British Courses 10

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Sunningdale Old

Most of you will know more about this course than me, so I'll keep the commentary to the minimum.  Willie Park first laid it out in 1900/1 and Harry Colt redesigned the course in the 1920s.  What Tom Simpson may or may not have done to it subsequently is a matter of debate in another thread.

The photos come from the middle of the round, the problem being that I was invited to play by someone I didn't know.  He was a friend of a friend and I made up their four-ball.  The course was busy and it was difficult to take photos without getting in someone's way.


4th green.  Short hole (161 yards) played from a tee out to the right.  5th fairway beyond.


5th tee looking out on one of the most famous holes on the course (419 yards par 4).


5th fairway.  Right hand bunkers visited by match in front.  Little hope of making green from there over early man0made water hazard.


6th green.  Tough hole in its heyday, 415 yards with fairway interrupted by heather short of green and four bunkers in front of and alongside green.


7th.  Exciting hole for shorter hitters with need for big drive to carry blind hill from tee, before plunging down through mounds and heather to green (402 yards, par 4).


7th.  Getting nearer, showing how easy it is to be cut out on the approach by trees or sand.


7th.  One of the protective bunkers.


7th.  View looking back up fairway.


8th.  I rather liked this 182-yard par 3, with a tee shot over the corner of the hill to a ledge green.  


10th.  The view most frequently seen in the coffee table books.  Our friends in front have again found the sand, this time on the left. Note how close to the trees the tee markers have been set. (478-yard par 5).


11th.  Only 325 yards but still a fine short par 4, with a narrow drive and tricky pitch to the little green.


13th.  185-yard par 3 played from an elevated tee, with everything in view.

[johnk]

Is it just me, or does anyone else look at pix of Sunningdale and think: how soon can I get there!?  It's worse than an addiction, and these pictures don't help...

 Sunningdale fever... catch it.

[Andy Hughes]

Mark, continued thanks for your British Courses series!

[Marc Haring]

Mark.

Thanks so much for the pictures.

They certainly bring back memories for me. I first played the Old back in 1983 when I first started in the golf industry and have been hugely privileged to have played it many times since. It has become a little tricky getting on it these days but I still get to play the New every year or so. The trees have become so widespread that the original strategy has been compromised I think, but they have added a certain serenity to the individual holes.

The 9th hole, the shortish par four of about 300 yards. I remember carrying the score board around in the European Open for a group with Sandy Lyle in it back in the late eighties. They got to that hole and the two that were playing with Sandy struck off first. Jose Rivero was one of them and he hit a three wood laying up short of the bunkers that guard the approach to the green and are about 20 yards short. It was into a strong wind at the time. The next one hit driver again short of those bunkers and about 50 yards from the green. Sandy then set up with his trusty 1 iron, took his usual one look at the target a promptly ripped it over the bunkers and onto the green!!!  

When were these pics taken. I'm guessing, but those mowing patterns look distinctly early 90's?

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Marc,

I think you are spot on with dating the photos - Sherlock Holmes would be proud of you!

Your mentioning of the trees reminds me that Cornish & W say that Colt was one of the first architects to prepare plans for tree planting.  I imagine he was responsible for the trees at Sunningdale.  Is it a bit like being a landscape gardener, in that you plant the trees so that the garden will be perfect in 250 years?

[Marc Haring]

I'm not sure whether Colt was responsible for quite so many trees and whether he had the Repton/Brown selfless long-term vision that the pioneering landscape artists possessed. Was he not still quite critical of the wooded courses?

The main trees found at Sunningdale and as you know, all of the heathland courses, are of course Scots pine and silver birch, which are in such a location, self propagating weeds. He may have been responsible for oaks, rowan, sweet chesnut and the like though.