British Courses 2nd series 2

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Caldy

When I get time over the next few days I'll try to post pictures of some of the potential courses for GCA Ryder Cup 2006.  You already have some of Wallasey.  I don't have any of Royal Liverpool since the rebuild.

Jack Morris laid out the first 9 holes at Caldy some time in the 19th century.  The club we know today dates from 1907.  Morris's holes were all on the seaward side of a railway line, with a clubhouse somewhere near today's 6th green.  I don't know who expanded the course to 18 holes, but there were several rearrangements, including one when a new, austere clubhouse was built on the most inland part of the site about 30 years ago.  Donald Steel made completely new 17th and 18th holes (late 80s/early 90s?) to lengthen the course - it is a frequent host of county events and has even hosted events at national level.  It's a mixture of downland (1st, 2nd, 16th), parkland (11th to 15th and 18th) and something approximating to links (3-10).






2nd - none of the short holes is long and this one must date from after 1929 when the course first moved inland of the railway.  It's quite a nice hole, exposed on high ground, with humps and hollows off the putting surface and plenty of slopes on it.  I'm not sure which fairway that is in the background (probably the 1st - a very charming, sweeping hole), but play to the green will have been from our right.


3rd, seen from the bridge over the (now defunct) railway line.  It's a corker of a dog-leg which I have seen driven by cutting the corner over bunkers and a pond - they were four visiting Americans and clearly very good.


3rd again, showing rather better the risk involved.  That's the 10th green in the foreground.


3rd green - a magical spot overlooking the estuary of the River Dee.  That's Wales on the far side.


4th green - terrible picture taken very early one morning, but it shows the sunken bunkers very much a feature of these fairly level seaside holes.


5th tee.  One of the hazards of the north west of England is its frequently overcast weather (it's currently dark, unseasonably cold and persistently raining as I write this).  Lovely spot for a tee, though.


6th green, approached over a ditch with little room if you overshoot the green, and death by drowning if you miss to the left.  Tough hole, despite its modest yardage.


9th green, looking back.  There are some very desirable houses in and around Caldy, from which it is but a short commuting ride into Liverpool, or a journey of about 2 miles to Royal Liverpool Golf Club.


11th tee.  The journey inland begins here - a very tough double dog-leg for those aspiring to birdies.


16th.  The green doesn't need much protection as it is set on top of a minor hill and slightly domed.  That is a sandstone 'rubbing stone' on the right, dating from Saxon times, I think.  A ball hitting it can bounce anywhere!


17th, out in the country and there's a stream in the hollow in front of the green.  Nasty rough, too, if you drop short.

Sorry the slides are not better, but I reckoned you'd rather see them, poor as they are.

[Mike Nuzzo]

What could their maint. budget be?
What was the green fee?
I'd have placed the 4th green next to the sea, and moved the 5th tee inland.
The 11th hole looks like it constrained the routing.
It looks like nice movement falling away from the bridge towards the 3rd green and water.
All courses could use a rubbing stone from Saxon times.
Thanks

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Mike, I've no idea what their maintenance budget may be - I presume they have more than that single tractor!  They have had expensive problems with coastal erosion.  Green fee will be around £50.  Your implication is that the design underachieves for the potential of the site.  I think you are right - though it is very popular with visitors and gets a certain amount of R&A work as well as plenty of county-level competition.  I rather fancy that the design grew like Topsy through the years, probably with little input from named architects (apart from Donald Steel whose job was specifically to build new 17th and 18th holes, as I understand it).  The current committee system of management of most golf club golf courses in the UK would never have the means or mechanism to do anything drastic in the way of rebuilding.

[Paul_Turner]

Mark

Caldy does look to have plenty of natural appeal.  The 3rd!

I need to get to know the inland courses of that Cheshire area, how would you rank Sandiway, Delamere, Prestbury?

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Paul,

I'd rank those three pretty equally as they each have interesting topography with designs which make the most of their natural resources.  Sandiway is the hardest on which to play to your handicap and it has a number of very demanding tee shots with the 10th, 12th and 14th among the best inland long two-shotters I know.  Delamere is romantic, hidden away far out of sight of everyday life (although the clubhouse is next to a working quarry).   The start there is tough - a series of long two-shotters with a long par-3 in between.  Prestbury has the hilliest site and there are some great hill-top green positions - it's the best test of approach work in this part of the country.  It was first built without bunkers and without specially constructed greens.  I don't know whether Colt himself returned to build the greens and bunkers or whether he sent someone else, but whoever it was did a splendid job.

The course that makes even more demands on approach work is over the hills in the Peak District, Cavendish at Buxton.  Amazing greens!