Shanklin & Sandown (photos)

[Pete Lavallee]

Shanklin & Sandown is the longest course on the Isle of Wight, just a short ferry ride from Portsmouth or Southampton on Englands’ south coast. The other 18 hole course, Freshwater Bay, plays on exposed chalk cliffs on the western edge of the Island, which also has 4 9 holers and a 12 hole course. Shanklin & Sandown was established in the 1890’s and the design credit goes to James Braid. The course plays 6062 yards with a par of 70; 5 par 3’s and 3 par 5’s (SSS 70). Located on the east side of the Island on hilly terrain it would be considered heathland golf, with sandy soil and some heather, gorse and bracken. The well conditioned greens follow the slope of the terrain, but sadly are devoid of any internal contour; I only had one putt break more than 3 inches all day.  There are however several interesting holes with some gorgeous views.

The 1st hole 428 yards


The 2cnd hole 153 yard par 3


The 3rd hole 430 yard par 4 with an oak tree in the left center of the fairway


The 5th hole a 143 yard par three with a 2 foot difference between the front and back level (a sign on the tee indicates the day’s placement). Notice the dropoff left is so steep that stairs are needed to climb to the green Right is dead.


Here’s what awaits after the blind uphill drive on the par 4 377 yard 7th. Notice the signal bell on the right.


The uphill par 4 8th, 341 yards, with some heather in play.


The par 3 9th has a triple tired green over the pond; probably added along with the new clubhouse.


The downhill 11th 195 yards out of a chute of trees atop the hill


The uphill 12th 367 yards.


The par 4 13th has a marshy area between the landing area and the green.


The view from the ladies tee.


The view of the green from the landing area.


These bunkers at the corner of the 14th see a lot of action, par 4 331.


The par 5 15th 510 yards.

[David_Tepper]

Pete L.-

Thanks for the photos. Keep them coming. Looks like the front 9 on this course could use a little tree trimming.

DT

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Pete, From the looks of it Braid didn't do a good enough job as he could of....

Just joking.

But on to far mroe serious matters.

At one time did this course have a "Royal" stamp of his or her majesty on it? The reason being, and the name is escaping me now, but at one tiime, there existed in the old 9 hole  course on the Isle of Wight, a much regarded and feared sand hazard called "The Pit" that Horace Hutchinson featured in Britsh Golf Links, which for about the 10 millionth time, I'm going to tell people on this website that if they have chance to see this book to run, not walk to see it ASAP.

"The Pit" was a nasty pit fillied with very fine chalk-like sand, and from the image in BGL, it was a uphill par 3 of a very modest length but like most of its type back then, of a very extreme nature. I'll try to find the image, but it may take about digging through about 200 floppy disks to do it.

[Pete Lavallee]

Tommy;

There is a 9 hole course on the grounds of Osborne House, where Queen Victoria stayed while on the Island, I suspect it would have a Royal connection.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Pete,
Does it still poses this mammoth hazard of which I speak?

[Pete Lavallee]

Sorry Tommy I didn't have a chance to check it out, too busy sampling the local ales, which are some of the finest in Britain.

[Brian_Ewen]

Pete L
Thanks for posting , I always like seeing James Braid courses , from other parts of the country , as I play quite a lot of them up here in Scotland.

That bunkering on the 13th is very James Braid .

The article below mentions a Pit here at one time .

I got this from :
http://www.isle-of-wight.uk.com/golf_courses/index.asp

Shanklin & Sandown - 18 Hole (Known locally as Sandown).
More of a heath-land course, with gorse, bracken and heather, this is arguably the top golf club on the Island. The terrain would seem to be a natural golf course, although it was in fact built on Lake and Blackpan Commons - originally grazing land - and the layout of the course has changed quite a bit since World War I. For instance, the present 14th, 15th and 16th are later additions, the course boundary being the back of the 13th green, 3rd tee and the right of the 17th. There was once a hole from (roughly) the present 10th tee, down over the sand-pit to a green the other side of the track. Nowadays you cannot see anything in that direction except trees.
Sandown has just about everything - par three over water - par three to a narrow green on the side of a hill - par four over a valley and two bunkers to reach the fairway - blind drives - longish carry drives - up-hill holes - down-hill holes - bunkers - trees - gorse - rough (some with heather) - elevated tees - pro's shop and a first class club house, where a good lunch can be purchased. Well worth the slightly higher green fee.

[Daniel_Wexler]

Tommy:

I've got a hot tip for you: There will be a reprint of British Golf Links in '05.  First one, to my knowledge, ever.

DW

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Daniel, Why this is the second best news of 04'!

[Paul_Turner]

Pete

Nice one!  I've been intrigued by the course for a while.  Here are some old pics for comparison:







Three pics of the 5th.



13th

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Paul,
I think thats it!

The photo with the two guys teeing off on the 5th looks like a much more evolved, clearer picture of the hole and the shot over the top. The hillside looks to be much more grown-in, not showing any of the subsurface.

[Paul_Turner]

Tommy

There was a 9 holer at Bembridge, The Royal Isle of Wight Club played there.

That 5th at S&S is a 2 or 20 hole if ever I've seen one!  But at least the prevailing wind isn't right to left; look at the tree.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Paul, thats it! Bembridge, that was the name! thank you, so this isn't it, but it certainly looked similar to it in regards to the tee.

Does that course still exist?

[Paul_Turner]

Nope    Not sure when it died.

I think Patric Dickinson writes about the defunct course in his wonderful book "A Round of Golf Courses".  Probably when he reviews the 9 holes at Royal Worlington and Newmarket.

Darwin reviews Bembridge in his inimitable funny style in "Golf Courses of the British Isles".  If I remember correctly there was fearsome rutted cart path hazard, which caused mayhem?  (Or that might have been Rye's 17th?)

[Pete Lavallee]

Thanks for the old pics Paul. I certainly like the less clastraphobic version of the 5th; you could at least clearly see all the trouble one could get in! The green contours seemed much better too, they seem too have flattened everything, possibly with years of topdressing?

[Paul_Turner]

My mistake about Dickinson and Bembridge.  It was Peter Allen in "Play the Best Courses" who mentions his love for the old course at Bembridge...he even goes as far as to claim that it would have challenged Royal Worlington as the best 9 holer in the country.  So it must have been good.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Even Hutch had a great regard for the old Bembridge, and it certainly looked to be on the same type of terrain as Sandown.

I could talk about this stuff for hours! I'm convinced that the courses in England are just as mighty, just less talked about as most of ours here in America.

Paul, have you read about it in BGL?

[RJ_Daley]

That 5th bringsdirectly to my mind the image of Pete Dye's 17th at Whistling Straits.  I would love to know if Pete saw this course and if there was any influence of this hole in his mind when he did WS.  The addition of the stairs seems wrong headed to me.  Couldn't they have placed the stairs if needed around the back left side of the green, not on a possible place that a miss hit shot could hang up on the grassy slope?  It looks like the powers that be can't bring themselves to use a chainsaw in England either...  

[Pete Lavallee]

RJ;

I think that from Paul's old photos you can get a better understanding of how steep that slope to the left is; the steps are the only practical way to get up and down from the green to the left side where the next tee is located. I doubt that any ball would hang up on a slope that steep. It really is a very severe par 3, but eminently fair at that distance (143 yards). The use of a chainsaw seems very appropriate.