The Addington c. 1945-1950: Remarkably unchanged

[Scott Warren]

It's amazing how faithful the course is to this state 60 years later.

Undoubtedly there has been major tree growth, but the bunker placement on most holes looks close to exactly as you will find it today. I am in a slight state of shock!

[Adam Lawrence]

The sub-editor in me wants to change the second part of your thread heading to 'The Virtue of Neglect'. I think the very hands-off nature of the ownership at Addington until recently may have a lot to do with this.

[David_Tepper]

Scott -

There are several golf holes across the road on the right side of the picture. What course do they belong to?

DT

[Scott Warren]

David,

It's the NLE Addington New.

See this thread: http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,45688.0/

[Tony_Muldoon]

Outstanding Scott, I’ve put in a call to C++++++++S of the Yard, about haveing you detained here. Clearly your work is far from finished.

This leads me back to an earlier thread of yours

Your mystery green   http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,36273.0/



It doesn’t look like there was a green by the 12th, but 30 years tree growth is hard to quantify. I’m looking for other gaps and wondering where it might have been.

Also you prove the practice hole by 18 is post war.

Have you notified TP of this find?

[Tony_Muldoon]

Differences are slight, however there’s no friggin bridges!

I think these are the differences.

2nd fairway bunkers on 2 – gone? Might add interest to put them back.

9th  3 bunkers in first half of fairway, now only one?




16 a small one tucked in on left to catch the overdrawn drive?  I’ve seen the depression and I felt there was a bunker missing.  It must have driven the better players mad!

[Scott Warren]

Tony,

I have sent TP a message to inform him of the thread.

I still maintain the left hand of the two greens in your pic above is what we know as 12 green today, which leaves the rhs one a mystery? It would, if I were right, be what is now the front (lower) tee on 13

[Sean_A]

Tony,

I have sent TP a message to inform him of the thread.

I still maintain the left hand of the two greens in your pic above is what we know as 12 green today, which leaves the rhs one a mystery? It would, if I were right, be what is now the front (lower) tee on 13

Scott

I don't think so.  Look at the land for the right hand fairway.  It slopes hard right just as the 12th does.  It also makes sense that there is a valley to the right which the 13th plays over and I can't see hownthe 13th fits into a left hand green scenario.  Plus, I can identify the mounding in the rear of the green and swinging right.  Also to do with the green, the raised pad on the left hand green isn't anywhere close to matching the what is in the ground today, but the right hand green pad looks very similar.  Finally, I can identify the crescent shaped mound un the upslope on the far side of the fairway valley.  I will bet you a tenner the right hand green is the 12th!
 

If I recall correctly some folks thought like at Pine Valley, this could be a cleared corridor which wasn't used in the end.  

There appears to be another course to the left of #12, 13 & 14.  I assume that is Addington Palace and or Addington Court.  I know there are a ton of courses in the area.

Ciao

[Scott Warren]

Yes, the course south of 7 and 8 is Addington Palace, which I haven't played, but I'm told is has nine great holes somewhat similar in character to The Addington, but the other nine is very narrow and not of much interest.

Addington Court has three courses about a few hundred yards SE of The Add and Shirley Park GC (which my memory tells me Tony has some little nugget of interest on... maybe some Colt involvement?) is about 200 yards NW of The Add.

[Scott Warren]

Re: the two greens, the RHS one may well be the one that is in play, looking at it more, it has the rise immediately to the right that the current green has. You may well be right, so I'm not taking that bet!

[Jamie Barber]

I've not (yet) played the course, but in Finegan's book he mentions a conversation with the late owner, Moira Fabes, in 1998 which implies she tried to restore much of Abercromby's original design.

The paragraph is:

"In her office Mrs. Fabes reviewed a large map of the course for my benefit, pointing out the several bridges over ravines and warning me to be careful of the wooden planks, which local children sometimes loosened out of devilment. She traced Abercromby's career from when he got into golf course architecture till he got out. The chairman who preceded her in office was, she believed, misguided. "He thought he knew more about golf course architecture than Aber," she said disdainfully, "and as a result undertook many revisions. I undid his changes, and the course today is just as Aber made it."

Maybe this is why your overheads are so similar?

[Scott Warren]

Wow. That's great stuff Jamie, thanks. Certainly shows it's not the way it is through neglect.

[Sean_A]

Re: the two greens, the RHS one may well be the one that is in play, looking at it more, it has the rise immediately to the right that the current green has. You may well be right, so I'm not taking that bet!

Scott

I have it on good authority that the left hand green still exists! If you are going to have a look, take a look in this area as well. 

Ciao

[Paul_Turner]

Scott

How did you manage to save the images from that site and link them here?  I tried to do this exact same thread but couldn't get the images to come through to GCA,

I don't think there have ever been many changes to Addington at all.  I doubt that Addington was ever really "restored".

There have been changes to the order of holes.  For a while they played:  1,5-18,2-4

[Scott Warren]

Paul,

The images were shown in a tiny window, so it was basically a process of taking the 3" x 3" pieces and pasting them into MS Paint, making them line up to form the bigger image.

That's interesting re: the ordering, though I do love 15-18 as a finishing stretch.

[Paul_Turner]

Scott

I think I'll revise that alternate reordering of holes to:  2,3,6-18,1,5,4. 

It's possible that all three were used.

[Scott Warren]

I like that order as well. Those goles from 2-5 seem in my head to fit the end of the round better than the start.

I sent the link of this thread to a mate who is a member and he had a few comments: (GCAers comments in bold, his response below that)

Tony - 2nd fairway bunkers on 2 – gone? Might add interest to put them back.

I'll ask. I don't think there ever was a 'second' bunker behind the first.  As far as I'm aware the bunkering has never changed.
The 9th has and has only ever had one bunker - recently rebuilt, but of course in exactly the same place.

David - There are several golf holes across the road on the right side of the picture.

Those were originally part of the main 18 hole course, but sold off the land for development. What I would say is truly odd is that you can't see the original 18th hole in the old picture(!).

Sean -  I will bet you a tenner the right hand green is the 12th!

I agree.

Sean -  have it on good authority that the left hand green still exists!

Hmm, they have cleared out that area to the left of the 12th green (not that I've ever pulled my approach that badly honest), but I can't say there is anything resembling a green there.

One other point - the 'new' aerial is several year old now, I'd be interested to see if any of the tree clearance since then shows up anything noticeable.

-------------

I asked him about the comment re: the course originally straddling the road.

Q. When you mention the holes across the road and say part of the "main 18 hole course" I take it you mean the "New" course that no longer exists?
A. It's been a while since I was told by a guy who was a caddy there as a kid, but at some point there were two courses, and the course we play today started on the other side of the road, and finished on what is now the practice hole.  This is just what I was told, so I can't speak for the veracity of it as fact.

[Paul_Turner]

Scott

I don't think your member friend is correct about the holes across the road being from an original 18.  These are obviously from the defunct "New" course.

The mystery 12th green is buried in the woods.  Some mounding/shaping is probably still there.

[Paul_Turner]

Scott

Sorry I didn't read your post fully.

The original courses construction photos show the current 16th and 17th as they are today (originally as the 13th and 14th) so I think it's unlikely that the course crossed the road after those two holes.  It's simpler to play the current 18th.  How old is the caddy?