Restorations in the UK

[Tony_Muldoon]

This review from a Colt course Belfairs/Southend basically sums up the average view in UK.   

http://www.southendgolfclub.co.uk/p/course.html

Trees good and beautiful (Poplars). 

Having to land a ball short of the green bad.  Lush good. 

Bunker in the middle of the fairway bad.

Belfairs is moot.


THIs is the ‘lost’ Harry Colt course listed on the Colt Association website as Southend GC – needs further research.   IN fact the back nine have always been through the forest, the construction took several years as large trees had to be dynamited out.  It’s pretty short and narrow today.  I have posted pictures in the past and you can see where bunkers have been removed.


The land is pure Essex clay and even I will admit a love of F&F on sand based courses and a more ambivalent attitude when it’s on clay.   My home course is also (unirrrigated) Essex clay but then I don’t play it every week!

Southend Golf Club are a small group who play on what is an extremely popular public course and the chance of the council forking out for a Restoration are zero.

[James Boon]

Tony,

An interesting point regarding firm and fast conditions. On historic links or even heathland courses, where the principal of running approach shots in was all part of the game, the principal works fine. When golf moved to the masses on ground not suited to the purpose (crickey, I'm starting to sound like Melvyn  ) at times its as soft as anything on clay so most courses are designed for target golf. When it gets dry in the summer, the courses aren't really designed for it, thus the majority of golfers, playing on these types of courses, don't like the firm and fast conditions!

Cheers,

James

[Ally Mcintosh]

I'm not so sure it's about the design James... It's more that clay soils when they are dry will crack up and play like concrete... A level above firm and fast...

As much as we like to think that all things are related to the strategic element of design, the reality is that the maintenance and drainage aspect effect playability even more...

[James Boon]

Ally,

I know what you are saying and the cracking and concrete like nature really is both ugly and unplayable. But I have certainly had experience of playing some of the countries lesser courses were they just aren't designed for firm conditions even though that is what the clay based soil ends up being in the summer. If they had been designed for it, well it would certainly have helped in the playability, even if hard clay is a level above as you say.

Cheers,

James

[Niall C]

Tony/Ally/James

I was brought up on a clay course and not only were those the days of long hot summers but the game of golf in my youth was only played in the summer so winter conditions were irrelevant. I think older inland courses like the one I played were originally laid out in the same way as links and would have allowed for the ground game.

Ian

Delighted to hear that's the experience in Canada. I've no strong preference between restoration and renovation but suspect in most instances over here, renovation would be the most applicable. What I would like to see is professional advice being given and taken rather than amateur committee men making a hash of things.

Can you tell us how things took off in Canada and what difference it has made in the way clubs/courses deal with architects eg. are you getting more work, are you being brought in earlier to advise ?

Niall

[Ian Andrew]

Can you tell us how things took off in Canada and what difference it has made in the way clubs/courses deal with architects eg. are you getting more work, are you being brought in earlier to advise ?

1. The key was Stanley Thompson’s recognition as the designer. There were a couple of articles that talked about how the top courses were all largely his. From there people began to discover his work as well has his eccentricities and a whole new generation fell in love with the man and his work

2. At the same time there was a series of (horrible) high profile renovations on very historically important courses that were widely panned for the damage they did to a great course (think railroad ties on Golden Age architecture and you get the picture how bad some of this was).

3. Around this time a couple of small Thompson restorations took place in Ontario that drew a surprising amount of attention from other clubs and members of the media. The media support was a key.

4. The game changer was when one of the biggest courses in the country – St. George’s Golf & Country Club did a full restoration of the bunkers. The work got lots of media attention and the course rose up the rankings to be top club. With-in a year or two just about every club cared about their history.

[Niall C]

Ian

Interesting stuff. Thinking how that could be translated to the UK. I'm not sure we have one gca in the UK who was as dominant as Thompson was in Canada but then that could be used as strength. We have Colt, MacKenzie, Simpson et al however I doubt any of those names register with the general golfing fraternity in the UK. So the first thing to do is to make them design conscious. In that regard the likes of Geoff Ogilvy and John Huggan (rabble rouser that he is) at least have started the ball rolling with their regular columns. What we need is for that attention and comment to jump from their columns to the editorials and main features.

Taking your other point about high profile courses as case examples of how to do it or not as the case may be, the obvious example might be Ernie Els teams work at Wentworth. Not looking to stick the boot in to Els's team as I appreciate what you do has a lot to do with the remit you are given but that might be one to show how it could have been done better.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of an example like the St George's course you refer to, maybe thats what we need.

Niall