Grand GOG MAGOG GC Old Course

[Sean_A]

Located in an envious position just south of Cambridge in the Gog Magog Hills, Gog Magog has a long history of offering quality golf to its members and visitors. The low-lying chalk hills extend well south and east of the city. The Bronze Age Wandlebury Ring practically abutts the course. A small section of the Downs was purchased by Gonville & Caius College for the purpose of building a golf course. By 1899 nine holes were laid out by W Duncan, the pro associated with Coldham Common…the course B Darwin described as “the worst course I have ever seen.” The common is adjacent to the airport, but the course no longer exists. By 1901 a further nine holes were built. There must have been some promise for the fledgling club because Darwin was elected to the club committee; although he only served a year. Willie Park Jr advised on bunkers in 1902. After losing nine holes to the war effort in 1916, Abercromby made suggestions. A few years later Braid had his say. Unfortunately, I don’t know what work remains of these giants of British golf. More recently, Martin Hawtree performed work on the course and this is what makes up the Old course today. Not surprisingly Hawtree & Sons also designed the Wandlebury Course in two phases; nine holes in the late 60s (by Fred Hawtree) and increased to eighteen holes in the late 90s (by Martin Hawtree). Mackenzie & Ebert have been working on the bunkers these past few years.

The opening two holes are a stout climb. The second, while shorter than the first, is especially harsh. The tee shot plays over an old quarry and there is OoB lurking here and there.


A welcome flatter hole, the 3rd bends handsomely around trees and a bunker. The green is well protected by sand. By now it was clear the rough was going to be long, thick and gnarly. Although, in the less keen conditions we faced the fairways were generally wide enough to ease the golfer through the round.
 

A short hole which isn't all that short, the 4th has its moments.
 

The rough hides what could be a feature bunker short of the green.


More to follow.

Ciao

[John Mayhugh]

First impression is that I might spend a lot of time looking for balls.

[Mark Pearce]

First impression is that I might spend a lot of time looking for balls.

I played there for the first time last year and on my one play I think that your first impressions would be wrong!  I'll be interested to see Sean's conclusions because I really liked Gog Magog

[Sean_A]

First impression is that I might spend a lot of time looking for balls.

Tucky

The rough is horrible. I wonder how I would feel if the course was more keen and balls rolled into it? Mind you, then the rough would probably be a bit more whispy.

Gog Magog Old Tour Cont

Gogs is not a long course, but it felt long on the day we played. An example of a hole playing longer than its yardage is the 325 yard fifth. It’s a knob to knob par 4, not a concept I like if not a par three. The drive slams into the hill on the far side of the valley.


Another longish short hole, somewhat similar to the 4th, the view of the sixth is obscured from the tee.


A decent length par five, the 7th is punctuated with bunkers. A look at the approach.


A par 5, the eighth plays over a quarry to a sunken punch bowl green.


The side finishes with a short par 3. Once again, rough obscures the view of the green and fronting bunkers.


The hole is actually very handsome and good.


More to follow.

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

Interesting course.
The severe rough looks like the kind of natural rough seen at a few U.K. courses where there are ground nesting birds and their environment is seasonally protected.
Atb

[John Nixon]

Thanks for the write up. I'd not heard of this course and I am really curious about the name. Given the Biblical connections with the words Gog and Magog does anyone know why the club is named as it is?

[Mark Pearce]

Thanks for the write up. I'd not heard of this course and I am really curious about the name. Given the Biblical connections with the words Gog and Magog does anyone know why the club is named as it is?

I believe it is named after the hill(s) it's on (virtually the only hill in Cambridgeshire).  I think the hill(s) are named after the biblical characters.

[jeffwarne]

Isn't the answer about the rough that it has been a rainy/cloudy spring/summer in most of the UK?
Wispy isn't happening with that weather without a lot of work

[Adam Lawrence]

Interesting course.
The severe rough looks like the kind of natural rough seen at a few U.K. courses where there are ground nesting birds and their environment is seasonally protected.
Atb

The course is on a chalk down. I don’t know the details of the protection of those environments but I shouldn’t be surprised if the club is restricted from cutting the native roughs.

[Ben Stephens]

I played Gog recently in Grafton Morrish qualifier. The rough was juicy due to the wet weather it wasn't too bad. I felt Gog have got the width right on most of the holes. If you hit a poor drive you should be punished for it.


The bunkers have all been re done by Martin Ebert its that white china clay sand which is like sandpaper that is quite abrasive. Similar material has been put in at Luffenham Heath in recent years so was used to it.


The par 3 ninth is a weak hole on the Old Course. There is a NLE par 3 hole which is far better potential wise I am amazed that the club have not used it on the Old Course.


Dominic Clemons a member of Gog was in the final of the Amateur Championship and qualified for the Open - one of the best stories is that he won the 72 hole Scottish Strokeplay Championship at Muirfield this year shooting 67 and 62 in the last two rounds (129) and winning the event by 17 shots!

[Neil White]

The par 3 ninth is a weak hole on the Old Course. There is a NLE par 3 hole which is far better potential wise I am amazed that the club have not used it on the Old Course.

Whereabouts is this NLE hole Ben?

[Sean_A]

The par 3 ninth is a weak hole on the Old Course. There is a NLE par 3 hole which is far better potential wise I am amazed that the club have not used it on the Old Course.

Whereabouts is this NLE hole Ben?

Was it left of 9?


Ciao

[John Nixon]

Thanks for the write up. I'd not heard of this course and I am really curious about the name. Given the Biblical connections with the words Gog and Magog does anyone know why the club is named as it is?

I believe it is named after the hill(s) it's on (virtually the only hill in Cambridgeshire).  I think the hill(s) are named after the biblical characters.

Makes sense, thanks.

[Mike_Clayton]

Does Russell Claydon still play there?

[Adam Lawrence]

I haven't seen the course since the M&E work, but I visited several times when my friend James Fuller was GM. There are several large chalk pits to the sides of holes on the Old Course, and I tried to persuade James that the club should look at trying to bring them into play in some cases -- they would be fantastic broken ground hazards, and would add a ton of visual interest to the course. I don't know whether that has been done -- I hope so.

[Ben Stephens]

The par 3 ninth is a weak hole on the Old Course. There is a NLE par 3 hole which is far better potential wise I am amazed that the club have not used it on the Old Course.

Whereabouts is this NLE hole Ben?

Was it left of 9?


Ciao

No after 15 a par 3 which was part of the 'new' 9 hole course it was 'lost' due to the Wandlebury Course layout which Doc was involved in

[Ben Stephens]

Does Russell Claydon still play there?

Not to my knowledge - he cropped up in a conversation that I had a few weeks ago he was a big lad wasn't he.

[Ben Stephens]

Thanks for the write up. I'd not heard of this course and I am really curious about the name. Given the Biblical connections with the words Gog and Magog does anyone know why the club is named as it is?

I believe it is named after the hill(s) it's on (virtually the only hill in Cambridgeshire).  I think the hill(s) are named after the biblical characters.

Makes sense, thanks.

Apparently from the local if you face east the next highest piece of land is the Ural Mountains

[Sean_A]

Gogs Old Tour Cont

The 10th plays blindly over a brow. There are two well placed bunkers off the tee to cope with. The long approach whips down the hill to a green running in the same direction.


I think Gogs Old gets interesting from the 11th; a cool legger right. The bunkering is more provocative.
 

The green too is entertaining.
 

I couldn't be bothered with the lengthy walk to regular 12th tee. From that tee the hole is more of a dogleg right and about 70 yards longer. I played the forward tee and the hole is good. The OoB is more prominent for those wishing to avoid the punishing rough down the left.
 

Again, centreline bunkers which force a decision.


A long par three, the 13th is a fine hole.  The land sweeps away from the green on the left making the downhill bounce in shot very dicey. 


More to follow.

Ciao

[Adam Lawrence]

Thanks for the write up. I'd not heard of this course and I am really curious about the name. Given the Biblical connections with the words Gog and Magog does anyone know why the club is named as it is?

I believe it is named after the hill(s) it's on (virtually the only hill in Cambridgeshire).  I think the hill(s) are named after the biblical characters.

Makes sense, thanks.

Apparently from the local if you face east the next highest piece of land is the Ural Mountains

I think that’s true of quite a few pieces of high ground in England. I was always told the same thing about Castle Hill, the hill above Huddersfield where I grew up. Though that is close to a thousand feet above sea level, a lot higher than the Gogs, which top out at about 250 feet.

[Sean_A]

Thanks for the write up. I'd not heard of this course and I am really curious about the name. Given the Biblical connections with the words Gog and Magog does anyone know why the club is named as it is?

I believe it is named after the hill(s) it's on (virtually the only hill in Cambridgeshire).  I think the hill(s) are named after the biblical characters.

Makes sense, thanks.

Apparently from the local if you face east the next highest piece of land is the Ural Mountains

I think that’s true of quite a few pieces of high ground in England. I was always told the same thing about Castle Hill, the hill above Huddersfield where I grew up. Though that is close to a thousand feet above sea level, a lot higher than the Gogs, which too out at about 250 feet.

There are certainly some large hills (larger than the Gogs for sure) south of Minsk which you may bump into on the way to the Urals.

Ciao

[Ben Stephens]

Hi Sean,


The photos of 10, 11 and 13 don't justify the slopes. 10 is a lot steeper downhill over the 'hump' or brow as you call it. The green is slightly raised at the back with a steep fall over it not a good place to end up.

11 is quite undulating hole - I was told its a Willie Park hole

13 is underrated - it is a quality par 3 hole with a huge green and it is downhill not as steep as 10.

Most players in the Grafton are not fans of the 12th hole - the cluster of trees could do with pollarding and raising the branches much higher up.


Cheers
Ben

[Sean_A]

Gogs Old Tour Cont

A par five, the 14th hole didn't make much of an impression. The 15th, however, is one of Gogs better holes. The fairway leans left with the terrain to a green built up from the left. A centre-line bunker impacts the approach when the course is keen.




The 16th is a a very different looking hole.  I can't reach the cross bunkers so getting home in two on this long two-shotter is difficult. Good hole!


The short 17th is also a satisfying hole. Once again, there is carry involving a bunker.


Not to be outdone, the 18th also features carry bunkers.


The house is attractive and well appointed. 




I didn't have much in the way of expectations prior to playing Gogs Old. A few old timer GCA guys consistently talk up the course so I finally decided to have a look. The course is certainly better than I thought might be the case and that is due in large part to the back nine.  That said, hole such as 4, 8 and 9 also add to the quality of the design.  It is not surprising the club hosts a prestigous event such as The Lagonda Trophy. Since 1975 many of the top amateurs in the country have played and winners include Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Peter McEvoy and Gary Wolstenholme. This year's winner scored 290 against a par of 280! If you find yourself looking for a game near Cambridge, Gog Magog is surely one of the calls to be made.  The Old slips into my Happy 100.  2024

Ciao

[Richard Fisher]

Thanks so much for this Sean. I have been a member at the Gogs since 1988, when there was the Old Course and a small, tight 9 hole New Course, where most new members (including me) started their memberships: the Gogs of those days was much more of a pink gin sort of club than it is today. The short 6th hole on the New Course was indeed one of the best holes on the entire property, but it has always proved really hard to work it into any routing for the 18 hole Wandlebury course that replaced the New during the 1990s (and which has hosted Open pre-qualifying).


I think Sean's overall assessment is very fair (not least about the rough, especially behind the bunkers). What I would always say is that the Gogs, and especially the Old Course, really comes into its own in winter, which is when I play the large majority of my Gogs golf. Much of the surrounding Cambridgeshire countryside can be under water and the Gogs will still be a super place for a game, with firm, dry fairways and very acceptable greens. The Gogs I joined was ofen a very fast course in summer, but for all sorts of reasons that is no longer the case: indeed a major new irrigation scheme is the current big talking point at the club.


Am hoping to host some GCA friends at the Gogs later this year. Very glad you enjoyed it Sean!

[Sean_A]

Thanks so much for this Sean. I have been a member at the Gogs since 1988, when there was the Old Course and a small, tight 9 hole New Course, where most new members (including me) started their memberships: the Gogs of those days was much more of a pink gin sort of club than it is today. The short 6th hole on the New Course was indeed one of the best holes on the entire property, but it has always proved really hard to work it into any routing for the 18 hole Wandlebury course that replaced the New during the 1990s (and which has hosted Open pre-qualifying).


I think Sean's overall assessment is very fair (not least about the rough, especially behind the bunkers). What I would always say is that the Gogs, and especially the Old Course, really comes into its own in winter, which is when I play the large majority of my Gogs golf. Much of the surrounding Cambridgeshire countryside can be under water and the Gogs will still be a super place for a game, with firm, dry fairways and very acceptable greens. The Gogs I joined was ofen a very fast course in summer, but for all sorts of reasons that is no longer the case: indeed a major new irrigation scheme is the current big talking point at the club.

Am hoping to host some GCA friends at the Gogs later this year. Very glad you enjoyed it Sean!

Richard

What are the reasons the fairways aren’t as keen these days?

Ciao