Neil
Thanks for the pamphlet. The author(s) do a good job of explaining why heather is constantly at risk and why the environment requires diligent maintenance.
Michael
Going back to the issue of the old pic of the 6th. The 5th & 6th used to be par 3s. Just before WWII they were combined to create the current 5th, thus requiring a new 6th and 7th (holes still in play). That also means the 7th (in the old pic) is no longer. The current 8th tee left of the 7th green was put in play when the M25 was built. It is about half way down the original Fowler 7th.
I think the current course has only six original holes remaining; 2-4 & 16-18. Two other holes use original greens for slightly differently configured holes; 5 & 14. However, I still think much of the course is Fowler as he was on the board when changes on the back 9 occurred - including the new 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 17. I can't imagine he let someone else do the designing - can you
. I think Tippet (the Sec after Fowler had a heart attack) designed the new 5-8. Of course the 8th was changed later because of the M25. I am not sure who was responsible for the new 8 & 9 in the early 70s.
In the mid 80s a plan to move the entire course to the other side of Dorking Road eventually fell by the wayside. It meant scrapping the 1st, creating a new par 3 after the 10th and converting the short 11th into a par 4. After a few years the members decided the new holes weren't very good and reinstated the old holes! It was then that the first was made into a par 3 - the last major change to the course.
Ciao