Is there such a thing as the London Sand Belt? I think of that term with respect to Melbourne but do not recall reading it with respect to London.
I think it's a reference to the heathland courses west of London but then the Deal mafia appear to have included Deal/Sandwich and even Rye hass had a mention, so I guess it has become a London based golf trip thread. You're right, of course, since the heathland courses are not naturally sandy.
Hang on a second Mark... If they aren't sandy, what are they?
Guess I refer to them as the Surrey sand belt courses almost as often as the heathland courses and despite the fact half of them are in Berkshire, Hampshire or Sussex.
Well that’s the problem, what are they? It’s hard to generalise to much.
The primary concentration e.g. Sunningdale to Swinley area is rich in high quality ‘Bagshot Sand’. The extraction of which for building purposes would have been one of the old uses of Heaths.
IN October I drove my long suffering Mother in Law from Blackmoor GC to Liphook GC. It’s clear that those courses are situated on relatively small pockets of land ideal for Pine, Birch and Heather to thrive. In between it was Oak and Beech, hence a much heavier soil is indicated. All the ‘London’ courses tend to be in small clusters of suitable land and in fact the primary soil type in the area is known as London Clay.
Others like the Addington and Walton heath aren’t naturally sand at all being a clay loam over a gravel subsoil. The extraction of Gravel being another prime economic factor that sustained Heaths. However The Addington is not Heath at all!
On balance I’m happier with London Heathland than with London Sandbelt. I think the latter is a misappropriation of the name which is more famously associated with Melbourne.