Huntercombe appoints Lobb & Partners

[John Mayhugh]

Saw this release on twitter.
http://www.lobbandpartners.com/news/2017/06/historic-huntercombe-golf-club-appoints-lobb-partners-as-consulting-golf-course-architect-may17/

I do hope "reviewing the landscape philosophy" is a nice way of saying thinning out the trees/undergrowth and opening things up further.  There are probably some great design features hidden by growth over the years.

Huntercombe is already wonderful, but could be even better.  Just one more example of the variety that England has to offer a visitor.

http://golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/england/huntercombe-golf-club/
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,32228.0.html

[Richard Fisher]

Funnily enough, this is news to we members of the 'Combe (unless I have missed something - always possible), but thanks very much anyway! There has been a great deal of clearance in recent years, but evidently a lot more still to do.

[Richard Fisher]

This (very nice) video of the work that Tim Lobb and team have been doing at the 'Combe has just been posted. Gives a very nice overall sense of the whole, for those GCAers who have not yet had the pleasure...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2OgFpf9BEg

[Conley Hurst]

Thanks for posting, Richard. Looks like Lobb's work has been modest and tasteful. Fitting for a place like Huntercombe!

[Thomas Dai]

“Phew” some might say, “not M&E again”.
Atb

[Ben Stephens]

I know Tim through EIGCA as he is the current vice president and set up a wonderful zoom clubhouse webinar sessions for EIGCA members which a lot of us have benefited from. He is one of those nice guys and has lost a lot of weight during the lockdown and has just done a marathon in 3 hr 30 raising over £2000 for the Stroke Association. He is a big fan of Peter Thomson who he used to work with and I love hearing his stories about Peter.


Not only Tim has worked at Huntercombe he has also worked recently at The Berkshire, St Georges Hill, the Three W's West Hill, Worplesdon and Woking.

[Ulrich Mayring]

These new pots aren't edgy enough compared to the old ones. Of course the video may deceive, but to me they look more like bunkers waiting to be filled with sand. They are too soft in their contouring. Maybe that will change with grow-in.

[Jon Wiggett]

I think the new work has been done well but I have to agree with Ulrich's assessment of it. Park's legacy there is all about been right on the edge of extreme and the new stuff looks a bit shy though good. I wonder whether there is some merit in making the style of new work look obviously different to the original as with much building architecture 

[John Mayhugh]

These new pots aren't edgy enough compared to the old ones. Of course the video may deceive, but to me they look more like bunkers waiting to be filled with sand. They are too soft in their contouring. Maybe that will change with grow-in.

Agree that for now they look a bit too refined. My feeling is that time will help change this.

[Sean_A]

That fairway looks quite narrow now.  It looks like with the hollows and OOB, close to 50% (maybe more) of the corridor is now trouble.  Though I expect trees to grow in over time and bury a big chunk of the corridor up the right. 15 years ago there was far more room right than it appeared to be the case. I think the club should seriously consider removing tons of trees up the left.  I think the same for 6th to compensate for dragging the corridor in down the right.  I would also hope the club is considering putting sand back into some of the hollows as was originally the case.


Ciao

[Richard Fisher]

Sean, you'll be pleased to know that a lot has been cleared away on the left-hand-side of the 16th, which has certainly opened up the drive for that general trajectory. And I do agree with you about some of the bunkers (the 1946 aerial shown on GCA is absolutely fascinating, and enticing) although I suspect that amongst the membership as a whole this remains a minority view...