramatic in virtual 2-D, but that is a very scary drop off down to the Vale!  You are right about the older front nine and new back.  We played the back first and things definitely perked up once we hit #1 (our tenth).  That #9 hole, dogleg around the trees and uphill, is a good hole as well.

I must have topped a tee shot on #3 because it looks from the aerial as though you should be able to carry the wall easily off the tee!

[Andrew Mitchell]

There are many upland courses throughout the Pennines. This is Halifax, a Braid layout modified by MacKenzie. Essentially you play out climbing all the time until you reach the top of the course when you break out onto Ilkley Moor. You play along the moor for a few holes then plunge down a dramatic hillside in a single blow on the 17th. Some very uncompromising holes, especially the 3rd, 4th and 5th.

Mark
Thanks for the arial of Halifax, which I played a couple of times last year.  A tough course in any sort of breeze the photo doesn't give the sense of gradient with very few flat lies or stances.  The 17th is 178 yards straight downhill and depending on wind direction/strength can be anything from a driver to a wedge!