Being inspired, or more likely challenged by Pietro to create a Colt Best Of, I decided to give it a go. I clipped the challenge to only GB&I courses and I will also only include holes I have seen. Additionally, I will only take holes as they appear on courses. For example, #1 Eclectic must be the first hole on its "home" course. I will also make some allowances to try and create a balanced course much like what Colt would have created. Finally, I am hoping guys step in and make suggestions/offer photos. I am happy to make this a joint effort as it isn't always clear which holes should be included. Here goes....
#1: ST GEORGES HILL Par 4 – 384 yards: The course may best be known in history by its association with the Diggers. During the turbulent period shortly after the trial and execution of King Charles I a group led by Gerrard Winstanley occupied the common land known as St Georges Hill with a view to cultivating it. This radical solution to rising food prices and a general feeling of disconnect with the land among the lower class would 200 years later be labeled as Communism. How ironic then that St Georges Hill should eventually become one of the wealthiest gated communities in England. In 1911 the concept of a gated community was relatively novel and appealed to the then well established middle classes made up of professionals and entrepreneurs. It is the great fortune of golfers that the developer, George Tarrant, decided to include a golf course on the Surrey estate. After many months of arduous tree-clearing Harry Colt was able to embark on what is arguably his finest inland creation. The course covers land which is most obviously severe even when viewed from the comfort of the rather redoubtable clubhouse. The undulating terrain is used to great effect in offering challenge and beauty. True to Colt, many of the holes play to somewhat large uphill greens situated on plateaus and enclosed by sand.
One of the aspects of St Georges Hill which impressed me the most is its width and playability. Oddly enough, perhaps #1 is the most confined hole on the course! One will note the up and down nature of the opener, this is a common theme throughout St Georges Hill.
Like all good uphill approaches, the shot here leaves the player in some doubt as to where the edge of the green is. This doubt makes it difficult to be aggressive with left side hole locations.
#2 BURNHAM & BERROW Par 4 – 386 yards: H. S. Colt is often cited as the creator of Burnham and Berrow and rightly so. Colt’s blue print used the natural contours of the land tellingly in creating eight new holes and is largely responsible for the reputation Burnham enjoys today. Burnham’s endurance as a venue for amateur championships has lasted more than a century. In addition to hosting the Ladies British Open Amateur Championship, Ladies Home Internationals and English Ladies Championship on several occasions, the club has been the venue for many English Amateur Championship (most recently in 2006), the Brabazon Trophy (to be hosted again in 2011) and the Home Internationals. Burnham is also the permanent home for the West of England Winter Foursomes and the West of England Open Amateur Championship. The Winter Foursomes is unusual in that a high marker can find himself (or herself!) shaking hands with professionals on the first tee. Indeed, professionals regularly enter the competition and luminaries such as Peter Alliss and Brian Barnes have claimed the handsome trophy.
The 2nd is a devil of a par four. The player will hope to run a drive through a large dip in the centre of the fairway, but if he chooses this bold play he must also shape the tee shot right to left into the crosswinds off the Channel as the fairway turns left just enough to cause concern. Depending on the wind and one’s abilities, it may be safer to hit for the dip and accept that more often than not, the approach will be blind.
Below is a view of the long, narrow, two tier green guarded by bunkers up the left and by a steep drop-off right. Many members finding themselves right of the green pull out the putter without giving it a second thought.
#3 PRESTBURY Par 4 - 377 Yards: I must admit to knowing very little of the course other than Colt is the architect of record and that Morrison may have helped with the design at some stage. The course sits on a very hilly property not far south of Manchester near Macclesfield in a well heeled area. In truth, the course is likely a bit too mountainous for ideal golf, but Colt dealt with the severity of the terrain admirably. The card tells us the total yardage from the daily tees is not much shy of 6200, but as is so often the case with Colt's work the course can play longer.
For an architect who found blind shots somewhat distasteful, Colt surely built his share of blind tee shots. This willingness to sacrifice his principles (at least to some degree) reinforces another Colt dictum to use interesting land in a natural way. That isn't to say Colt didn't push dirt around when for he surely did. Indeed, Colt's shaping and penchant for raised greens may be his two most recognizable traits we see carried forward into modern golf architecture. In fact, these same traits and how Colt organized and operated his design business leads many to believe Colt was the most influential architect of his era.
Well, you guessed it, the third travels blindly over a modest hill to leave a knob to knob approach. The green is benched into a hillside which economically serves as the tee for #s 5 & 11, the green for #9 and the entire par 3 10th.
#4 SWINLEY FOREST Par 3 – 171 yards: It is said Colt walked the property until he was satisfied the location of the short holes could not be surpassed. Indeed, this labour of love was undertaken more than 100 years ago and it is doubtful if a better set of par 3s in Great Britain and Ireland has been crafted. The Redan-like green complex is situated well above the tee. Unlike the Redan, the green runs rapidly from left to right making the safer tee shot to the middle of the green a treacherous two putt.
Photo courtesy of Spangles
#5 ROYAL PORTRUSH DUNLUCE Par 4 – 379 yards: The Dunluce comes with a reputation for fostering brutal rough and narrow fairways. Of course, this is part of Portrush's difficulty. However, the real issue is the cross wind holes and in this way Portrush can be compared to Birkdale. #s 5 through 15 tend to have a westerly wind across them off the left or right making the fairways (of which many turn at the driving zones) very difficult targets to hit especially when several have ideal landing zones which are hidden. #s 1-4 and 16-18 normally play against or with the wind making these the holes which the player must take advantage of or suffer a long demoralizing day. Despite the difficulty even from forward (6400 yards) markers, Portrush is a special course and one of Colt's best efforts.
The 5th is one of those snaking par 4s in which the ideal line is over the large bushes in the left of the photo. A visible fairway exists further left as a layup area. One can also sling a wind assisted fade around the dune and gain the ideal line of approach without risking the long carry.
From the perfect position the approach is still not easy. Most players will (should?) scoot one up the green as very few have the ability to hold the back tier. Locals will know to keep left as the left fronting dune hides a kick in area.
#6 SUNNIINGDALE NEW Par 5 - 510 yards: The work recently carried out on the New is for the most part very impressive. The tree clearing particularly in a few spots around 15-16 and to the right of 6 is astonishing; though clearing in other spots is very noticeable. The New isn't a course that can be easily labelled. The variety of terrain, bunker schemes & styles, greens (though they all tend toward the subtle side) & hole shapes are tremendous. Its all made more lovely by the odd interior view which makes one glad to be playing golf. One of the things which especially impressed me was how many of the greens flowed into fairways - often creating a bit of a false front. This is truly a case where the younger brother has grown more stout than his elder sibling.
I admit to picking the 6th over other gems such as the par 3s at Harborne and Portrush as much because it is a three-shot hole as for its excellent design. The hole plays from a pulpit tee to a sweeping right fairway far below. A good blow offers an opportunity to attack this uphill green in two, but a come as may bunker lies left; scrubby rough and a bunker to the right.
Photos courtesy of G Williams.
#7 NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CO. Par 4 – 377 yards: Just west of Northampton in the well-heeled village of Church Brampton is a heathland track of land where Northamptonshire Co GC lies. Colt designed and likely oversaw its construction while developing Swinley Forest. At the time Colt was working on NCGC a halt existed between the 9th green and 10th tee making it relatively easy to stop at the club for periodic visits. The course is impressive because of its steadfast reliance on true minimalism. The terrain dominates the design in a manner which I think is a bit unusual for Colt. The course has the feel of a Braid or Fowler and this impression is due mainly to the greens. Colt is famous for raising or placing his greens on plateaux. This isn't the case at NCGC. While the land dictates that some parts of many greens have to built up to make them playable, for the most part, the entrances are at grade level and this is the over-all feel presented both visually and from a playing perspective. For instance, there are several greens which run away from the fairway. This is a feature I would normally more closely associate with Fowler or Park J. However, some things remain the same about Colt courses the world over and NCGC is no exception in playing much longer than the yardage suggests!
Just as the fairway cants left to the right so does the green!
#8 ST GEORGES HILL Par 3 – 173 Yards: The 8th is stunning. Though it must be said that once you see photos of the old bunkering compared to the disjointed effort of today, it must bring a tear to the eyes of Colt fans.
#9 ROYAL PORTRUSH VALLEY LINKS Par 4 – 310 Yards: One gets a view of the Valley from a few spots (especially from Calamity Corner) playing the Dunluce on the high ground and it does look stunning with its fairway strips cutting through dunes. The first impression is that there will be a lot of turning back on oneself and playing adjacent fairways. In fact, there isn't nearly as much of this type of routing because Colt cleverly brings us through hollers which act as dividers. One will notice that a great deal of the greens are placed at the base of dunes which create a sense of seclusion even though tee to green many holes are open. Additionally, Colt tended to route a few holes in one direction then turn about rather than going in one direction for several holes. Colt created a course which is easier than the Dunluce by keeping this routing system throughout the design. Essentially, the course runs either east or west, avoiding cross wind shots. Another aspect which makes the course easier than the Dunluce is the green surrounds are not quite as demanding. That isn't to say there isn't terrific variety because there most certainly is - probably more so than on the the Dunluce. Finally, the Valley is fairly short, but it steals shots from par by reducing the number of par 5s. This is a very common characteristic of British courses which makes courses feel as though they play longer than the card suggests. In this way Colt takes full advantage of our pre-occupation with the concept of par. Similar to Woodhall Spa, it is probably easier to play to one's handicap by stepping back to the medal tees because the par of 68 is increased by two shots, yet only 250 yards are added to the card.
The ninth is third of an excellent cast of short par 4s at teh Valley. The fairway angles oddly at the driving zone, but there is plenty of scope to lay up. Like the 8th, one must keep to the right for a view of the green.
Colt was determined to use the natural features as defenses rather than employ sand. On approaching the 9th we have a combination of playing into the wind and the hollow short of the green. These features give us all the interest and challenge we could crave.
That then is the opening nine; a par of 35 covering 3064 yards. Some will likely notice that many of the four pars of similar length. This is quite true, but one of the reasons for selecting these holes was to showcase Colt's skill creating wildly different holes of similar length.
Ciao