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Jonathan Cummings

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Bovey Castle
« on: July 25, 2003, 06:56:18 AM »
I just received a form post card from Peter de Savary inviting me to visit his new golf course Bovey Castle when it opens next Easter.  He is restoring the castle and a 1920s golf course.  The place is located in the Dartmoor National Park in England.  He says it is destined to outrival Skibo (which I understand he has sold).

Anybody know anything about it?  Have I missed other threads on Bovey?

JC
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Mark Pearce

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Re: Bovey Castle
« Reply #1 on: September 15, 2009, 02:23:09 PM »
Quote from: Jonathan Cummings on July 25, 2003, 06:56:18 AM
I just received a form post card from Peter de Savary inviting me to visit his new golf course Bovey Castle when it opens next Easter.  He is restoring the castle and a 1920s golf course.  The place is located in the Dartmoor National Park in England.  He says it is destined to outrival Skibo (which I understand he has sold).

Anybody know anything about it?  Have I missed other threads on Bovey?

JC
I have just (this afternoon) won a two-night two round stay at Bovey Castle for the "World Corporate Masters" after my partner and I won the "North East Corporate Masters".  I'm slightly jealous of last year's winners, who got to go to Nice for the "World Final" but am looking forward to Bovey.  Has anyone played it?  What can I look forward to from the golf?
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In June I will be riding the first three stages of this year's Tour de France route for charity.  630km (394 miles) in three days, with 7800m (25,600 feet) of climbing for the William Wates Memorial Trust (https://rideleloop.org/the-charity/) which supports underprivileged young people.

Brian Phillips

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Re: Bovey Castle
« Reply #2 on: September 15, 2009, 04:03:58 PM »
The website looks awesome!  Looks like a wonderful and designed by Abercomby as well.
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Bunkers, if they be good bunkers, and bunkers of strong character, refuse to be disregarded, and insist on asserting themselves; they do not mind being avoided, but they decline to be ignored - John Low Concerning Golf

Jason McNamara

Re: Bovey Castle
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2009, 04:07:49 PM »
I saw just a bit of the course on TV last week - one of those 3am Golf Channel shows on whatever the Euro Tour's feeder tour is called.  It's an Abercromby course, iirc, looked like a fun place to play.

Mark Rowlinson has posted on the course before, and has mentioned a tricky short par 4.  They've changed the routing in the past few years, so depending on when Mark posted, it may not come at the exact same spot in the round that he mentioned.

Sorry I don't have more.  Oh, wait...   Also, the resort was known as the Manor House Hotel, so you guys might also search on that string.
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Adam Lawrence

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Re: Bovey Castle
« Reply #4 on: September 15, 2009, 04:21:59 PM »
We did a brief story on the redesign by Tom Mackenzie, post De Savary's acquisition of the hotel, in 2005, in the first edition of our magazine. It isn't all that illuminating to be honest, but in any case here it is - http://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/Article/Bovey-to-its-former-glory/1002/Default.aspx
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Adam Lawrence

Editor, Golf Course Architecture
www.golfcoursearchitecture.net

Principal, Oxford Golf Consulting
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Author, 'More Enduring Than Brass: a biography of Harry Colt' (forthcoming).

Short words are best, and the old words, when short, are the best of all.

Adrian_Stiff

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Re: Bovey Castle
« Reply #5 on: September 15, 2009, 04:25:42 PM »
About 7 years ago pre the DeSavary buy I was asked to have a look at a redesign and upgrade with a view to getting a tour event by the then present owners. The course was known as Manor House then. To be honest the Abercromby design was'nt much to be proud of, or at least the back nine wasn't and we were going to chop that up quite a bit and they had some new land that they could buy. I think Donald Steel got the job and they built a few new holes and got rid of the poorer ones but I guess they never got the new land.
The bottom holes are nice parkland with a meandering stream, the 15th (formerley 7th) has the stream/river criss crossing the hole several times. They made a nice job of redoing the old 3rd and the old 18th hadthe fairway levelled out. All in all its a nice course, its quite expensive now, the hotel is lovely. probably a Doak 5 (UK top 200).
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A combination of whats good for golf and good for turf.
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Tony_Muldoon

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Re: Bovey Castle
« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2009, 04:51:36 AM »
Quote from: Mark Pearce on September 15, 2009, 02:23:09 PM

I have just (this afternoon) won a two-night two round stay at Bovey Castle for the "World Corporate Masters" after my partner and I won the "North East Corporate Masters". 

Congratulations Mark.

Another member of the GB&I team on hot form in the run up to BUDA!  I think that makes you Captain.
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Let's make GCA grate again!

Padraig Dooley

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Re: Bovey Castle
« Reply #7 on: September 16, 2009, 04:16:58 PM »
I have played quite a few rounds in Bovey Castle. It's not a bad course, the front nine holes around the river, running through the valley are the highlight, the winds swirl quite a bit through the trees making judgement tricky.

The back nine isn't great, not too many highlights, the short drivable 14th with a few matures trees at the entrance of the green has some interest.

The course doesn't seem to get too much play and the hotel is very good with plenty of other country activities and of course the moors of Devon are nearby as well.

I'd be more inclined to go with a 3/4 on the Doak scale rather then Adrian's 5.

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There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.
  - Pablo Picasso

Mark Pearce

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Re: Bovey Castle
« Reply #8 on: September 16, 2009, 04:31:55 PM »
Thanks all for the info.  Sounds like a good couple of days (what with practice round, 2 dinners etc.) but I can't help envying last year's finalists, who got to go to Nice!
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In June I will be riding the first three stages of this year's Tour de France route for charity.  630km (394 miles) in three days, with 7800m (25,600 feet) of climbing for the William Wates Memorial Trust (https://rideleloop.org/the-charity/) which supports underprivileged young people.
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