[Andrew Cunningham]

Last summer I had the pleasure of playing a round at the MPCC Shore course and was partnered with a delightful couple who were members of Royal Guernsey in the Channel Islands.  To be honest I had never heard of the course and thought the Channel Islands were just of the southern coast of England.  As I was told they are in fact just of the northern coast of France.

Has anyone played the course and what were your thoughts?

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Andrew, I'll e-mail you some pictures - I haven't the wherewithall to post pictures any more.

[Andrew Cunningham]

Thanks Mark!

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

MOOOOOO.....It reads like a wonderful place to play.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

The club dates back to 1890 and little is known about the original course.  The second course was laid out by Old Tom Morris in about 1896, occupying much of the land of today's course alongside L'Ancresse Bay.  The course was neglected during the First World War and when they came to resume play they found housing being built over the 15th to 18th holes, so new holes were built on land near Ladies Bay.  Four holes were played across Mont Cuet Road.  Three holes also crossed Jaonneuse Road.  The course was then substantially reconstructed in 1928 and this lasted until the German invasion in 1940 when the course was decimated.  Mackenzie Ross was commissioned to redesign the course after the war and that course came into operation in 1949.  In 1969, the 2nd hole was abandoned (because the course is on common land and the number of visitors walking on the course presented safety issues), a new dog-leg 17th was introduced and alterations made to the 18th.  Only three holes cross roads now and, because the clubhouse was moved the course now finishes with a shortish par 3.  

It is a links course, and perhaps the least celebrated of the Channel Island links (Royal Jersey and La Moye being the others).  I have not been to the islands since 1973 and would very much like to go back.  You share R Guernsey with sheep and the local cattle, rather like Westward Ho!  

[Ed Tilley]

[Bob_Huntley]

I played there a couple of years ago, a journey made not to  to study its architectural merits, but because our wives were interested in viewing the famous tapestries there.

To my surprise it was a delight. I wrote about it in an earlier thread but the Search function seemed unable to locate it.

The Martello Towers, built as a defense against a Napoleonic invasion, add a great deal of interest to any wildly off line shots. They are big buggers and not easy to clear.

Bob

[Mark_Rowlinson]

http://www.royalguernseygolfclub.com/

[Mark_Rowlinson]

The Golf Manager, Bobby Eggo, was a Walker Cup golfer in 1987 and came second in the English Amateur in 1987 and 1989.  He won the English Open Amateur Stroke Play (Brabazon Trophy) in 1988.

[Marc Haring]

Andrew

here is a link to a Royal Guernsey discussion. I don't know if it is the one that Bob is referring to.

You need to think outside the box with that search engine. The only reason I remember the discussion was because I was researching rocks in GCA and typed in the word rocks and up came Royal Guernsey along with a ton of other stuff.


http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=16941;start=msg296398#msg296398
 

[Bob_Huntley]

Marc,

Now how on earth did you do that?

Bob

[Keith Durrant]

Ed, well done finding that aerial.

Mark, where did you source this info from?

"The club dates back to 1890 and little is known about the original course.  The second course was laid out by Old Tom Morris in about 1896, occupying much of the land of today's course alongside L'Ancresse Bay.  The course was neglected during the First World War and when they came to resume play they found housing being built over the 15th to 18th holes, so new holes were built on land near Ladies Bay.  Four holes were played across Mont Cuet Road.  Three holes also crossed Jaonneuse Road.  The course was then substantially reconstructed in 1928 and this lasted until the German invasion in 1940 when the course was decimated.  Mackenzie Ross was commissioned to redesign the course after the war and that course came into operation in 1949.  In 1969, the 2nd hole was abandoned (because the course is on common land and the number of visitors walking on the course presented safety issues), a new dog-leg 17th was introduced and alterations made to the 18th.  Only three holes cross roads now and, because the clubhouse was moved the course now finishes with a shortish par 3."

Unless I'm losing my memory, only 1 hole used to play across the roads!

It would be interesting to see what the original 2nd hole was - it seems clear to me, looking at the aerial and course plan that the old 18th would have played up to the clubhouse along the coast (before a new 17th and 18th par 3 were added).

The course has many classic punchbowl and upturned saucer greens.

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()