St. Andrews Eden Course (ALL 18 Posted NOW) with pics

[Peter Ferlicca]

I played St. Andrews Eden last week and had a blast.  I played the Old Course when I visited in 2004, and wanted to take less of a hit on my weak wallet by playing the Eden instead.  It was funny; the only people that get comped at St. Andrews Links golf course are previous British Open Winners, a pretty elite group.  Well anyways the Eden course was only 40 pounds which I thought was a pretty darn good deal.  As we were driving down into St. Andrews all the signs were warning us of EXTREME WINDS.  It was probably a constant 30mph with gusts up to 50, if I had to take a guess.  The balls were oscillating on the putting greens and sometimes on the fairways.   I thought the first 11 holes were very good, and then a little bit of a drop off after that.  I am not positive of what holes were redone by Donald Steel, but I am guessing it is 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16.   It says all but three holes are the back nine are Steel Holes, I am wondering which one is the other, maybe 18.  Overall I had a great time on the Eden Course, and would recommend it if you have played the other St. Andrews courses.

The Eden Course was designed by Harry Colt, and opened in 1914 to alleviate play from the Old, New, and Jubilee.  

Hole 1 Par 4  (326 yards)  WILD green on the 1st.  




Hole 2 Par 4/5  (449 yards)





Hole 3 Par 4 (417 yards)  I loved this sweeping dogleg right with the estuary to the left of the green, great hole.






Hole 4 Par 4 (273 yards)  Fun short par 4 that was dead into the wind, hit driver and still had a 30 yard pitch into the green.




Hole 5 Par 3 (144 yards)  Ok, so this was something I have never seen before, one big high up tee box exposed to the wind along the estuary is used for holes 5 and 8, both par 3’s.  Colt did a great job of putting greens 5, 8, and 11 up on this dune ridge.  This is the best one, a great short par 3 with a wicked two tier green.  



Here is the view of both greens from the tee, you tee off to the right for 5, and then to the left for 8.



Hole 6 Par 4  (407 yards)  A good par 4 that is straight into the wind, plays hard.  






Hole 7 Par 4 (346 yards)  In the opposite direction on #4 and about 70 yards shorter, BUT is more driveable than #4 because of the whipping wind that was behind us.  I put the drive greenside with a little chip left.  





Hole 8 Par 3 (178 yards) this is the other par 3 shared with the same tee box on 5, this hole is extremely hard, strong right to left wind, with a HUGE false front.




Hole 9 Par 5 (505 yards)

[Mike Hendren]

Peter, thanks for the excellent photographs, particularly this one of perhaps my favorite golf spot in the world (so far):



I love how Colt sited the 5th in the dune and the 8th on the dune.  Brilliant.

The subsequent bastardization of this course has to rank among the saddest episodes in golf course architecture.

Today, at least, you brought a huge smile to my face.

Mike

[Tom_Doak]

Peter:

I think your summary of which are the revised holes is correct; to be honest, I don't know exactly, because the only time I walked the course after the changes I started to get sick looking at the new stuff, and turned for home.

That wild first green was originally the third -- as designed it was a 200-yard par-3!  Most of the first two holes [and last two holes] were incorporated into the entrance of the Old Course Hotel and the new practice facility.

The routing stayed the same from there for a while -- today's fifth hole, the par-3 with the low green, was the original 7th.  But after that, the sequencing changed somehow, because what's now the 8th was originally the 14th, and you headed straight back home from there.

[Mike Hendren]

Paging Paul Turner (who's likely loitering with intent).

Bogey

[BCrosby]

Was the original Eden Course thought to be one of Colt's best?

I don't recall seeing much written about it. But based on comments from Tom D and others I've heard over the last several years, the disappearance of so much Colt sounds like one of the great losses in gca.

Bob

[Bill_McBride]

Was the original Eden Course thought to be one of Colt's best?

I don't recall seeing much written about it. But based on comments from Tom D and others I've heard over the last several years, the disappearance of so much Colt sounds like one of the great losses in gca.

Bob

I think this during the period of Mackenzie's association with Colt and think he had a lot of input on the design of the Eden.  Is that correct?

Not sure why I am such a stupido, but I have been to St Andrews four times, played the Old 5X and the New twice, never the Eden.

I saw some Steel bunkers during this last Buda trip, on new holes on the Jubilee relief course at Rye, and find them all very recognizable, almost a perfect half circle cut into the green surround.  Saw this on the new greens at Hoylake and in photos of the Eden as well.

[Marty Bonnar]

Here's the original layout:



Several of the new holes and much of the Strathtyrum are on the 'Aeroplane Landing Ground'!!!

Holes 1, 2, 17 and 18 are NLE although the green at the new practice area is the old original 2nd.

FBD.

[Melvyn Morrow]

The Eden report on the new course at St Andrews from 13.01.1914









Melvyn

[Jason Topp]

Isn't this the course where they put in a pond? 

[Tom_Doak]

I think this during the period of Mackenzie's association with Colt and think he had a lot of input on the design of the Eden.  Is that correct?

Not sure why I am such a stupido, but I have been to St Andrews four times, played the Old 5X and the New twice, never the Eden.

I saw some Steel bunkers during this last Buda trip, on new holes on the Jubilee relief course at Rye, and find them all very recognizable, almost a perfect half circle cut into the green surround.  Saw this on the new greens at Hoylake and in photos of the Eden as well.

Bill:

I've speculated before on MacKenzie's possible involvement with the Eden course, but it's only that, speculation on my part.  In all of the contemporary accounts, Colt is given 100% credit, and the partnership of Colt, MacKenzie and Alison was only formalized AFTER the Great War.

Yet, I have always remarked that a handful of the greens on the Eden are nothing like any other Colt course I've seen and bold enough to suggest MacKenzie's influence -- such as that ridge in the present-day first green, for example.  MacKenzie's writings indicate that he was around St. Andrews a bit at the time the Eden course was being built, but he never suggested he had anything to do with it, and praised Colt effusively for the work.

[Niall C]

Tom

I think you're quite correct that all the contemporary accounts give Colt 100% credit. I think it interesting that Colt no longer gets thought of as being radical in his green design while MacKenzies rep for wild greens remains. When the Eden opened (1914) Colt's St Georges Hill also opened to loud comment and indeed fierce criticism of the greens and surrounds. Harold Hilton for one suggested that they were nearly unplayable (my words).

I've also seen photos of greens at Sunningdale that I assume (could be wrong) that were redesigned by Colt and the internal contouring looks very similar to that of the Eden first to my eye. I have to think therefore that the Eden is a thoroughbred Colt even if MacKenzie was about at the inception.

Niall

[Tom_Doak]

Tom

I think you're quite correct that all the contemporary accounts give Colt 100% credit. I think it interesting that Colt no longer gets thought of as being radical in his green design while MacKenzies rep for wild greens remains. When the Eden opened (1914) Colt's St Georges Hill also opened to loud comment and indeed fierce criticism of the greens and surrounds. Harold Hilton for one suggested that they were nearly unplayable (my words).

I've also seen photos of greens at Sunningdale that I assume (could be wrong) that were redesigned by Colt and the internal contouring looks very similar to that of the Eden first to my eye. I have to think therefore that the Eden is a thoroughbred Colt even if MacKenzie was about at the inception.

Niall

Niall:

That's interesting.  I hadn't considered the possibility that Colt was getting bolder in 1913-14, and then decided to tone it down when business picked up again after the war.  Of course, it's possible that MacKenzie was trying to convince him to be bolder!

I do not remember any greens at Sunningdale or St. George's Hill that are as severe as the best greens on the Eden course, but maybe some of them were toned down a bit.

[Neil_Crafter]

The replacement holes at the Eden when I played there last year were a big disappointment to say the least - but the company - Marty Bonnar and Niall Carlton - was first class!

Despite trying I have found no evidence that Mackenzie was involved with Colt in the design or construction of the Eden. Interestingly, he was present at the first professional tournament the course hosted just after WW1. My take is that he was already in Scotland and attended in Colt's absence and to fly the flag for the new partnership. As Tom said, in his writings Mackenzie gave Colt full credit for the Eden.

[Frank Pont]

Funny enough I had the same reaction as Tom when I first played the Eden course back in 2002, when I was studying GCA in Edinburgh. The greens are consistenly much wilder than you would see on any other Colt course (every Colt course tends to have 1-2 wilder greens).

Maybe the Eden is an outlier for Colt in greens, like Tandridge is an outlier for him with regards to bunker numbers (250+) and sizes (some as big as double decker busses).....

[Peter Ferlicca]

Hole 10 Par 3  (196 yards)  I have to imagine this is a Colt Hole the green is wicked



Hole 11 Par 4  (375 yards)  This has to be the last Colt hole on the back nine till 17 I think, this is a great par 4, you have to cross three bunkers that front the green to another WILD green.




Hole 12 Par 4  (341 yards)  The approach to the green on this hole is like extremely hard with the gorse bushes literally two feet off the green to the right.




Hole 13 Par 4  (422 yards)  I thought this hole could have been better with the estuary to the right by the green, really quite a straight forward golf hole




Hole 14 Par 4  (350 yards)  Here is the start of the two holes that wrap around the pond, thankfully the pond is filled with reeds so it isn’t that noticeable.  Though only 350 yards with the wind howling the approach was very hard, the green is set at a 45 degree angle with hazard short and long. 



Hole 15 Par 3 (170 yards)  Straight downwind par 3 that you have to land just over the water if you want it to stay on the green. 



Hole 16 Par 5 (568 yards) A pretty straight forward par 5 that has another wild green, but this feels like a Donald steel hole.





Hole 17 Par 4  (432 yards)  IMO, this is the only other Colt hole on the back nine, this is a great dogleg right par 4 that has OB all the way down the right, there are three bunkers in the middle left of the fairway to aim at.  Then the approach to a raised green with many tiers and humps. 





Hole 18 Par 4 (351 yards)  A short par 4 that narrows extremely at around 280 to 320 yards, so your best bet is to just lay up and leave a wedge in. 

[Peter Ferlicca]

It has the history of the golf course in the Yardage book guide.  It mentions;

On Friday June 27 1919 the Eden course hosted a professional tournament.  Attending was Alister MacKenzie, who described the course as the second best course in Scotland, after the Old. 

The course was redesigned and rerouted in the 1980's by Donald Steel, allowing the creation of the Golf Practice Centre.  The first two and last two holes disappeared.  The front nine is composed of Colt originals while all but three holes on the back nine are Donald Steel's. 

[Frank Pont]

Now that is one Colt course back nine I would love to work on, how much better it could be....

[BCrosby]

If it's pretty clear that Eden was a solo Colt job, how was it thought of in its heyday?

As good as Sunningdale, St Georges Hill, Swinley, etc.? Those course got lots of ink at the time. But I don't remember seeing Eden mentioned very much. Certainly TOC would have overshadowed New and Eden, but I also would have thought there would be more references to the course given its quality and architect.

My guess (from a remove of 80 years or so) is that the Eden was remarkably good and its disfigurement a real loss to gca. To the extent a restoration is possible, I hope it will be undertaken some day. Given the overflows from TOC, St Andrews is one of those rare places where there will always be a demand for more good golf courses.

Bob  

[Paul_Turner]

Agree with all the sentiments.

There is some evidence that Colt did wilder greens before WW1, but it's hard to find early photos of green that have enough detail.

As Niall states Colt had to go back and soften some greens at St George's Hill.  Tom MacWood found an article in the Times describing this and it describes how the second green had a large ridge in it.

Reading Darwin at around that time and you get the impression that wild greens were getting heavily criticized.  And it was risky to build them and expect them to survive.

Neil I wonder if you have the Rye handbook that shows the great wild green that Simpson built.  Unfortunately it didn't last long.


Anyway a couple of greens that show wild greens from early on that are Colt's:  (thanks to Stuart Hallet for the St Cloud one)

I think there is one hole on the Eden that could be restored by the estuary?  The old 12th?

[Paul_Turner]

[Paul_Turner]

[Paul_Turner]

PS

If anyone could find a pic of the lost par 3 16th, I'd be eternally greatful.  I've only ever seen an aerial pic.  I think it would have had that cottage as a backdrop?

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Here's a link to a thread from 2008 containing aerials, plans, articles etc. I found it by doing a search on "Meiklejohn" 

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,36408.0.html

[Kyle Henderson]

I chose to play the Eden instead of the Jubilee, based mainly on review from The Confidential Guide. Sadly, the Eden has changed for the worse since those reviews were authored. I was quite pleased for the first dozen hole or so... The finish was quite disappointing.

Its a pity the plot for the Strathtyram course was not used as a practice facility in order to spare the original Eden.

[Paul_Turner]

Here's a link to a thread from 2008 containing aerials, plans, articles etc. I found it by doing a search on "Meiklejohn" 

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,36408.0.html

Thanks Donal.  We go around in circles here!
 But it 's worth it to look back at those old report...the Eden was well reported on and acclaimed/criticised at the time.