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Brian_Ewen

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Luton Hoo
« on: January 05, 2023, 01:18:30 PM »
Luton Hoo currently has an 18-hole golf course but it plans to replace it with "a new championship level course worthy of hosting the Ryder Cup".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-64176544

Adam Lawrence

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Re: Luton Hoo
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2023, 02:00:39 PM »
I visited Luton Hoo when it first opened. Part of the course is within the historic park, which was designed by Capability Brown and is very heavily protected; consequently earthworks were strictly limited; essentially they were allowed to build greens and tees only. Most of the course is on former farmland outside the park, but to keep it consistent with the park holes, they decided to make the whole course bunker less. I didn't think it was desperately interesting.

The hotel in the grand old house is astoundingly opulent. The house was built in the eighteenth century for the Earl of Bute, Prime Minister for a short time between 1762-63. In the early twentieth century, it was bought by Sir Julius Wehrner, a diamond dealer. His son Sir Harold, who inherited it from him, was married to a woman who was the daughter of an exiled Russian Grand Duke; consequently a very OTT Russian Orthodox chapel was built in the house.

I think any golf course improvements will have to deal with the same restrictions on work in the historic park as the original course. Could be a tricky one.

(Edited to add): Looking at the planning documents (an EGD project, obviously for anyone with serious Ryder Cup ambitions) the proposed new course would appear not to touch the historic park. A good decision, I think.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2023, 02:05:07 PM by Adam Lawrence »
Adam Lawrence

Editor, Golf Course Architecture
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Author, 'More Enduring Than Brass: a biography of Harry Colt' (forthcoming).

Short words are best, and the old words, when short, are the best of all.

Ben Stephens

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Re: Luton Hoo
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2023, 04:06:25 PM »
I visited Luton Hoo when it first opened. Part of the course is within the historic park, which was designed by Capability Brown and is very heavily protected; consequently earthworks were strictly limited; essentially they were allowed to build greens and tees only. Most of the course is on former farmland outside the park, but to keep it consistent with the park holes, they decided to make the whole course bunker less. I didn't think it was desperately interesting.

The hotel in the grand old house is astoundingly opulent. The house was built in the eighteenth century for the Earl of Bute, Prime Minister for a short time between 1762-63. In the early twentieth century, it was bought by Sir Julius Wehrner, a diamond dealer. His son Sir Harold, who inherited it from him, was married to a woman who was the daughter of an exiled Russian Grand Duke; consequently a very OTT Russian Orthodox chapel was built in the house.

I think any golf course improvements will have to deal with the same restrictions on work in the historic park as the original course. Could be a tricky one.

(Edited to add): Looking at the planning documents (an EGD project, obviously for anyone with serious Ryder Cup ambitions) the proposed new course would appear not to touch the historic park. A good decision, I think.


Adam,


I am wondering isn't that a potential conflict of interest with Hulton Park (Bolton) also bidding for the Ryder Cup? Its a shame that the Ryder Cup will be unlikely to be played on a classic course in Europe whereas it is a different story in the US.


Initially looking at the plans before looking at the small detail - to me its very much a Ross McMurray design which I was proven correct Ross designed the Marquess at Woburn, the 2010 at the Celtic Manor and more recently Royal Norwich. The holes are massively spaced out and some use the current course at Luton Hoo. As you say its outside the boundaries of the Capability Brown landscape. 


Stableford Park (NLE) not far away from me designed by Tom Mackenzie had parts of the golf course on Capability Brown land which required no sand bunkers - Holes 2,3 and 16th plus part of the 17th hole.


Cheers
Ben
« Last Edit: January 05, 2023, 04:12:42 PM by Ben Stephens »

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