[Paul_Turner]

Apologies to those that saw the original thread on Harborne I posted a while ago; everything gets repeated eventually on GCA  But those weren't my pics and I want to post some recent ones with the course playing firm-to say the least.  In my mind a it's a definite hidden gem and with a little restoration would be right up there with the very best in the Midlands/North (UK).

Colt used an unusual ridge style of bunker here.  And where the bunkers have been lost through the years, you just get the ridge remaining.

The pics were taken about 3 weeks ago.  It's been very hot since then so the course must be really suffering now.

Compare some of the old pics with the new.  



Down to the second fairway-long 4


Green complex


Looking back up the 5th.


Long par 3, 6th.


Green complex, 7th


General view looking back at 7th.  Compare this with:


Original bunkers looking back at 7th.  3rd green above 7th.  2nd green to left-compare with above photos.


Green complex at par 5, 8th.


Bunker 9th (my Dad, not me!)


V short 4, 10th.


Green 10th.


Tee 11th-must hit down the OB line, otherwise shot is "impossible" into that green which slopes v steeply back to front.


Ultra spectacular approach at 13th.


Great dropping par 3, 14th.  But compare with:


Bring the bunker and green contour back!


Green at 15th


Hidden green at 16th, this green surface was not restored properly after WW2.


Tee shot-long par 4, 17th.  You can see some of Rich's "runrigs" here.


Sterling par 3 to finish.

[David_Tepper]

Paul-

You keep blowing my mind with these pictures!
My guess is the British midlands have more great unknown and undervisited courses than any where in the UK.
By the way, have you ever played Reddish Vale, in Stockport south of Manchester? I would love to see some pictures from there.
I believe it is Mackenzie, not Colt.
Keep up the good work.

DT

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Paul, I must say how much I appreciate your skills with the camera!  In reply to David Tepper, I've sent some photos of Reddish Vale to him by E-mail.  He may be able to get them up on the site - I haven't yet fathomed how to do it!

Mark.

[Paul_Turner]

Mark/David

I haven't seen Reddish Vale.  If David doesn't know how to post pics email them to me Mark, but to:  pbtjab@aol.com
not my yahoo account. (PS you need your own webspace to post pics)

The clubhouse at Harborne is full of old pics of the course.  Some of the best I've ever seen, the right person could work wonders for the course, although it's not too far from the original design (1926).

Mark

Have you played many courses in that Brum area?  I would like to see Moseley.   Whittington Barracks was fabulous.

[RJ_Daley]

Did Rees Jones come to England and gentrify the course, softening hard edges and lips of bunkers, rounding tops of mounds, and flattening greens?  He must have brought an arborist with him.

The remodeled course does look like it would be enjoyable to play and because of the presentation with absence of watering of fairways can trick you into thinking it is pure golden era.  But, the comparison pictures of yesteryear do offer a glimpse at the real rawness of the design as it truly was presented 75 years ago.  With modern mowers and maintenence equipment, I think this course would look much like some of the Australian maintenance meld presentations, with the crisp edges and dry fairways as seen in the old pictures.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Paul,

Although I spent my teenage years living in Wolverhampton I didn't play many Birmingham courses.  We tended to go into the country, and as my father was a member at Lilleshall most matches were against other Shropshire clubs.  Elsewhere in these postings I have raved about Beau Desert and I am a big fan of Whittington Heath/Barracks, too.  In my youth I caddied for my father at Little Aston and I remember him playing Blackwell (though I remember nothing of the course).  We loved Ludlow, Llanymynech, Welshpool, and Church Stretton.  In good weather the Wrekin gave great views but there were too many extremely side-hill lies and greens with mammoth drop-offs for my erratic play.  Shifnal was delightful (this is long before the M54 was thought of) and very quiet.  Bridgnorth had a few nice holes around the clubhouse but then it became rather uninteresting on the flat ground alongside the River Severn.  Enville was, in our view, the pick of the courses around Wolverhampton - it now has 36 holes.  South Staffs (Vardon) was the top-ranking local club, then on the edge of Wolverhampton, but I believe it is rather house-bound today.  I played it several times in the 60s but it has not left a lasting impression (which those mentioned above have done).  Penn was a fairly tough track with much savage rough in those days and someone quite famous as pro.  Perhaps you can tell me who it was.  I always enjoyed Oxley Park (Colt).  It was very suburban with railway arches running down one side (and steam engines still operating when I played there) and several holes abutted a sewage works, but the holes were enjoyable and, as the Wolves footballers got free membership, there was always the chance of seeing Ron Flowers, Eddie 'Chopper' Clamp, Mike Bailey and the rest.  I haven't been back for years.  Must do so - or, better still, you go - and take the pictures!

Mark.

[Bill_McBride]

Paul, how long is the 13th, and can you play a Redan style run up shot off that right slope?  What a beauty that is!  The pitch up from the bottom left must be amazing!

[Paul_Turner]

Bill

You certainly can play that shot; it was how both myself and my dad played the hole.  The photo doesn't quite show how steeply the ground falls.  The hole is about 390 yds.

RJ

The club planted a lot of birch trees in recent decades.  But much of the problem for these older clubs was the fact that they were turned into vegetable patches in WW2!  So inevitably they were neglected for a while and weren't properly restored afterwards (Colt was retired by then).  

Mark

Thanks for the background!  Is Oxley Park on good rolling terrain? I've read an old handbook on the course but can't recall.  

I'm intrigued with Penn; I've heard reports about it: it sounds very natural and wild, with few bunkers.  Is it on good terrain, or too flat?  

I've seen on pics of Wrekin, it certainly looked scenic.

I posted some pics on W Barracks, which you may have missed.  

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=5502;start=msg105449#msg105449

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