Denham GC-Colt Hidden Gem

[Paul_Turner]

A charming, old fashioned course with good variety of holes.

Early in Colt's career-1910.  Probably one of the earliest courses in 2 loops of 9?


Here the bunkers have kept their ruggedness.  


Cross bunkers at tough par 4, 4th.  As on most Colt courses the bunkers are now much sharper and cleaner than as built.  But they are the right general shape and in the right place.


Green on par 3 5th.  Beautifully contoured one, slight false front.  Filled bunker in foreground.


7th approach.


Diagonal line of bunkers on par 3, 8th.  Colt used this style on some courses...see the 4th at Swinley.  More effective with the low flight trajectory of yesteryear (but still effective for shorter hitters today).


Side on of 9th.


Steep!  Dropping approach at 11th.


Looking back.


Denham's "signature" par 3, 12th.


Beautiful green at par 3 16th.  A classic Colt look.


Fine 17th.


As it was before.  Notice (un)filled bunker.


Historic classic old English clubhouse.  One of my faves from the outside (didn't go in it).

[Paul_Turner]

PS

As far as I'm aware, this club is the only one in the world that has a train station named after it: "Denham Golf Club" station is on the Marylebone line into London, as is another Colt gem Beaconsfield (posted some pics of this course last year).

We need some more golf/rail book.  Darwin's are brilliant (LNI is the best), but even he didn't cover all the options.

[Bill_McBride]

"LNI?"

Paul, are you coming to Painswick?  Hope so.......

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Nice pictures, as always, Paul.  I agree with Paul that it's a gem and the remarkable thing is that it is so close to central London, lying as it does within the M25.  Also from that railway line you catch glimpses of The Buckinghamshire which is a modern course by John Jacobs.  I have to say I rather liked it on my one visit.  Yes, there are the almost obligatory lake holes, but there are some fine, open holes without trees simply using the lie of the land and (mostly) natural-looking contouring to create the strategy.  For the record, you also pass Ruislip Municipal Golf Course on the Marylebone line, but I know no more about it than that which I've seen from the train.

It's sad that the little steam train no longer puffs its way from Leuchars Junction to St Andrews but there are still preserved steam trains operating in north Norfolk beside that fine seaside course at Sheringham.  It's quite a vintage course and the nature of the railway somehow reinforces that atmosphere.

[T_MacWood]

Paul
A fine report as usually. There looks to be an excellent set of par-3's -- the 12th in particular looks very interesting (nice house peeking through the woods). Is that a cart path?

Why do think many of these courses are so well preserved...at least in comparison to American courses of the same era?

[Marc Haring]

These pictures bring back memories. Used to play Denham quite a bit in the 80’s. I’m not too sure if the course has been that well preserved in fact it has “evolved” a bit over the years. The planting adjacent to the 17th green surrounding the next tee is a case in point. Don’t know if Colt would have approved of a laurel hedge no doubt planted for health and safety reasons. The bunker left side of 17th green has clearly come in for a service recently with the new sand and apparent turfing around it, yet seems even more clean cut than those of the other side. Perhaps an opportunity has been lost? I seem to remember being informed of many bunkers being filled over the years at Denham, including about 20 on one hole (13th). So maybe the primary influence on preservation and indeed evolution in this country has been money.

The Buckinghamshire is indeed a superb layout, designed I believe by David Pottage but with the John Jacobs label attached. He was also responsible for the Edinburgh at Wentworth, one of my personal favourites.

[Jonathan Davison]

Is Colt the premier golf architect of all time?
Every golf course I see by Colt looks fantastic. Give me more Colt any day

[Paul_Turner]

I think Denham is very well preserved, particularly for a course that's nearly 100 years old.  I saw only a few filled bunkers (5th, 6th, 10th, 17th).  Apart from on the 13th which MH mentions:  here there are is a whole group that were filled-they shielded the 16th green and have been replaced with trees.   The hole still has a whole slew of bunkers and I don't think the filled bunkers are a great loss.

Tom

No it's not a cart path.  It's a maintenance road.

Bill

I'll be at Painswick.

[Bob_Huntley]

Paul,

When I click on the small icons, I get no picture, What am I doing wrong?

Bob

[Paul_Turner]

Bob

If you get a red cross, try a right click and then left click on "show picture".  If that doesn't work, maybe just try refreshing the page a few times.

Paul

[Marc Haring]

Here’s a picture of #6 at Camberley Heath, another Colt creation. The picture is a bit vague but I like the bunker rebuilding they’ve carried out here using the heather faces.

 

The clubhouse at Denham is superb. I’m no expert in architecture but presumably an arts and craft design of the time. Inside is just as impressive with a carvery to match if my memory serves me correctly.

The houses around Denham are equally impressive. With its proximity to London and Pinewood studios just up the road, it was a favourite location of the stars.  

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Clubhouse constructed around an old tithe barn - see history on website:

http://www.denhamgolfclub.co.uk/index.htm

[Paul_Turner]

MH

Nice pic of the 6th at Camberley.  I like the bunker renovation there and the heather looks to have grown in nicely.  Not so keen on the 18th greenside work, to many bunkers added-it's not in keeping with the rest of the course.  The sooner they fill in that horrible pond on the 16th the better.  Truly one of the worst features added to a Colt course...with a stork on a rock too!

Would love to see some more pics of CH pbtjab@aol.com

Thanks

[RJ_Daley]

Paul or MH, what is the prevaling attitude of typical club members there towards faithful bunker restoration VS remodelling to the most economical and maintainable style.  Unquestionably this golf course looks like a delightful place to play.  The positioning of the bunkers and relation to green surrounds and contour are full of excitement.  But, it is evident that a mish mash of bunker renovations has left the course with at least three distinctly different styles and maintenance meld.  

The black and white picture bunker styles almost looks like something Gil Hanse and company were born to restore/design.  

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Paul - Camberley.  I agree entirely about the dreadful pond at the 16th.  My old plan of the course suggests that this was once a vast expanse of sand, not water.  Could that be right?  What have they done to the 18th?  When I was there (1999) there was only one bunker to the right front of an extremely wide, but very shallow green at the top of a steep rise.  I'm afraid the proximity of housing, roads, out-of-bounds fences and even a tunnel between the 3rd and 4th spoiled it for me.  I visited it just after I'd been to Royal Ashdown and West Sussex and I suppose I was disappointed by its urban surroundings and general constriction in comparison with those wonderfully wide-open places.  With only 3 par 4s in excess of 400 yards I presume the course is not long enough for today's giants.  But it is very narrow in parts and I don't expect many GCAers would be raving over its strategic options - there aren't any on most holes.  The 4th green had been newly re-designed and re-laid when I was there and was not in play.

[Marc Haring]

Sorry Mark and Paul, I only have this pic of a Colt restoration on the 4th at Camberley. Somewhat lacking in heather I'm afraid and perhaps they've been a trifle over zealous with the flymow. Donald Steele designed the green along with this bunker.

Camberley has seen so many changes over the years nearly all of the negative variety. The old arts and crafts clubhouse was ripped down in the late 80's and replaced with something that looks quite like a prison of war camp complete with watchtower. That pond on 16 replaced a narrowing of the fairway with some gorse and heather pinching in on both sides and a depression but never sandy waste. It was a very good hole in those days; real risk and reward stuff but now sadly an obligatory lay-up.
Originally the course covered an area of about 240 acres but with successive committees selling off bits and pieces here and there it has gradually become more and more cramped and is now down to 140 acres. Then there was the inevitable beatification scheme instigated by our Japanese friends who have recently sold it.
Rumour had it that the amazingly contoured 2nd green was the only true original Colt one on the course. Dodgy contractors did a rush job on the others in his absence.
There are still a few good holes where there is still a bit of space (3rd, 5th, 6th, 17th) but if ever a course needed a grade 1 listing, this was it.

[Lynn_Shackelford]

Paul, great pictures as always.

Maintenance road or cart paths, they do detract a bit from the setting.
It seems that bunkers evolve more slowly in England.  I don't see a big sand build up from years of golfers blasting away.  For example at my little par 3 nine holer, they change annually.  50,000 rounds may have something to do with it.
I to would be interested in anyone doing any Colt restoration work.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

MH - Thanks for the info.  It sort of confirms some of my unease when it is compared with swinley or St george's Hill locally.  I believe Camberley was the most expensive course in the world when first constructed.

[Paul_Turner]

Mark

I'll dig out the pics I have of CHGC.  I have some old ones for comparison.

[Marc Haring]

Lynn

The best example of Colt restoration work I can think of is Stoke Park, a grandiose parkland course located not far from Denham. The excellent course manager Alec, Millar did a great deal of research into the original  bunkering and also instigated a massive tree removal programme. Donald Steele once again was the architect involved.

Mark

Yes Camberley was at the time the most expensive course ever built. They do have an excellent course manager at present hence the bunker renovation work but the club has been grossly mismanaged for so many years. I could go into a great deal of detail but perhaps best if I didn’t.

Below is that clubhouse, from the website.

[Jon Spaulding]

Bump. Paul, anyway to updates the links on the photos?

[Mark Pearce]

A link from before my time but a course I played a few times when I lived in Buckinghamshire.  There's a strong Scots connection at Denham and it's a nice club.  It's also the scene of my only holed full iron shot, sadly on the 17th which is a blind green from the fairway since it's a drive into a dip and then an iron back up.  I remember Denis Compton holding forth in the bar after that round and believe he was a member.  I'd love to see the photos if they can be linked to.

Would any of the London crowd fancy a get together at Denham this summer?

[Philip Gawith]

Mark, a get together there would be fun - as ever, as much/more for the people than the golf. I  have played quite a few rounds there in recent years so it is not especially exotic, but it is a good course and a strong club.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

I think it is like so many of the second tier of British golf, nothing earth shattering, but jolly good. We are so lucky to have so many courses at this level.

[Mark Chaplin]

Denham maybe a "second" tier course but it's very much a "first" tier club. Just note who is this years captain of the R&A