Beguiling BERKSHIRE GC Red Course

[Sean_A]

Berkshire's Parking Map. 


Set amongst towering pines which seemingly originated in Ascot, The Berkshire is one of the few clubs in GB&I which can boast of having two courses of high repute.  Designed by Herbert Fowler in 1928, it is natural that some comparisons might be made with Walton Heath; Fowler’s other 36 hole master class of design in London environs. Other than generally being classed as heathland courses, there is little resemblance between Walton Heath’s stark battlefield of golf and Berkshire’s elegant and civilized approach to architecture.  Twenty or so years separate the founding of the clubs and it might be said that between the two is Fowler’s Alpha and Omega.  Regardless of which style one prefers, Fowler should be greatly admired for his skill.

Many believe Simpson was the mastermind behind Berkshire (and Beau Desert).  I believe the previous Berkshire secretary investigated the matter and could find no references related to Simpson.  It could well be that the similar bunker style (which I always thought was very loosely similar) between Simpson's work elsewhere and The Berkshire is down to the construction company.  Franks Harris Bros, the construction firm most often associated with Colt, built the two courses at The Berkshire.  While their work with Colt doesn't reflect a bunker style quite as complicated as some of Simpson's bunkers, there is little doubt they did elegant work which could possibly be confused with Simpson's.

Windsor Estate encompasses nearly 16,000 acres of Crown lands which includes Great Windsor Park, Ascot Race Course and Swinley Forest GC.  The Berkshire occupies land within the estate which was mainly cleared during WWI for wood to reinforce trenches. When treeless, it was plainly obvious this land was ideal terrain for golf.  It isn’t unheard of for a course to be built on Crown land, but for the government to pay the bill for the clubhouse and construction...of two courses...is truly a wonder. 

The Red Course is set entirely on more dramatic, elevated land compared to the Blue, which makes for a more attractive round.  The Red also has the unusual mix of 6, 6, 6 - that is six holes of each par. Most of the par 5s are essentially long par 4s that good players will want to reach in two, but remain testing because of longer approaches.  We get one of these par 5s for the opener, although it is over 500 yards in length.


A steep incline leads to the middle of the green


Maybe two extra clubs are necessarily added to tackle the uphill, short 2nd.


There is a sharp run-off to the rear of the green.


At 458 yards, the third is one of those short par 5s.  By modern standards, the Red Course should be a par 68, 6139 yard monster. With so many uphill approaches it isn't unreasonable to suggest that these are a hard 6100 yards.


Behind the green.


The 4th is a deceptively difficult par 4 of 371 yards.


In a strong cross wind, the short 5th seems as if the green is an island in a sea of heather.


A closer look.


Behind the green.


More to follow.

Ciao

[Peter Pallotta]

Thank you, Sean.
Your usual excellent start/introduction, and insightful comments

[Sean_A]

Cheers Pietro.

BERKSHIRE RED TOUR CONT

A short, sharp legger right, the 6th is the last modest par 4 until reaching the 11th. If the course is crowded, its easy to jump on 12 Blue!

A longish par three, the 7th green slides right toward 11 & 12 of the Blue Course on lower ground.  The hole location is on the most interesting part of the green. Looking toward the tee.


A testing hole, the 412 yard (in praise of daily tees) 8th legs hard right to yet another plateau green.




It isn't that I dislike the 9th, but the long uphill hole motiff is overdone at Berkshire Red. Moving on to Red's ace in the hole, the 10th is similar to the Blue's opener.  That is to say, it is a mini Calamity. The hole plays uphill to a ridge and affords space to play the design as a two-shotter....a concept I appreciate and value as my age creeps toward 60.




Looking back to the tee and 9th green.


H Rountree's water colour.


One of the more manageable par 4s, the 11th is exquisite. I am highly impressed by the combined green/12th tee land form.  There is little doubt that the Red Course is one of London's most handsome. The tree management down the right of the fairway is spot on.




A look at the green from the 12th fairway. The complex includes what is likely the original 12th tee. It is grand when a design flows seamlessly through holes. This is a concept which has largely disappeared in this age of health & safety.


More to follow.

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

Terrific Rountree painting of the 10th. It looks much more Calamity like back then.
Atb

[Stewart Abramson]

"Red's ace in the hole, the 10th is similar to the Blue's opener.  That is to say, it is a mini Calamity. The hole plays uphill to a ridge and affords space to play the design as a two-shotter.."

Sean, Thanks for the nice photo tour of a place I really enjoy. Can't wait for the rest.  #10 Red is one of my faves. This photo hangs above my desk, which shows it is calamity-esque, and I wouldn't say "mini".


Berkshire Red #10


edited to fix formatting

[Peter Sayegh]

Sean, you are my Mars Rover of GCA-stunning pictures of landscapes I may never visit.

This current thread seems to have the crispest photos of all your tours. Did you upgrade your camera or find a perfect day?
Thank you. Your course profiles are a constant source of joy.
Salut.
Peter.

[Sean_A]

Sean, you are my Mars Rover of GCA-stunning pictures of landscapes I may never visit.

This current thread seems to have the crispest photos of all your tours. Did you upgrade your camera or find a perfect day?
Thank you. Your course profiles are a constant source of joy.
Salut.
Peter.

Thank you.

Nope, still use a point and shoot cheapie. I am more and more convinced that good photos are first and foremost about good light. Of course, the subject matter is also important 😎. Berkshire Red is a gorgeous course. It is a posterboy for instagram.

Stuart, I say mini because it is shorter and the angle is thankfully more forgiving. I hit driver when these pix were taken and still didn't reach the hole. 🙈

Ciao

[David_Tepper]

Sean -

Thanks for another fine tour. I played the Red & Blue in 1985. Thanks for bringing back those memories.

DT

[Marty Bonnar]

Great photos, Arble-San. Some lovely reminiscences of that area. We played the Red EIGHTEEN (Eek!) years ago as part of our MSc study trip to the London heathlands. Seeing the Berkshire, Swinley, Woking and Worplesdon on glorious, hazy summer days really cemented my love of those landscapes. Luckily, Ladybank is a fairly close approximation!
Love,
F.

[Peter Pallotta]

"Designed by Herbert Fowler in 1928, it is natural that some comparisons might be made with Walton Heath? Fowler’s other 36 hole master class of design in London environs. Other than generally being classed as heathland courses, there is little resemblance between Walton Heath’s stark battlefield of golf and Berkshire’s elegant and civilized approach to architecture.  Twenty or so years separate the founding of the clubs and it might be said that between the two is Fowler’s Alpha and Omega."

For those who know: seriously, though, doesn't this alone put Fowler right up at the top of the list of great (and better known) architects, past and present? And not only in terms of skill/talent, but also in terms of taste. I mean, can you name me many architects with better taste? Draping, elegant and restrained, with the measured movements of a master and yet never dull. To my eyes he makes many a 'name' architect past and present seem bumptious, pompous, ham-fisted and full of themselves.

[Sean_A]

It is interesting that Fowler didn't embrace the Colt heathland style until the end of his career. Mind, he had fewer opportunities in this medium than did Colt. The Red is almost as to say he could work in this style, but chose not to. Again, the look may well have as much to do with Franks Harris Bros as him. It does seem to me that the Blue isn't as handsome or consistent as the Red, but it's highs are at least as good and certainly more varied. This seems to be Fowler in a nutshell over his entire career. Maybe this partially answers your question and maybe it doesn't, but I don't believe I admire the work of anyone more than Fowler's.

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

It is interesting that Fowler didn't embrace the Colt heathland style until the end of his career. Mind, he had fewer opportunities in this medium than did Colt. The Red is almost as to say he could work in this style, but chose not to. Again, the look may well have as much to do with Franks Harris Bros as him. It does seem to me that the Blue isn't as handsome or consistent as the Red, but it's highs are at least as good and certainly more varied. This seems to be Fowler in a nutshell over his entire career. Maybe this partially answers your question and maybe it doesn't, but I don't believe I admire the work of anyone more than Fowler's.
Ciao

If I ever hear of or see photos of a course with a Herbert Fowler connection, the more so a strong early connection, it piques my interest.
Wonderful recent book about WHF and his work - see - [size=78%]https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,69605.msg1673319.html#msg1673319[/size]
Atb

[Chris Clouser]

Sean,


As always your photo tours are outstanding.  I am curious, with so many possible options, has a composite routing ever been used at Berkshire for a tournament?  What would be the optimum routing of holes from the two courses to create such a monster?

[Adam Lawrence]

The story of the creation of Berkshire is pretty interesting. Basically the Office of Crown Lands, the government office that managed the estates controlled by the monarch (as a consequence of being the monarch, not the private holdings of the King as a person) got quite excited at the amount of money that Walter Tarrant had made from developing St George's Hill and more recently Wentworth and resolved to do something similar with part of the Crown estate near Ascot, which had been cleared of trees during WW1.


Colt, as the designed of both SGH and Wentworth, was the natural choice for the job, and was the first man they approached, but his estimate of cost scared them off. Hence they went to Fowler, who was basically bankrupt at the time; he gave them a lower number and was hired (though he managed to blow the budget out of the water, costing more than Colt had originally quoted, IIRC).


Obviously, in trying to replicate SGH and Wentworth, the original plan was for housing to be a part of the mix, but it was never built, presumably because the Crash and subsequent Depression nixed demand for high end property.


Being, essentially, a state-run project, it is naturally pretty well documented -- there's a minute covering most key decisions.

[Sean_A]

Sean,

As always your photo tours are outstanding.  I am curious, with so many possible options, has a composite routing ever been used at Berkshire for a tournament?  What would be the optimum routing of holes from the two courses to create such a monster?

Chris

I don't know, but the thought crossed my mind. I am left wondering what sort of event has The Berkshire hosted which would necessitate such a routing.

BERKSHIRE RED TOUR CONT

I wonder if the 12th used to be more of a dogleg left with trees down the left removed. The hole gives me this impression. Yet, this short par 4 is good regardless.


Looks can sometimes deceive. Although an attractive hole over good land, the 13th seems to lack interest. Much the same can be said for the 14th. I do, however, have time for the 15th. One of the short par 5s, an approach of any length is engaging.  The plateau green seems to be just that more raised than it appears. The fairly small green is also well tilted.






More to follow.

Ciao

[Sean_A]

BERKSHIRE RED TOUR CONT

Unusually, two par 3s come in the last three holes. Both holes are uphill and demanding, but play in close to opposite directions. The 16th is more attractive and being 40 yards longer can be the more demanding hole.


The drive for 17 plays to the top of hill than through a wee valley to the uphill green.  At 520 yards it is one of the more demanding par 5s, but isn't overly onerous. If one happens to foozle the second, there is water waiting at the bottom of the hill. 17 green as seen from the 15th green.


Behind the green.


This older image reveals a dramatic drop off on the right for the tee shot. I am not sure if that area is a path or a sandy waste. Also, notice the huge hump on the left side of the fairway. These days that hump looks smaller and relegated to the rough.


The steeply uphill 18th is no picnic. From well beyond the tee.


The green as seen from near the 1st tee. The easier to run up a flat shot false front is more evident from this angle.


My, what a striking course the Red is! While not quite in the class of the best Surrey/Berkshire has to offer, I do think Berkshire Red is a joy to play. Despite the overwhelming uphill approach nature of the design, there is variety in the greens, but in a somewhat subdued manner. Without a doubt the 10th is the star of the show, however, holes such as 4, 5, 11, 15 &16 add much weight to the design.  However, at the end of day, the six par 5s concept is not one I admire. 2021

The Blue Course
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,66368.0.html

Ciao

[Tony_Muldoon]

The story of the creation of Berkshire is pretty interesting. Basically the Office of Crown Lands, the government office that managed the estates controlled by the monarch (as a consequence of being the monarch, not the private holdings of the King as a person) got quite excited at the amount of money that Walter Tarrant had made from developing St George's Hill and more recently Wentworth and resolved to do something similar with part of the Crown estate near Ascot, which had been cleared of trees during WW1.


Colt, as the designed of both SGH and Wentworth, was the natural choice for the job, and was the first man they approached, but his estimate of cost scared them off. Hence they went to Fowler, who was basically bankrupt at the time; he gave them a lower number and was hired (though he managed to blow the budget out of the water, costing more than Colt had originally quoted, IIRC).


Obviously, in trying to replicate SGH and Wentworth, the original plan was for housing to be a part of the mix, but it was never built, presumably because the Crash and subsequent Depression nixed demand for high end property.


Being, essentially, a state-run project, it is naturally pretty well documented -- there's a minute covering most key decisions.

Very interesting thanks Adam. Unlike Thomas I was very disappointed with the book. From memory your post has more to say about the Berkshire than the book! Fowler was a fascinating character who was also close to bankruptcy when he took on the Walton Heath design and Secretary job. he had many connections in golf, other sports and business. Sadly I think it will be some time before we see the whole story told.

[Adam Lawrence]

The story of the creation of Berkshire is pretty interesting. Basically the Office of Crown Lands, the government office that managed the estates controlled by the monarch (as a consequence of being the monarch, not the private holdings of the King as a person) got quite excited at the amount of money that Walter Tarrant had made from developing St George's Hill and more recently Wentworth and resolved to do something similar with part of the Crown estate near Ascot, which had been cleared of trees during WW1.


Colt, as the designed of both SGH and Wentworth, was the natural choice for the job, and was the first man they approached, but his estimate of cost scared them off. Hence they went to Fowler, who was basically bankrupt at the time; he gave them a lower number and was hired (though he managed to blow the budget out of the water, costing more than Colt had originally quoted, IIRC).


Obviously, in trying to replicate SGH and Wentworth, the original plan was for housing to be a part of the mix, but it was never built, presumably because the Crash and subsequent Depression nixed demand for high end property.


Being, essentially, a state-run project, it is naturally pretty well documented -- there's a minute covering most key decisions.

Very interesting thanks Adam. Unlike Thomas I was very disappointed with the book. From memory your post has more to say about the Berkshire than the book! Fowler was a fascinating character who was also close to bankruptcy when he took on the Walton Heath design and Secretary job. he had many connections in golf, other sports and business. Sadly I think it will be some time before we see the whole story told.

Fowler was, in many ways, a pretty tragic character. Born into a substantial Quaker family fortune, he kept losing all his money. I don't think he was very smart really -- despite his background, he didn't attend university; he bought into partnership in an established Quaker private bank in his early 20s but still managed to get into a position where he was close to bankruptcy when his brother in law Cosmo Bonsor helped him find his true calling. A lot of his personal papers are in the Surrey county archive in Woking and they show some very dodgy investments -- how on earth did he come to be elected to the board of the San Antonio and Pecos Valley Railway Company in 1913? Philip and Derek touched on this in their book, but I don't think saying 'Fowler was a bit of an idiot in most areas of life except for golf design' was really within their remit.

[Marty Bonnar]

The history of golf course architecture is truly bejewelled with fascinating characters.
F.

[Will Lozier]

Great photos, Arble-San. Some lovely reminiscences of that area. We played the Red EIGHTEEN (Eek!) years ago as part of our MSc study trip to the London heathlands. Seeing the Berkshire, Swinley, Woking and Worplesdon on glorious, hazy summer days really cemented my love of those landscapes. Luckily, Ladybank is a fairly close approximation!
Love,
F.

Marty,


Hopefully you fit West Hill somewhere in there....or since?!


Cheers

[Sean_A]

The story of the creation of Berkshire is pretty interesting. Basically the Office of Crown Lands, the government office that managed the estates controlled by the monarch (as a consequence of being the monarch, not the private holdings of the King as a person) got quite excited at the amount of money that Walter Tarrant had made from developing St George's Hill and more recently Wentworth and resolved to do something similar with part of the Crown estate near Ascot, which had been cleared of trees during WW1.

Colt, as the designed of both SGH and Wentworth, was the natural choice for the job, and was the first man they approached, but his estimate of cost scared them off. Hence they went to Fowler, who was basically bankrupt at the time; he gave them a lower number and was hired (though he managed to blow the budget out of the water, costing more than Colt had originally quoted, IIRC).

Obviously, in trying to replicate SGH and Wentworth, the original plan was for housing to be a part of the mix, but it was never built, presumably because the Crash and subsequent Depression nixed demand for high end property.

Being, essentially, a state-run project, it is naturally pretty well documented -- there's a minute covering most key decisions.

Is there a minute concerning the 666 configuration? Were the long 4s and 5s contrived to become 6 par fives as a leftover vestige of bogey score or was that an original par setting?

Ciao

[Niall C]

Sean - great tour.

Tony - I think you are being more than a little harsh on the Fowler book. I found it very interesting and it touched on quite a few things I didn't know. Arguably it didn't go into detail on some things and perhaps got some things wrong. For instance I don't agree with their assessment of Fowlers involvement at Cruden Bay, however in that particular instance they probably went with the club legend which in itself seems to be based on very little. Given the scope of the book, taking in his life, background and career both inside golf and outside golf I think it is a remarkable effort.

Adam - how much do you think Fowler Simpson was a business partnership rather than a design partnership in the mould of Coore and Crenshaw ? We've all seen the Charles Ambrose sketch of Fowler standing looking over Simpson shoulder as he did a design however are there many examples of them actually working in tandem on a design ?

Niall

[Adam Lawrence]

Adam - how much do you think Fowler Simpson was a business partnership rather than a design partnership in the mould of Coore and Crenshaw ? We've all seen the Charles Ambrose sketch of Fowler standing looking over Simpson shoulder as he did a design however are there many examples of them actually working in tandem on a design ?

Niall

I honestly don't know the answer to that question. We can speculate on lots: Sean has on a number of occasions highlighted Fowler’s lack of attachment to a particular design aesthetic (I still don't understand how the same man could build Beau Desert and Delamere Forest, the one with wild greens and the other with extremely flat ones, at virtually the same time), and there's no doubt that Berkshire has a number of flourishes that scream Simpson -- the front bunker on Blue 13 for example, still looks like a Simpson bunker -- but with no evidence of his involvement, do we have to assume that he influenced his older partner? Neither Simpson nor Fowler strike me as the sort of men who were necessarily that good at taking advice -- Simpson in particular smells of 'my way or the highway' a mile off.


But it is all speculation.

[Sean_A]

Adam - how much do you think Fowler Simpson was a business partnership rather than a design partnership in the mould of Coore and Crenshaw ? We've all seen the Charles Ambrose sketch of Fowler standing looking over Simpson shoulder as he did a design however are there many examples of them actually working in tandem on a design ?

Niall

I honestly don't know the answer to that question. We can speculate on lots: Sean has on a number of occasions highlighted Fowler’s lack of attachment to a particular design aesthetic (I still don't understand how the same man could build Beau Desert and Delamere Forest, the one with wild greens and the other with extremely flat ones, at virtually the same time), and there's no doubt that Berkshire has a number of flourishes that scream Simpson -- the front bunker on Blue 13 for example, still looks like a Simpson bunker -- but with no evidence of his involvement, do we have to assume that he influenced his older partner? Neither Simpson nor Fowler strike me as the sort of men who were necessarily that good at taking advice -- Simpson in particular smells of 'my way or the highway' a mile off.

But it is all speculation.

I thought Blackwell might be a combined effort job, but don't know.

Ciao

[Duncan Cheslett]

Is there a minute concerning the 666 configuration? Were the long 4s and 5s contrived to come to 6 par fives as a leftover vestige of bogey score or was that an original par setting?

Ciao

Surely in the 1920s "par" had yet to be a thing? The 666 would have originated based on the bogey score. Presumably when par took over they simply carried on with the 666 configuration because by then it was a notable feature of the course which no-one wanted to change.

Six bogey 5 holes would not have been out of the ordinary in 1928. Even Cavendish had six of them! 

The unusual aspect of the the 666 configuration is the six bogey 3's.