A trip to England & Scotland, or: Fantastic Courses and Where to Find Them

[Michael Whitaker]

Eric,


I have the same feeling about Sandwich and Deal as you. St George's is, I think, the finest links course in all of England... but, Deal is much more fun. As you say, RSG is a mighty and bold course. Partner that with the beautiful clubhouse & lunch and you have one very special golf experience. I have not been there since we played the Buda along the southeast coast. I need to rectify that in 2017.


Looking forward to your Rye comments and photos.

[Bill_McBride]

Mark,


Great time at 81 and no doubt in my mind the Brazilian monkfish stew I had was the best meal of the trip. Amazing!




Bill,


Littlestone is on the radar for next time. Thanks.




Wardo,


Darn it I wish I had known where to look for it. Putting in on the list for next time, along with the putter at Rye. Oops.


Next up: Royal St George's and Rye

The remnants of the old Roman road run right across the front of the 11th green.  12 has the half pipe. 

[Eric Smith]

Rye

After our round at St. George's we drove back to Number One, showered and changed into jacket and tie for lunch at Rye Golf Club. What a fabulous meal. Afterward we toured the clubhouse, having a couple of beers in the bar and checking out the library.



































Just before we went out to play I was in the locker room applying some band aids to my heels when a member, an older gentleman, walked over to me. He took a look at the blister on the back of my foot and simply said, "ominous". When he said that I could've sworn it was the late, great Richard Harris' Albus Dumbledore speaking to me. Had a lot of laughs telling that one later on the trip.



I noticed this on the wall in the locker room and thought of Jim Colton and his efforts with his One Divot foundation.





By the time we stepped outside it appeared we were going to have the course all to ourselves which was a pretty darned special feeling. The wind had really picked up since we arrived and as we walked down to the first tee you could see the long fescue on both sides of the fairway waving inharmoniously - begging us to hit it in there! Of course I obliged.


Here is a snapshot of our round at wonderful Rye:






































More to come.

[David_Tepper]

I am not sure what you would call the man-made feature/mini-retaining wall in the 2nd picture of the course. Are there similar features elsewhere on the course?

[Thomas Dai]

Rakes stored vertically in pipes. Not common. I quite like the idea.


How many clubs in those bags Eric? Doesn't look like many.


Out of interest what does it cost to play Rye?


Atb

[Matt Dawson]

David - they are known as the "eyebrows" of Rye. They have been mentioned a few times on this site in past threads, where some people have questioned their purpose. Littlestone has a couple as well

They crop up a few times around the course, and are principally there to prevent you just taking a putter from off the green.

At the 2nd in the picture, and also the 14th (both par 3s), it means you are forced to clip a sand wedge or similar from the tightest of lies if you miss the narrow greens laterally

[Michael Whitaker]

David - they are known as the "eyebrows" of Rye. They have been mentioned a few times on this site in past threads, where some people have questioned their purpose. Littlestone has a couple as well

They crop up a few times around the course, and are principally there to prevent you just taking a putter from off the green.

At the 2nd in the picture, and also the 14th (both par 3s), it means you are forced to clip a sand wedge or similar from the tightest of lies if you miss the narrow greens laterally

Yes, David, "eyebrows" and Hanse copied them on a couple of holes at Castle Stuart.

[David_Tepper]

Matt D. & Mike W. -

Thanks for the "eyebrow" info. A rather unusual feature for sure.

I have seen the similar features at Castle Stuart, although the changes in elevation on the ones there are large enough that they include a sod-revetted wall to keep the eye brow from collapsing.

DT

     

[Tim Gallant]

It makes the penalty for missing the par-3s that much more exact. In my one round there, the ground was so tight and the bounce of my wedge was wrong to try to lift, land and stop on the green, so I ended up putting back towards the tee box and then onto the green. I thought it was such a neat feature.


As a side, sitting in the same chair that Bernard Darwin used was special. I wouldn't change anything about that clubhouse for love nor money.

[Adam Lawrence]

Eric -- you can see the Presidents' Putters hanging on the wall in your second photo!

[Bill_McBride]

How did you like 13 with the blind second?

[Sam Andrews]

You will be pleased to know that Hugh Blenkin of the 100 hole charity effort featured in your picture is still going strong and playing at Rye. He recently retired as organiser of our cadets but continues to stride round the course with his aged black labrador, who is an absolute wonder at finding long lost balls in the rough.


The eyebrows on the 2nd were recently renewed as were the bunkers either side of them. It is a fantastic hole that I find comes too early in the round for me to play it with any confidence!

[Eric Smith]

David,


I think I've even seen the term "Ryebrows" used on here in describing that feature. I tell you I think they are really cool.




Thomas,


My bag (the one on the right in the photo) has 8 clubs (6 irons, putter, 2 wood). While Barry has it down to 6 clubs in all!


The visitor fee is 125 quid.




Adam,


Thank you for pointing that out!




Bill,


13 is a stand out hole. We had no clue, other than the barber pole, where or what was going on there. I loved it. Hit a good drive down the right side then a weak 6 iron into the wind toward the pole and the wind held it up and took it somewhere over and to the left ... I never found it.   Barry hit his drive into the pot there on the right and had to play out sideways!




Sam,


That's wonderful to hear about Mr. Blenkin. I can imagine how much fun it must be to call Rye home.

[Sam Andrews]

For anyone contemplating a trip to Rye a) message me to see if I am around, I'd be delighted to introduce you b) for the 13th, there are 2 poles, line them up and they direct you to the centre of the green. If there are people behind you, don't forget to ring the bell by the 14th tee when you have finished or it will be rung pointedly in the middle of your putt on the 14th green :-) c) It is more than fun, it is sheer, unadulterated joy.

[Mike Hendren]

The so called eyebrows are a real head scratcher in my opinion.  Why not just procure a few railroad ties and move them around periodically depending on the hole location.  I can't fathom the grief Fazio would catch on this site if he used just one.   What's next, a feature wall with a small slot in the bottom to stifle the flop shot and force the use of a putter?   I bet Trump would use them if he could get Mexico to cover the cost.

I've no doubt Rye is fantastic so I could use a strong defense of this feature.  Please.

Mike

[Eric Smith]

Mike,

Here's an explanation of the feature in question offered by Mark Bourgeois in an older thread on Rye:

The purpose of the short sleepers is to:
1. Take away the shot most golfers would prefer -- Texas wedge; and
2. Induce golfers to hit a most difficult shot: flip wedge off tight links lies.

Or as Donald Steel put it in describing the eyebrow sleepers to the right of the green on the short 14th: they lead the golfer to overcorrect and "become entangled with" (great phrase) the dunes on the other side of the green.

Mark

I don't think they came into play for me. I was too busy whacking out and into those devilish greenside bunkers.

[Tim Gallant]

The so called eyebrows are a real head scratcher in my opinion.  Why not just procure a few railroad ties and move them around periodically depending on the hole location.  I can't fathom the grief Fazio would catch on this site if he used just one.   What's next, a feature wall with a small slot in the bottom to stifle the flop shot and force the use of a putter?   I bet Trump would use them if he could get Mexico to cover the cost.

I've no doubt Rye is fantastic so I could use a strong defense of this feature.  Please.

Mike

Michael,


I think the ties are a fantastic feature. They are strategically placed on a few of the holes and work for a number of reasons. If you have the tie in front of you and you have green to work with, it can be a relatively straight forward chip. However, if you short-side yourself, it is a stroke penalty in effect, unless you clip the ball perfectly.


To me, you know where the ties are, and therefore, if you miss there, it is similar to hitting one in the drink - except you don't need to drop and lose a ball. It also encourages creativity, and the ONE thing that every golfer has a difficult time accepting: playing a shot away from the pin.


Superb!

[Sean_A]

I am not a fan of the ties...especially on #7.  When I last played the hole it was seriously downwind and that tie space was needed for any chance of a bounce up on the tee shot because holding the green was never going to happen.  Also, they look really ugly.  I would rather the the green incorporated some sort of earthwork if this kind of putter blocker is that important...surely this is better than the amateurish looking ties. 

Ciao

[Eric Smith]

Well I think they are sublime. Truly one of the coolest things I've seen on a golf course.

I may be going out on a limb here but I would bet the members love them and get a kick out of knowing the headscratchers do not approve.

[Thomas Dai]

Were the eyebrows always just a few inches high or were they/some of them once higher and over time have just evolved to current height?
Atb

[Sean_A]

A look at two of the buggers on the 7th. Eyebrows in more than one way.  Combined with the bunker it looks like a model for an emoticon...and apropos for the placement. 




Ciao

[Mark Chaplin]

Your picture of Hugh Blenkin's 100 holes wasn't his best effort. A few years later he decided to play 100 holes on 21st December, the shortest day. Light from around 7.50 to 4pm so he played 100 in around 8 hours, bearing in mind Hugh is well into his 70s now it was a fabulous effort.

[Eric Smith]

When we left Rye we drove back to Number One and got cleaned up to meet my friend Graham (who had just arrived from the states) and the Chaplins and their friends for dinner at a fantastic waterfront restaurant there in Deal - 81 Beach Street - where I had the best meal I've eaten in some time. Wonderful evening. A night cap at the King's Head topped off what can best be described as one hell of a good day!

Hollinwell

We had one last FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST (yum yum) at Number One before setting off for Nottingham to meet my old friend (and yours) James Boon at his home club, Hollinwell (or Notts if you prefer). I've wanted to visit James for several years now after having met him at the 2010 BUDA at Porthcawl. He is one of the most genuinely likeable gents in the GCA universe, a humble lad with a sharp, EXTREMELY dry wit, and that makes him a lot of fun to spend time with on the golf course.

So, Hollinwell - what can I say? It blew me away. I mean absolutely blew me away. The topography is amazing!! The routing, superb. Variety? You want variety? Go see Notts! The course gives you a bit of a heathland feel but it also dabbles in a sort of western Carolina mountain golf feel, and, dare I say, its linksy (hate that word)?? I know that Ran considers it world top 50 and Doak gives it high marks as well and I think this course deserves every accolade it receives. I will say this - I daydream about my round here more than any round I've played over the past year and it wasn't because of how well I played. Did I mention making TWO 60 foot putts after drinking from the holy well??  What a special course and club and my friend is one lucky lad to call it home.

A few images from Hollinwell:

[Carl Nichols]

Eric--
Thanks for all of the posts and, yes, pictures--this is pretty close to a trip I've been planning (but haven't puled the trigger on).  Did you have to sell your soul for that weather?!

[Eric Smith]

Eric--
Thanks for all of the posts and, yes, pictures--this is pretty close to a trip I've been planning (but haven't puled the trigger on).  Did you have to sell your soul for that weather?!

Thanks, Carl. I hope you're able to make the trip you're planning a reality.


No selling of souls either (at least not mine ) but yes we did hit the lottery, weather wise.


More to come ...