Martin Hawtree and Royal Melbourne

[Chris Kane]

This appeared in a Melbourne golf newspaper recently:

Royal Melbourne has awarded a lucrative design consulting contract to Martin Hawtree - course architect to the Royal & Ancient in Scotland.

Companies to bid for the contract included Thomson, Wolveridge and Perret and Michael Clayton Golf Design.

Hawtree will consult with the club's committee on any future work on the course.

...

I've read that Hawtree has worked with a couple of top links courses - but is he any good?  It was an interesting choice - shows they search all over to find the "best", just like when they hired a Scotsman to design the course in 1926.

Before anyone gets paranoid, word is that no significant changes are planned if any at all.  Having read the RM newsletter that announced the appointment, the task is primarly to provide a framework for the future.

[Ran Morrissett]

Given that they are talking about fine-tuning, I am very surprised that they wouldn't hire a) locally given the talent , b) someone who knows the courses backwards and forwards, and c) someone who knows what works/doesn't work with Melbourne's climate, soils, grasses, vegetation, etc.

Has Hawtree consulted on MacKenzie's work in Leeds?  I wonder if he harped on some of the design principle similarities with The Old Course?

While RM undoubtedly acted deliberately, the result seems odd - at least on the surface.

[A. Local]

Ran

OK, which Aussie firm would you appoint ?

- Mike C, seems to know his stuff but maybe a little light on experience at this stage.

- TWP, they must have read the bashing on this site and gave them a swerve

- Newton, nup

- Cashmore, maybe

- Crafter, maybe

Out of a bunch of others including Shearer, Shark, Webb (just kidding), Marsh, Watson, Wilcher, Williams, Pacific, IBF, Coate, Parslow etc etc....who could do a good job ?

[Ran Morrissett]

A. Local,

Not knowing what RM is after makes it tough but when I typed my post I was thinking "why look past Mike Clayton?"

I assume RM would like a man to review old aerials, study fairway lines, green sizes, playing angles, green run-offs and my take is that Mike would relish doing that. Plus, as a local, his availability to meet and discuss detailed points would be excellent.

Is Martin Hawtree the man who is working on Lahinch? Perhaps I've heard wrong, but hasn't he demonstrated little interest in guiding the club to restoring MacKenzie's features there?  

[Matt D]

Ran -

You're absolutely right , Martin Hawtree is doing the work on Lahinch.  I have been working on a project nearby for the past few years and have got a chance to see all the changes in motion and I know the contractors quite well.

I would agree that he seems to put a premium on changing the course for "modern" reasons and has had no problem with changing the MacKenzie aspects.  Case in point is #11.  They have put a premium on more Seaside golf, eliminate safety problems where they can, and removing blind shots.  Shared fairways and crossing lines of play along with blind shots are part of what makes links golf so unconventional and great.  Great golf courses break accepted design principles.  Golf Courses that follow all the accepted rules of designing a golf course fall into mediocrity and anonymity.

Of course 5 and 6 have been deemed untouchable.  Although I feel they (by they I refer to greens committe and Captain as well as Martin Hawtree) would have changed those holes if they were not so famous and the golf course was unheard of.  Let's face it - the 18/5/6 interchange is dangerous and nothing has been done there.

Anyway - It was one of my favorite in Ireland before and it probably will remain one of my favorites.  I just hate to see a course like that "Amercanize" itself.

If you'd like to hear Martin Hawtree's reasoning on the changes check out the Lahinch website.  Anyone interested in the design should at least hear the reasoning behind the changes - agree or disagree.

http://www.lahinchgolf.com/

[Shane Gurnett]

Interesting choice as Ran points out. Excuse my ignorance, but isn't RM as close to perfection in Australia as it gets? I cant think of a single hole that needs to be "fine tuned". The beauty of the place is that its hasn't been allowed to be touched since it was built, and it shows every time you go there.

If Hawtree tried to change anything down there, there will be a monumental sh*tfight. We'll watch this one very closely.

Shane

[Anthony O Shea]

I'm tempted to say the decision seems so very 'Royal Melbourne', and I'd be saying that in my plummiest Received Pronunciation, wearing a blue blazer with gold buttons, and sipping a Pimms No. 1 over a mixed plate of 'six points or eight?'.

You can almost see the disdainful pleasure RM might take in overlooking the locals and appointing a very establishment firm like the Hawtrees.

But then there is also something reassuringly low key, scholarly and even anti-commercial about the Hawtree dynasty, perhaps true moreso of Fred's era than Martin's, which makes me think this might be a good match.

And it's hard to fault RM on their fidelity to the Mackenzie/Russell/Morcom legacy over the past 70 years. This is one club that truly seems to understand their responsibility to the game.

Anthony.