What if - London's Olympics Course

[Niall C]

Those that are observant might have noted that I am not at all in favour with golf being in the Olympics. I believe golf's rulers will one day regret getting involved with the dodgy dealers that run the Olympics, but that be as it may golf is still going to be in there.

The recent threads on the new course for the Brazil Olympics got me thinking about the forthcoming London Olympics and what if golf had been part of it. What would be the Olympic course. London is blessed with many wonderful old classic courses  and a several new courses by well known gca's like Kyle Phillips.

What course would you choose for a London Olympics ? Would it be modern or old or indeed a brand new course to get the publics attention. Would you have the same course for the ladies and the men ?

Thoughts

Niall 

[Jay Flemma]

Interesting question.  My guess is they might expand the area and go to Birkdale or Lytham.  They have the size to fold the spectators, they have the room for all the infrastructure, they have the sandy soil and fescues for sandy soils and biscuit brown conditions.  Plus sometimes venues are as much as an hour to 90 minutes away.

As the British Open - the de facto World Championship is at Lytham, my guess is they'd go to Birkdale.

[Gary Slatter]

I agree about the dodgy dealers behind the Olympics, and feel that even with all the support for golf in Brazil, it will be a one-off experiment.  It should be built on flat land so they can convert it to football later.  

for 2012, Sunningdale for the men, Wentworth for the women.

[Ross Tuddenham]

The grove by Kyle Philips is probably a good shout as it is within the m25 and has already hosted a WGC won by Tiger. OR maybe the London club (jack Nicklaus) which has hosted the European open.

Jay, Birkdake is in the north west.



PS Niall, what if golf was in the 2014 commonwealth games?

[Mark Chaplin]

It was due to be played at Deal, Sandwich and Princes in 1908 but the R&A refused to sanction the event and Olympics has never been in the Olympics since 1904 when it was played at Glen Echo.

[Scott Stearns]

Which course can be played at 7500 yards?

Would love to see a heathland course.  Would settle for the Burma road.  But we'll prob get LGC, Wisley or another of the new ones.

I loved Sunningdale for the Srs.

[JNC Lyon]

Deal and Sandwich rotation if you want a links.  For heathland, there is one that has the space for galleries and flexibility for the eclectic nature of the golfers in a full-on Olympic competition: Swinley Forest.

[jeffwarne]

Deal and Sandwich rotation if you want a links.  For heathland, there is one that has the space for galleries and flexibility for the eclectic nature of the golfers in a full-on Olympic competition: Swinley Forest.

the K Club is only a chopper away

[Tom_Doak]

Golf in the Olympics will not be a one-off as it's been approved for 2016 and 2020 -- but they'll decide in 2017 whether it's in for 2024, so there is a fair amount of pressure on the result of the Rio experiment.

It's a shame the governing bodies did not get their act together in time to get on the calendar for London in 2012.  Any one of a number of courses would do, but I would think the most likely sites would have been Sandwich and Deal, the closest great links to London.  If they are long enough for the Open championship, surely they're long enough for the Olympics, too.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Deal and Sandwich rotation if you want a links.  For heathland, there is one that has the space for galleries and flexibility for the eclectic nature of the golfers in a full-on Olympic competition: Swinley Forest.

John I can't see it's big enough - in any sense.  Walton Heath and possibly Sunningdale would work.



Tom do you knowif the Olympics will ahve the 'tented village' and all the other crap that a professional event attracts?

[Ally Mcintosh]

Wentworth, The Grove or The London Club.

[Scott Warren]

Brian,

Scottish and Irish opens are currently being played on links.

Add The Open Championship and the Dunhill Links Championship and there really aren't that many other (small 'm') major events played in Britain annually.

[Ben Stephens]

If it was me I would put it in Olympic Park! It is just over 500 acres and it would be interesting putting a new course in it and using the existing water features and after Olympics it would be used as a public course for all to play on!

That would be an interesting challenge to design a golf course within the venues! It could be radical in terms of materials and shapes.

Cheers
Ben

[Sean_A]

I would be highly surprised if one or a combo of Sandwich, Princes and Deal wasn't used - its so easy with three courses next to each other.  The question at hand would be more likely be about trying to guess the numbers so as to figure out the infrastructure needed.  I could see Wentworth doing the job, even Walton Heath if they thought the spectator numbers weren't going to be terribly high. The Grove is also an option.  

Ciao  

[Scott Warren]

Brian, with the Open and Dunhill always on links, about half of the Irish Opens since 2000 played on a range of links and the Scottish Open now at Castle Stuart with a view to Renaissance as well, I disagree that there is not a significant culture in significant pro golf events - historic and more importantly current - that would prohibit a links from hosting hypothetical Olympic golf in 2012.

It would be by no means a fait accompli, but the suggestion that it would be highly unlikely is, imo, wide of the mark.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

If they can play beach volleyball on Horse Guards Parade, they could construct a modish golf course using the various Royal parks and other green spaces in London, a hole here, a hole there and open-topped Hummers to convey the competitors from one part of the course to the next. You finish with a blind par three played from outside the Olympic Stadium to a green constructed in the javelin throwing area with the long jump pit and steeplechase water jump as hazards. There would be island greens in St James's Park, the Serpentine and, of course, the River Thames. Being on the flight path into Heathrow it would replicate the atmosphere of Troon.

What about going back to Blackheath?

[Scott Warren]

Brian,

Who's arguing over semantics?

My posts were in reply to your statement in the final paragraph of reply #10 and to your subsequent post.

You posted your opinion, I  merely disagreed and supported my opinion with some examples.

[Adrian_Stiff]

The answer is probably the course that bid the most, someone (one of the newer ones or even a new one) would decide its worth £20M, £30M etc. This is an event not unlike the ryder cup, the thoughts of it going to anywhere 'nice' are just romantic IMO.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Wow, there are so many great choices. I personally would like them to slip a few miles down to RSG for a links location. Of course a great case can be made for several of the courses in London metro area. I really think this is where golf should be brought back, but that is not in the cards. I too share your concerns about the Olympic organizational committees. May Golf end up being great for the Olympics and the game.

[Anthony Butler]

Those that are observant might have noted that I am not at all in favour with golf being in the Olympics. I believe golf's rulers will one day regret getting involved with the dodgy dealers that run the Olympics, but that be as it may golf is still going to be in there.

The recent threads on the new course for the Brazil Olympics got me thinking about the forthcoming London Olympics and what if golf had been part of it. What would be the Olympic course. London is blessed with many wonderful old classic courses  and a several new courses by well known gca's like Kyle Phillips.
Niall  

Niall, For a guy who doesn't believe the Olympics and golf belong together you're spending a awful lot of time thinking about it...  

That said, I have my own reservations about whether this whole thing will work out. Most of the other Olympic events can be held in constructed arenas... whether the host country has a history or any culture supporting that particular sport seems somewhat irrelevant. Did communist China have a history or equestrian events... unlikely... not a problem though in terms of creating a suitable competitive arena. Harder to make that argument for golf.

No matter who wins the Olympic course design competition, the lack of golf culture, suitable climate and terrain and knowledgeable people on the host committee in Brazil represents a considerable risk to how the event is executed and regarded.  Tom Doak feels differently about this... which is understandable since he's fully committed to putting together a winning proposal and making the course as good as possible if his bid is successful.

It will be interesting to see how much excitement is created by the novelty of golf in the Olympics... If you look towards tennis as a guide, the Olympic event has struggled to match the profile and prestige of the majors since it was reintroduced at the 1988 Games–the four year gap between tournaments being a major factor.

Perhaps that will change at this summer's Olympics, since it will be conducted for the first time at one of tennis' major sites... in fact, the most prestigious address in the sport. Still, the tournament starts just over one month after the conclusion of Wimbledon itself, so it won't feel quite as fresh to the players.  

Tennis has become marginally more important to the players since the ATP decided to give out ranking points stating at the Athens Olympics in 2004. Speaking of which... anyone care to name the mens gold medalist for that event without leaving GCA.com for the answer?

[Anthony Butler]

Anthony, if memory serves me correctly - the final day of the tennis clashes with the men's 100 metres. This will be the first year where tennis is a high profile sport for the Olympics due to its Wimbledon connection - and they have the number one match clash with the premier event at the games? Bizarre

I imagine Usain Bolt will take only a fraction of the TV time it takes Novak Djokovic to subdue Nadal/Federer in the tennis final... still your point on where the media attention will be that day is well taken.

Personally I'm hoping Federer can win the gold in this tournament as it will give him the Golden Slam for his career.

[Niall C]

I would be highly surprised if one or a combo of Sandwich, Princes and Deal wasn't used - its so easy with three courses next to each other.  The question at hand would be more likely be about trying to guess the numbers so as to figure out the infrastructure needed.  I could see Wentworth doing the job, even Walton Heath if they thought the spectator numbers weren't going to be terribly high. The Grove is also an option.  

Ciao  

Sean,

I absolutely love links golf but I think it would be such a shame if they didn't stay in London given the number of classic courses they have and the new ones which have a decent rep. I'm not sure that you would need to have more than one course as there would be fewer players than at the Open, so I believe, but if you did why not Walton Heath or a couple of the other heathland courses that are nearby.

Niall

[Niall C]

PS Niall, what if golf was in the 2014 commonwealth games?

Ross

Great question. I would love to see it played at one of the city courses but I suspect the temptation to go down the road to the coast would be too much. I suspect pretty well all the city courses, and I'm thinking here of the likes of East Ren and Cawder, would require to be severely lengthened given the distance these guys (and girls) hit the ball today.

Niall

[JNC Lyon]

Deal and Sandwich rotation if you want a links.  For heathland, there is one that has the space for galleries and flexibility for the eclectic nature of the golfers in a full-on Olympic competition: Swinley Forest.

John I can't see it's big enough - in any sense.  Walton Heath and possibly Sunningdale would work.

It's the romantic in me, and I won't apologize for it! I really do think there is plenty of land out there, though.

[Mark Chaplin]

Official hospitality packages prices; 100m final day £4995, men's tennis final £995 I think the market shows where the interest is.