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Ran Morrissett

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Feature Interview with John Moreton is posted
« on: July 30, 2014, 02:03:37 PM »
I admit to being all over the place when trying to measure someone’s contribution to the history of golf course architecture. Some days, I think folks like CB Macdonald and George Thomas who worked on twenty or so original designs had it right. Heck, maybe Crump, Wilson, and Fownes  who designed even fewer but made them colossal achievements are more significant. At other times, I place more value on those architects that touched more lives. Donald Ross and AW Tillinghast spring to mind and so does James Braid after my reading of John Moreton (this month’s Feature Interviewee) and Iain Cumming’s newly released book James Braid and his Four Hundred Courses.

That’s right – 400 according to the authors! John and Iain break it down in the Introduction; 85 courses from scratch, expansion of 55 nine hole courses to 18, 90 reconstructions, including Carnoustie, 125+ courses with alterations and/or new bunker schemes, the list goes on! There wasn’t a lot of money in it at the time and one can only imagine the transportation snafus that Braid endured. Like Old Tom Morris, this was clearly a man who loved golf and gave back with every fiber of his being. I say this not even considering his great playing accomplishments – I am strictly talking about Braid and golf course architecture.

Motion sickness prevented him from traveling to North America like Colt, Parks, Fowler et al, so that your impression of him may be biased if you have not been privy to his UK portfolio. Personally, I admire his range and place two of his gems, Gleneagles and St. Enodoc in my own personal world top 100 (Brora once too when I was feeling really anti-manicure). Sean Arble’s In My Opinion piece on Pennard will have you double-timing it to Wales and one of the great surprises in my golf of the past five years is Fraserburgh in northeast Scottish. Next Braid for me is Perranporth in Cornwall but this new book offers plenty other appealing options.

John and Iain cover each and every course in a neatly organized format.  Chapter 1, Philosophy,  succinctly summarizes Braid’s design tenets more effectively than any single source which I am familiar. Chapter 2 is told in Braid’s own words,   ‘….how golf had got a very firm grip on me.’  From there, we're off on a terrific read about a gentleman champion and his body of work.
 
Tony Muldoon made me aware of their update to John’s original 1996 Braid book. I ordered my copy from Grant Books in the UK and in 7 days, my grubby hands held it in North Carolina. Maybe some of John’s other works are still available; Philip Gawith alerted me to John’ s very fine Huntercombe centennial book years ago.

Hope you enjoy this month’s Feature Interview, which like last month’s, has me re-thinking a few things.

Best,
« Last Edit: July 30, 2014, 02:31:32 PM by Ran Morrissett »

Sean_A

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Re: Feature Interview with John Moreton is posted
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2014, 03:20:14 AM »
Very fine Ran.  I must say, the old pictures and map of Blackheath make the course look far more interesting than what is in the ground today.  For starters, Blackheath actually looks like it was a heathland course!

Thanks to Ran and John for taking the time to do this interview.

Ciao
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Tony_Muldoon

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Re: Feature Interview with John Moreton is posted
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2014, 04:07:33 AM »
I would just like to go on record as agreeing with every word Sean has written.  ;)



I had long kept an eye out for the first edition but there can ‘t be many of them, so hopefully this revisoin will gain a wider readership.   On here there’s much debate about renovation vs redesign but I hardly ever heard of a Club on this side of the water paying any attention to their original design when changes are made. There are a few attempts to change this, take a bow Frank Pont, but hopefully the book will help members of Braid courses think a little bit more before they authorise holes being redesigned. 


There is nothing remotely like the picture of that bunker at Blackheath today.  The Club are justifiably proud of their history, but not it seems when it relates to the course they play over.


Part of the fun of the book is discovering some missing links. Who knew a Braid course once existed within half a mile of my brother’s house?  Last year we were making good time up the east coast to Scotland. I persuaded the family that we should take the short detour to see Holy Island. I was amazed at the dunes as we drove out  but thought the National Trust would never allow a course to be built. Again Braid had once laid out a course there. Must have been spectacular.


Also I’ve gained more feeling for the character of the man when you are reminded of his sheer work ethic, both as a player, Golf Club professional and course designer. The Darwin job is not his best work.
Let's make GCA grate again!

Thomas Dai

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Re: Feature Interview with John Moreton is posted
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2014, 10:40:25 AM »
Very nice.

Interesting comment about the use of stationary steam engines. Does anyone have any photos of the kind of machines that are likely to have been used that they could post herein?

atb

James Boon

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Re: Feature Interview with John Moreton is posted
« Reply #4 on: August 03, 2014, 12:38:10 PM »
Thanks Ran and John,

Two things jump out at me from the interview.

Firstly, if Blackheath looked like that aerial photo today, I know I, and I suspect many here would be beating a path to the course?!

Secondly the mention of Tom Williamson. I'd always wondered why there weren't more Braid courses here in the Midlands? Now I know of their friendship all becomes clear.

As an aside, I was talking today with a member at Radcliffe on Trent golf course, originally designed by Williamson. The members dad was an assistant at the club having started out as the "peg boy" wearing a satchel type bag across his shoulder, full of pegs, that Were used to mark out the holes as the course was being laid out.

Cheers,

James
2023 Highlights: Hollinwell, Brora, Parkstone, Cavendish, Hallamshire, Sandmoor, Moortown, Elie, Crail, St Andrews (Himalayas & Eden), Chantilly, M, Hardelot Les Pins

"It celebrates the unadulterated pleasure of being in a dialogue with nature while knocking a ball round on foot." Richard Pennell

Tom_Doak

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Re: Feature Interview with John Moreton is posted
« Reply #5 on: August 03, 2014, 05:49:36 PM »
Part of the fun of the book is discovering some missing links. Who knew a Braid course once existed within half a mile of my brother’s house?  Last year we were making good time up the east coast to Scotland. I persuaded the family that we should take the short detour to see Holy Island. I was amazed at the dunes as we drove out  but thought the National Trust would never allow a course to be built. Again Braid had once laid out a course there. Must have been spectacular.


I was actually playing around on Google Earth this summer, trying to determine exactly which hole at Bamburgh Castle it was that was pictured in The Confidential Guide, and when I finished I looked over at Holy Island wondering if you could fit a golf course out there.  It seemed like you could build nine holes pretty easy [if they let you of course].  But I did not see any indication that there in fact HAD been a course there.

Thomas Dai

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Re: Feature Interview with John Moreton is posted
« Reply #6 on: August 04, 2014, 09:44:32 AM »
Worth pointing out that John Moreton is also involved with hickory golf and has written for the UK's hickory society golf publication on a few occasions.
atb

Jim Eder

Re: Feature Interview with John Moreton is posted
« Reply #7 on: August 04, 2014, 01:05:29 PM »
Ran and John,

Thank you for the wonderful interview. I enjoyed it immensely.

John,

Thank you for the book. I love it.

Back in the summer of 1996 I ran into a famous rock star from New Zealand. He was on a quest to play all the James Braid golf courses. We met at Carnoustie and played a few rounds there and played a few other courses together. I can't remember exactly but I have a feeling he was inspired to do what he was doing by your first book. I think I remember his mention of a book as the guide to his courses.

I was too cheap to pay up for a used copy of the original so I thank you greatly for the new book. Some day I hope to get close to playing all his courses as well. What a great book to use as my guide now. Thank you for writing it.

Jim


Tony_Muldoon

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Re: Feature Interview with John Moreton is posted
« Reply #8 on: August 05, 2014, 12:16:11 PM »
Part of the fun of the book is discovering some missing links. Who knew a Braid course once existed within half a mile of my brother’s house?  Last year we were making good time up the east coast to Scotland. I persuaded the family that we should take the short detour to see Holy Island. I was amazed at the dunes as we drove out  but thought the National Trust would never allow a course to be built. Again Braid had once laid out a course there. Must have been spectacular.


I was actually playing around on Google Earth this summer, trying to determine exactly which hole at Bamburgh Castle it was that was pictured in The Confidential Guide, and when I finished I looked over at Holy Island wondering if you could fit a golf course out there.  It seemed like you could build nine holes pretty easy [if they let you of course].  But I did not see any indication that there in fact HAD been a course there.


http://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/index.php/england/north-east/northumberland/320-holy-island-golf-club-northumberland
Let's make GCA grate again!

Scott Macpherson

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Re: Feature Interview with John Moreton is posted
« Reply #9 on: August 06, 2014, 02:19:30 PM »
Part of the fun of the book is discovering some missing links. Who knew a Braid course once existed within half a mile of my brother’s house?  Last year we were making good time up the east coast to Scotland. I persuaded the family that we should take the short detour to see Holy Island. I was amazed at the dunes as we drove out  but thought the National Trust would never allow a course to be built. Again Braid had once laid out a course there. Must have been spectacular.


I was actually playing around on Google Earth this summer, trying to determine exactly which hole at Bamburgh Castle it was that was pictured in The Confidential Guide, and when I finished I looked over at Holy Island wondering if you could fit a golf course out there.  It seemed like you could build nine holes pretty easy [if they let you of course].  But I did not see any indication that there in fact HAD been a course there.


http://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/index.php/england/north-east/northumberland/320-holy-island-golf-club-northumberland

Tom,

A couple of years ago I was invited into a group to renovate/reinstate the old course on Holy Island and try to bring it back to life. It was a very exciting opportunity, I hope one day the opportunity may come back to me. Much of the course can be identified, but the best solution may be to keep the first few holes and the last hole or two, but to add a couple on new holes in the middle of the course. It is a fantastic bit of linksland but under preservation orders now. This might be worthy of its own thread, rather than be discussed here.

Scott



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