Royal Colwood by Dale Jackson is now posted under In My Opinion

[Ran Morrissett]

In 1997, after playing Capilano, I went over to sneak a peek at Royal Colwood. Peering through the fence, I liked very much the idyllic atmosphere of the course so it is with particular pleasure that we post this very well written piece on it by member Dale Jackson.

Opened in 1913, this design heralded nearby resident AV Macan as an architectural force with which to be reckoned. As Dale points out, 'For the first time west of the Mississippi and one of the very earliest anywhere in North America, here was a course of great strategic interest and challenge. Some holes were doglegged, players were asked to think of where their drives should be positioned to offer the best angle into the green and rewarded handsomely for plotting their way properly around the course. Greens were challenging and featured slopes and rolls to hold the interest of players of all abilities. In other words, golf at Colwood was as much a thinking game as it was a physical game. Today there are many courses throughout the world with those features; in 1913 in North American it was virtually unheard of.'

Even better for the Club, Macan's steady hand was part of the course's evolution for four (!) decades.

Dale goes on to state that, 'Nothing west of New York could match the sophistication and challenge of Macan’s design at Colwood. Consider that the great, and better known, West Coast courses – San Francisco Golf Club (1915), Pebble Beach (1919), Olympic Club (1924), Riviera (1926), Cypress Point (1928), Pasatiempo (1929), and many others – were not close to being constructed in 1913 and the importance of Royal Colwood begins to emerge.' I believe this statement rings true - do you concur as well?

To truly appreciate Macan's work, Jackson has included several photographs from the 1930s. Just one look at the black and white of the seventh hole highlights Macan's artistic talent, which is also evident for those of us that have read the profile of the California Golf Club of San Francisco on this site.

Dale's writing makes for a great addition to the site. In fact, between now and the U.S. Open, GolfClubAtlas.com is going 'live' with more content than we have ever done in our ten year history, so stay tuned!

Cheers,

[Jeff_Mingay]

A wonderful and important piece of writing, Dale! Very well done.

Not only is Dale's piece an interesting read, but it importantly brings to light one of the most talented - albeit comparatively unheralded - golf architects in history; as well as deserved attention to an historically important golf course design. (Royal Colwood is a really good course, too.)

Those of us who have studied golf architecture in Canada always point to development of Toronto Golf Club, beginning around 1910, as a watershed moment. Harry Colt's work at Toronto GC (and, a couple years later, at Hamilton GCC) set a new standard for golf course design in Canada, in much the same way as we understand CB Macdonald's work at National Golf Links to have done in America.

Well, Macan began work at Royal Colwood during this same era; before he had anything else to reference out west. As Dale points out, there were very few - if any - courses west of the Mississippi River that compared favourably with the best layouts on the Atlantic seaboard, and elsewhere throughout the world, at the time. In Canada, Stanley Thompson's Jasper Park course, for example, was more than a decade away from completion.

Subsequently, Macan's landmark work at Royal Colwood set a new standard for golf course design out west; but, more specifically, throughout the Pacific Northwest.
 
As Toronto Golf Club prepares for a major renovation of its historic Colt course, Royal Colwood is certainly in an interesting place with regard to its opportunity to accurately restore/preserve one of Canada's (and North American golf's) most historically important layouts, and one of our country's best golf courses.

(If you haven't picked up on it,) I have a genuine soft-spot for this course and its architect!

Nice work, Dale!

[Matt Bosela]

What a great writeup Dale.  Truly fantastic!

I'm heading out to Victoria in August and I've already set the wheels in motion to play Colwood.  After reading your review, I truly can't wait to get out there now!

Many thanks.

[Bob Jenkins]

Well done, Dale.

Although I have lived in the Vancouver area all of my life, I will be playing Royal Colwood for the first time on Friday of this week. There could not have been better timing for the posting of your article.

Bob Jenkins

[Dale Jackson]

Ran,

thanks for the kind introduction to the article.

I should make a point about attribution.  It was Mike Riste that planted the idea with me about Colwood being the first course in the West to be "architecturally designed".  I believe he will be building on that theme in his biography about Macan, although I have not seen any of it.

I followed up and did enough research to satisfy myself that the statement is accurate, and part of the research was done here on this site.

If anyone has any additional information that proves or disproves any part of the piece, please let me know.  I am researching and writing the 100 year history of Royal Colwood and obviously rather find out sooner rather than later about any errors or omissions!!!

[Garland Bayley]

Dale,

You label the bunkers in the picture of #9 as cross bunkers. Are they perpendicular, diagonal, or parallel to the line of play? It would look to me that they are somewhat diagonal. In that case, is it proper to say "they lost favour many years ago"? Diagonal cross bunkers seem to me to be very much in favor.

Garland

[Garland Bayley]

Dale,

Another question. Were there only two par 5s when the course opened, or have they reduced the par on a couple of holes?

Garland

[Garland Bayley]

The par 4 yardages are 392, 409, 422, 429, 326, 444, 430, 446, 397, 385, 398, 448. It would appear the 400 added yards have been made here as the par 5s are relatively short, and you report losing yardage from a par 3. What kind of distribution of length was on the original par 4s? Has the addition of length been uniform throughout them, or do some of them play significantly different strategically than they originally did?

[Yannick Pilon]

Oh my god!!

I thought the seventh at Pasatiempo was the narrowest hole in the universe!  I think we have a new contender with the twelfth at Royal Colwood!!  I sure hope its just the picture that makes it look this way, otherwise, I don't think I could breathe on this hole

Good job Dale!  Very nice piece.

YP

[DMoriarty]

Dale,

Thank you so much for the terrific write up.  Macan sounds like he was an incredible designer who was right there with the best of them anywhere. 

Here are some old photos of the course I found for a thread I did a while back. I think the first two are of the 4th hole (1920 and 1927)

[Dale Jackson]

David, thanks for posting those pictures.  The third picture is of #7 and the last one is 13.

Yannick - the picture really does distort how narrow the drive is, there is room out to the right that doesn't show up, ask Wayne the next time you talk with him.

Garland -

Dale,

You label the bunkers in the picture of #9 as cross bunkers. Are they perpendicular, diagonal, or parallel to the line of play? It would look to me that they are somewhat diagonal. In that case, is it proper to say "they lost favour many years ago"? Diagonal cross bunkers seem to me to be very much in favor.

Garland

They were very much cross bunkers.  And what I meant to say they lost favour when cross bunkering in general went out of style.  They may be put back in.

Dale,

Another question. Were there only two par 5s when the course opened, or have they reduced the par on a couple of holes?

Garland

No, there has always been just two Par 5s.  That would have been quite unusual for the day and (as you can see from the expanded yardages on 9, 12 and 18) the original course could have had 1 or 2 more if Macan had chosen.

The par 4 yardages are 392, 409, 422, 429, 326, 444, 430, 446, 397, 385, 398, 448. It would appear the 400 added yards have been made here as the par 5s are relatively short, and you report losing yardage from a par 3. What kind of distribution of length was on the original par 4s? Has the addition of length been uniform throughout them, or do some of them play significantly different strategically than they originally did?

The original par 5s play close to the original yardage - one is a bit longer, the other a bit shorter.
Of the Par 3s, #4 is about 30 yards longer, #7 is 10 yards longer, #11 is 20 yards longer and #15 is 30 yards shorter.
Of the Par 4s 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 16 and 17 are roughly the same, although almost all have 10 - 15 yards added to them.  Of the others, #6 is 30 yards longer, 9 is 40 yards longer, 12 is 40 yards longer, 13 is 30 yards longer and 18 is 50 yards longer.

How each hole has changed is a more complicated topic.  The ones that have been lengthened the most probably play closer to the original design because of the changes with technology.  Some of the others have changed because the firs have grown since the course was built.  Overall, though, the original strategic interest of the course is largely intact.  We try to keep the conditions fairly firm, although they can never be too firm for my personal taste.  The planned bunker remediation plan should help return the original bunker design and adjustment of the fairway bunkering placement will bring some holes back closer to the original design.

[Will MacEwen]

Great job Dale - I am hoping to make it to Colwood this summer. 

No mention of the member-initiated tree clearing of a few years ago?

[Dale Jackson]

Will that is a story for another day and a different setting, one involving a bar and a beer!

[Will MacEwen]

Will that is a story for another day and a different setting, one involving a bar and a beer!

I accept those terms if you make it up Island this summer.

[DMoriarty]

David, thanks for posting those pictures.  The third picture is of #7 and the last one is 13.

I thought the last was 13, but the green looks so different in the old photo than in the photo you posted.  Just the angle I guess. 

One can really see in the old photo why a golfer would want to approach from the right side, but also see how that might be difficult to do, given the apparent slope of the landing area from right to left.

It seems like this was a sophisticated and subtle course strategically.   Do you have idea of what, if anything, was influencing Macan? 

[John Mayhugh]

Dale,
What an outstanding contribution.  Thanks so much for sharing this with us.  I certainly did not appreciate the history that the club has.  I especially enjoy seeing old/new photos side by side.  Thanks David for sharing those additional ones with us.

Photos can be very deceiving.  Wow does that tee shot on the 12th look tough (even if there is more room out there, my mind & body don't always cooperate).  Do you by any chance have a photo from the fairway looking back towards the tee?  Would be interesting to see.  I tried to take a look using google earth, but the satellite angle isn't too good.  Still, you can see there is more room than apparent from the photo.

Took a look at the RC website.  Nice 1922 article by Macan posted on there.  After reading this, I really like the guy:
Anyone acquainted with the course will also be glad to hear that a new green has been constructed at the eighth; the old green was a serious blot on the course—in my saner moments I wonder how I planned it. However that may be, the new green is as excellent as the old one was bad.  Talk about honest!
http://www.royalcolwood.org/documents/ThePacificNorthwestatColwood.pdf

[Bill_McBride]

That is indeed a good article.  I love his description of #3 as a "fine two shotter" at 420 yards over a ditch (or "burn" in Scotland).  I'll say that was a fine two shotter in 1922 with the clubs and balls of those days.

[Jeff_Mingay]

It seems like this was a sophisticated and subtle course strategically.   Do you have idea of what, if anything, was influencing Macan? 

This is an excellent question, David. What, if anything, was influencing Macan?

First, Macan was an excellent amateur golfer who competed in many tournaments and championships throughout GB&I prior to immigrating to Canada. I've come across a number of old articles documenting Macan's competitve days during the pre-Word War I era. So, we know he'd seen, played, and competed at a number of the best courses throughout the British Isles prior to laying out Royal Colwood.

Macan oversaw a significant "upgrade" of the course prior to the 1922 PNGA championships hosted by Colwood (before it received its "Royal" designation). I mention this, because it's also know - primarily through research done by Mike Riste, of Vancouver - that Macan read and re-read John Low's landmark book, Concerning Golf, published in 1903, while recovering from amputation of a leg resulting from injury sustained at Vimy Ridge, during the First World War.

As many of you know, Concerning Golf is recognized as the first publication to outline basic principles of golf course architecture; many of the great, pioneer golf architects, including Alister MacKenzie, were also influenced by Low's early writings.

While it's only loosely applicable to the original design at Royal Colwood, I find it extremely interesting that close to the end of his life, Macan said that anyone interested in learning about golf course architecture only need to read Chapter 19 and 20 in Bobby Jones' autobiography (Golf is my Game, published in 1959), explaining the development of Augusta National. I think this provides a very clear, very interesting perspective on Macan's philosophy.

[DMoriarty]

Thanks Jeff,

Can you point to anything particular from Low's book that you see happening at RC?    I don't mean a model or template or any such thing, but any principles that you think might have really shaped his view and efforts?

Same goes for the Jones chapters.  Was their anything in particular about those chapters that you think made Macan really nod his head affirmatively, and think "Yes, that's right, I've been doing that all along!"

Tough questions I know, but while RC looks great, I haven't had the pleasure of seeing it in person and it is difficult to get a sense of what he was really all about, even from the photos.

Thanks again for your post above. 

DM

[Jeff_Mingay]

David,

Unfortunately I don't want to give too much away, just yet! I'm currently working on an analysis of Macan's golf architecture, specifically relative to a couple projects I have on the go; but, I may also turn this analysis into an essay that could (maybe) be posted at Golf Club Atlas some time in the near future.

However, I will say that Royal Colwood certainly illustrates at least a few of Low's main points; for example: 

1. A golf course should provide entertainment for the high and medium handicapper, while at the same time present a searching and difficult test for the accomplished golfer.

4. The architect must allow the ground to dictate play. The good architect sees that there is a special interest for the accomplished golfer in each stroke, just as the billiard player always has in mind the next stroke or strokes.

5. The fairway must be oriented to both the tee and the green, thereby stressing the importance of placing the tee shot in a position from which the green can be approached with safety.

6. Bunkers should be used sparingly by the architect.

8. A course should never pretend to be, nor is it intended to be, an infallible tribunal of skill alone. The element of chance is the very essence of the game, part of the fun of the game.

9. All really great golf holes involve a contest of wits and risks. No one should attempt to copy a great hole because so much may depend depend on its surroundings as well as some features miles away in the background which influence and affect the play of the hole.

As for the Jones chapters, you'll have to wait! Hopefully it'll be worth such a wait, in short time 

[DMoriarty]

Thanks Jeff,

I look forward to the In My Opinion piece.  I am sure it will be well received.   Especially if compared to mine.

Good luck.

[Bill_McBride]

Thanks Jeff,

I look forward to the In My Opinion piece.  I am sure it will be well received.   Especially if compared to mine.

Good luck.

 

[Dale Jackson]

Further to the link to John Low, and this is just personal opinion with no concrete evidence, but it seems likely to me that there is a missing link between Low, Macan and the other designers of the day who put forward their principles.  In particular, I wonder if Colt and Macan crossed paths in the 1900 - 1910 era.  Although I am not a Colt expert by any means, there seems to be a certain similarity to the work of the two.

Given Macan,Colt, Mackenzie et. al. came from the UK and were roughly the same age, it is intriguing to speculate Macan may be linked to the rest of them, as we know they were to each other.

Photos can be very deceiving.  Wow does that tee shot on the 12th look tough (even if there is more room out there, my mind & body don't always cooperate).  Do you by any chance have a photo from the fairway looking back towards the tee?  Would be interesting to see.  I tried to take a look using google earth, but the satellite angle isn't too good.  Still, you can see there is more room than apparent from the photo.

I do not have a good photo towards the tee mostly because the tee shot is blind and the tee is not visible from the landing area.  However, to reiterate, the tee shot is not nearly as narrow as it appears in the photo.

I thought the last was 13, but the green looks so different in the old photo than in the photo you posted.  Just the angle I guess. 

One can really see in the old photo why a golfer would want to approach from the right side, but also see how that might be difficult to do, given the apparent slope of the landing area from right to left.

It seems like this was a sophisticated and subtle course strategically.   Do you have idea of what, if anything, was influencing Macan?

The green does look different and I am trying to determine if the left front of the green may have been expanded after that picture was taken.  The stream and pond have been reshaped and that is also part of the difference, and finally, it appears the green used to be wider on the right than it is presently.


As to his influences, that is a very interesting question, and Jeff has provided some insight as to Macan's influences, but one of the great mysteries of the man and Colwood is how did someone with no known experience in course design, and far away from the East Coast designers who frequently offered opinions, advice, counsel etc. to each other, come up with such a revolutionary design.  It is an amazing development in golf course history in North America.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Dale,

You bring up a very interesting point.

As I've stated here already, it seems Macan was "up on the cutting edge, textbook, contemporary theory" of golf course architecture by 1912-13. But I, too, wonder who he may have chatted/corresponded/visited with (perhaps Colt and others?) about the subject prior to laying out (Royal) Colwood; specifically with regard to construction techniques and materials, turf-grass varieties condusive to golf in the Pacific Northwest (an infant subject at the time), grow-in and future course maintenance, etc.

I suspect there's a missing link as well.
 

[Bill_McBride]

Didn't he come from Northern Ireland?  He could have run into Old Tom at Royal County Down!