https://golfclubatlas.com/feature-interview/feature-interview-with-alan-oliver/This month's Feature Interview takes us to northwest England for the Club Secretary at Silloth on Solway, Mr. Alan Oliver. In so doing, GolfClubAtlas hopes to achieve one of its primary proposes, which is to direct people to courses that it finds enduring.
Silloth on Solway has been a long-time favorite on GolfClubAtlas. When it slotted in at #86 on the Custodians list, I wrote,
'Some greens are in dells, some on high, some are narrow strips and it all adds up to England's least seen and appreciated gem, located some 20 miles from the border of Scotland.' Therein lies the rub - is Silloth on Solway's remoteness a blessing or a curse? List chasers bemoan the two hour + drive from Lytham but some of us see Silloth's seclusion as a chance to enjoy golf in peace away from the bustle created by tourist buses.
This interview came about when Mike Dutton (Mike, the catalyst for last September's Feature Interview with Robin Down) and his brothers were on one of their customary ‘off the beaten path’ tours. Others including Joe Andriole were here last year as well and they both shared a very warm welcome from Mr. Oliver. In fact, he very kindly played with both groups and sports the sort of game that befits his background as a PGA professional. Joe recalls,
‘It was my third visit to Silloth over a 25-year period and I will return. It screams great old links - humpy dunes land, serendipitous bounces, natural bunkers, quirk and Willie Park greens.’ From Mike’s perspective,
‘For me, the sheer volume of interesting shots presented at Silloth is on par with St. Enodoc, fondly remembered holes register at 14 and for travel time investment I’m returning to Silloth before Machrihanish.’
Above is the short, one shot 9th, a hole that deserves to be much better known.These days, what constitutes a 'hidden gem' is getting murkier. Some far-flung venues are more hidden than gem-ish
, sport a paucity of interesting architectural features, and lack sufficient problems to solve. Silloth on Solway is emphatically not of that variety and contains at least three holes - 4, 9 and 13 - that any links would kill for. There are no dull moments but plenty of highs, which Mr. Oliver ticks through. Silloth stirs devotion like Cruden Bay and Machrihanish. All three are on distinctive parcels of links land but it's the man-made finishing touches, especially at the green complexes, that exalts all three.
Herbert Warren Wind didn't play here and use his stirring prose to lure legions as he did decades ago at Ballybunion and Dornoch but the word is getting out that this is a special place. Silloth on Solway feels like a mystical century old course because ……. it is! If you aren't careful, it might become your favorite course on that next trip.
Best,