Thanks all!
WALTON HEATH OLD CONTI played a rather curious version of the Old. The 12th (Salmon Leap according to P Dickinson) and the 18th were not in play. Instead, two relief holes in the middle of the course were on duty. These holes were created about four years ago as part of a longer term plan (planning has been ongoing since at least 1973!) to eventually locate all 36 holes and the house on the main part of the property across the Dorking Road. It isn't clear to me when or if this change will occur or what the final numbering will be. As it stands now, the two new holes; #s 12 & 13 on the temporary card replace 12 and 18. Below is an aerial outlining the changes. The first new hole (Temporary #12), is an uphill par 5 played from the 12th tees. The second new hole (Temporary #13), a short par 4, comes back down to the proper 12th green. The Green colour from bottom to top shows the routing of the normal course; #s 10-13. The Red colour from bottom to top shows the temporary routing; #s 10-13. As an aside, note the M25 in the lower left hand corner. Rarely mentioned, but this road may be the single most onerous crime agaisnt golf design in modern times. The noise generated from the road can be near deafening around holes 8 thru 12.
Courtesy of Adam Lawrence
It is the likely concensus that the loss of the 12th would indeed be great. While the temporary 13th is an unusual hole for Walton Heath, the green orientation is more interesting from the proper tees. Playing around a Brooklands-like curved bank, one must earn the correct line to a long, narrow green. The temporary 13th is more penal in its nature as the approach to a wide, shallow green over a newly built bunker is all carry. Just to throw a spanner in the works, I reckon a flat belly can drive the proper 12th fairway from the temporary 13th tee, thus gaining a much better angle of approach.
One of many delightful sketches found in Dickinson's classic book, A Round of Golf Courses.
Below is a view of the proper 12th (built in 1938) from the high side of the fairway bank. The temporary play is from left of the photo (out of shot) over the white sand bunker.
The Temporary 13th; the second photo is a closeup of the new bunker - it is sure to find many victims.
Backtracking one hole, the temporary 12th plays uphill to an attractively heather framed fairway, seemingly toward a green on The New Course (distinguished by red flags). Turning right and blindly over a maintenance road, the rather large green slides front left to rear right. The entire right side of the green is protected by a cavernous bunker. Not in the least flashy, this par 5 strikes me as of Walton Heath stock.
More to follow.
Ciao