Swinley Forest GC: Getting Reaquainted With An Old Friend

[Sean_A]

Tony Muldoon kindly invited me to play a www.foretour.co.uk event yesterday.  He organized very acceptable weather and a lovely venue - Swinley Forest.  I was surprised at how little I remembered of the course from my single round there maybe 12-15 years ago.  I can assure you this is solely my fault as the course is memorable.  

A few things have changed.  The clubhouse and locker room are smartened up.  There are more than a few new bunkers and I don't recall the pond on #5.  What hasn't changed are the confoundingly subtle greens and superb set of one shotters.  The par 3s are incredible especially given the fact that I hit four 7 woods and an 8 iron into the five holes.  Some may think this a bit dull, but that would be far from the truth.  Excepting the par 3s my favourite holes are 12, 15 & 18.

The course starts off pleasantly with 3 holes that should bag some points for the competent player.  Though the drive on the second can raise an eyebrow.


Things kick on a bit with the par 3 4th - 187 yards slightly uphill.


A deserving penalty for a weak effort


After the very birdeable par 5 fifth things get considerably tougher.  Holes 6 & 7 are stern two shotters.  The photo below illustrates the uphill nature of both holes.


The 146 yard 8th is the easiest par three on the course, but par is not a given.


The front nine ends with a lovely downhill/uphill big left bending par 4.  One of the toughest two shotters on the course.  A stern 205 yard par 3 begins what is a magical nine holes.  The 10th is pictured below.


The 11th is a blind drive "breather".  


The 12th is a cracking double dogleg 455 yard monster par 4, certainly one of the best holes on the course.  


From behind the bunker which awaits the greedy player from the tee.


Straight to yet another par 3.  The 13th is only 174 and a bit downhill, but it played much longer into a chilly breeze.


The 14th offers some respite, but bogeys must still be quite common on this short two shotter.  The 15th is most uncommon in that it would play well as a par 4 from the forward tee and as a par 5 from the back tee.  The hole is only 493, but it is a great 3 shotter.  This shot is from about 270 off the back tee.


Moving further up the hill.


Still further up the hill.


The 16th is a tough par 4 with a two tier green.


The 17th, another difficult par 3, 170 yards slightly uphill.


And finally, a wonderful closing hole which proved to be very difficult facing a headwind.  That little bunker center-left may be my favourite on the course.  It pushes drives out right and then forces players to take on the deep greenside bunker.




Some further thoughts:

1.Swinley plays much longer than the listed 6062 yards from the BACK tee.  There are several uphill approaches which effectively add a club or two to the approach or tee shot.  Mainly because of this "extra" distance Swinley doesn't play as easy as some authors claim.  

2.Often short courses have a very crowded feeling, but Swinley feels much larger because it is cut through a forest and there is a load of land encircled by the course.  However, there are still plenty of opportunities to meet your mates on the way round.  Quite an ingenious routing.  

3.The bunkering is not at all uniform.  Some bunkers are fluffly and others are bare and hard.  Fairways are sometimes spotty, but never poor.  The club strikes a commendable balance between playability and over-maintaining.  Swinley is particularly charming in this respect.

4.While there are trees everywhere and I noted some I would like to see removed, never do they unduly effect play.  I find Swinley to be quite the exception for heathland courses in this regard.

I have played better courses than Swinley, but with very few exceptions, I would prefer membership at Swinley.  If you are in the area and want a game, by all means give Swinley a shout.  I don't think its the best of what London has too offer, but the management of the course and atmosphere of the club make Swinley special.  

PS  For anyone looking to play competitions on great courses I can highly reco Fore Tour.  This event was impeccably organized and run.  Check out the website for details.


Ciao

Sean

[Tommy_Naccarato]

'And England's Pleasant Pastural (Heathland) Scene.......'

Great stuff to keep my mind thinking of golf and not work the rest of the day. Thanks. My bosses will duly note this!

[Chris Kane]

Thanks for the great photos Sean - it confirms that Swinley is right at the top of my wish-list in England.

[Bill_McBride]

Sean, what is that paved road running through the first bunch of photos?  A cart path?  

[RT]

Bill,

The golf paths are not paved, they are gravel based.  There is a paved road that go across the course in front of clubhouse putting green.

Can also give my kudos to what Sean has written about Swinley.  And 8 is no push over when pin is back right!

[Evan Fleisher]

Sean,

Great pictures...thanks for sharing!

I particularly like the second picture of the par-3 4th...the look of those trees behind the green is really cool, and you can definitely see the direction of the prevailing winds from the trunk growth!

I've never played Swinley (only been to Scotland), but looks like one of those "must see" type courses in the area.

[Sean Leary]

Based on those pictures, the look reminds me a little of Bandon Trails..

[Evan Fleisher]

Based on those pictures, the look reminds me a little of Bandon Trails..

If so, then I'm REALLY getting excited, as I'll be touring BT in July...cool!!!!!!!!  

[Tom Huckaby]

Huh.  Sean's right - Bandon Trails does have a similar look to Swinley.  I never would have thought of that until he said that tough... great call, Sean.

And yes Evan ye best be getting excited.

 

[PThomas]

scruffy and brown colors..the opposite of Augusta - very cool!

the last 2 pics remind me of Hidden Creek a bit

thanks for posting!

[Jim Nugent]

Great pictures, Sean.  Is there room to stretch out the course, if the club wanted to?  And would you recommend doing that, or not, to bring the course up to speed with modern technology?

[Sean_A]

Jim

There is room to push many tees back:#s 3, 5, 6, 11, 14, 15, 16 & 18.  In fact, I am wondering if the back tee for #15 was there years ago.  I don't recall it and it is the only tee that could be considered slightly odd after leaving the previous green.  I don't think it would take a lot of yards to make the course very much tougher.  

I wouldn't be in favour of adding a single yard.  In fact, I would shorten the course by 50 yards (or a bit more-maybe by 63 yards and the total yardage would 5999 with a par of 68) and call #5 a par 4.  It would also bring the new pond into play for many off the tee.  

Remember, the club doesn't need to come up to speed as there are few competitions.  In fact, there was a match on the course yesterday.  These chaps were still playing a 2004 Knockout match!  It is mainly a gentlemen's club.  I think the understanding is that if people want serious competition and/or challenge then they should seek a second membership elswhere.  

Ciao

Sean

[Pete Lavallee]

Great photos Sean. Does the Club provide a scorecard with yardage and stroke allotments for the holes? Is there an SSS for Swinley Forest? I recall reading that for many years there was none of this provided.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Dear Sean,

Looking at the first few pictures, I could have sworn you'd made a mistake and posted pictures of St. George's Hill.

In playing the course, were you strongly reminded of other (Colt) courses, or was the feeling more sui generis?

Mark

[Sean_A]

Pete

Yes, the club provides a score card.  Par, yardage, stroke indexes and standard scratch are indicated on the card.  The proshop didn't sell much.  A few shirts and sticks.  

Mark

I am no expert on Colt.  I have played many courses that he was involved with, but I have never felt that I could identify  Colt characteristics per say.  There may be one exception to this ignorance.  I am starting to realize that Colt was very adept at routing uphill holes with a knoll to knoll effect.  One has the impression of driving downhill, but the overall tendency of the hole is uphill.  I think he was willing to build tees or greens to create this "illusion".  

There is no question that nearby Colt courses such as Sunningdale and St. Georges Hill come to mind while playing Swinley.  There are even a few holes which reminded me of Woodhall Spa.  So from an layman's point of view such as mine, I can detect no discernible difference in style between the above named courses. I think all the London courses would have made sense as a collection even more so in the old days.  


Ciao

Sean

[Paul_Turner]

Nice one Sean. HC's favourite creation.

Your pics came out nicely.  Particularly of the 12th.  The course still looks great and yes you're right the greens are a fine set.  

The greenkeeper has added even more bunkers to the 18th it seems.  You can see the difference in quality of build.

Are those on the left of 16th green new too?  I can't remember if they were there or not...they don't look right to me (titty bumps).

[Tony_Muldoon]

Hey I'm not that old...

Great report Sean, I'm pleased you enjoyed yourself.  As the day wears on I'm more and more impressed by the whole Swinley experience.

I'll respond more tommorrow with some photo's.

We played off the blue tees and with a par of 69 the SSS is listed as 70.


PS Sean hits a mean ball.  The little white thing in the right centre of the 18th fairway was the longest drive marker.  Into a 2 club cold wind Sean moved it a further 15 yards up and into a better positon to the left.  

[Sean_A]

Paul

I don't know exactly which bunkers are new or not.  I thought it seemed like there may be as many as 12-15 new bunkers since my last visit.  You are right, many bunkers such as the ones you pointed out on 16 and 18 are smaller, shallower and with less lip shape than others.  I think I said before that Swinley has a real mixed bag of bunkers.  Though I like the titty bump on 18 because of its centerline position.    

I found one bunker particularly odd.  It is directly behind the 2nd green and blind from the fairway.  Not sure why it is there as the heather protects from the overly aggressive shot to a back pin.

I also had forgotten about all the ditches running through the heather.  They are everywhere!  One thing I certainly didn't forget are the heather cops dotted around the course.  I don't like the look of these things at all.  They are right up there with love grass in bunkers, but they sure do cause havoc with recovery shots.

Tony

Please do post some photos and tell us your thoughts.  I know you can't wait to expound on the 7th!

Ciao

Sean

[Paul_Turner]

Sean

I think all the fairway bunkers on 18 have been added in recent years.  Those mounds just to the left of the 17th green are new too but again they don't look nearly as well shaped as the original mounds at Swinley (5th...14th).

That bunker behind 2 has always been there, I've seen an old pic with it in.  Not sure if the heather was as thick then?   I quite like a bunker beyond the green when the green slopes away, it's an unusual tactic that isn't used much anymore.

Wentworth has a few heather cops too.

Yes more pics would be great.  I really want to see the approach to the 6th as I remember it being an intriguing ground shot.

   

[Doug Braunsdorf]

Sean-

  Thanks for the pictures.  This looks like a wonderful place for a game--I can really see how courses like this influenced Hidden Creek.  

  What kind of plant is that in the pictures, that of the peculiar purplish color?  It looks like hell if you hit into it--does this change color throughout the year?  

[Marc Haring]

Douglas.

That would be heather and it will turn purple/mauve/lilac in August.

The Superintendent, Lawson Bingham has added much heather to the bunkers over the years and I agree with Paul, I'm sure all the fairway bunkering on 18 is new.

Thanks for the report and the pictures Sean. I haven't played it for about 5 years now but used to play it quite regularly when working in the area. No question, it's a cracker.

If ever there was a course to be played with Wilson Sam Snead Blue Ridge irons and a small size dunlop 65 balata, this is it.

[Sean_A]

Sean

I think all the fairway bunkers on 18 have been added in recent years.  Those mounds just to the left of the 17th green are new too but again they don't look nearly as well shaped as the original mounds at Swinley (5th...14th).

That bunker behind 2 has always been there, I've seen an old pic with it in.  Not sure if the heather was as thick then?   I quite like a bunker beyond the green when the green slopes away, it's an unusual tactic that isn't used much anymore.

Wentworth has a few heather cops too.

Yes more pics would be great.  I really want to see the approach to the 6th as I remember it being an intriguing ground shot.

   

Paul

I too generally like hidden bunkers beyond greens, but in this case I think a bunker shot would be easier than playing from the heather.  Mind you, there are more than a few bunkers about which save the player from a much more difficult position in the heather.  

If the bunker behind #2 has always been there perhaps many more of the shallow "featureless" bunkers were scattered about as well.  Perhaps the new bunkers are not so out of line with the olduns.  Maybe they need a few decades to blend in.  I spose it depends on how vigorously they are maintained.  I

#6 is interesting because it is offers a gap between the two bunkers which may invite the ground game.  However, there are three factors which play against the GG.  

1. The hole is slightly uphill so the green will hold better than it appears.
2. There is a ridge running between the front bunkers which kills GG approaches.
3. The turf on this hole is slightly heavier than on much of the course.

Doug

You are taking the piss - right?

Ciao

Sean

[Tony_Muldoon]

There’s nothing I can add to all the plaudits this course has received over the years except to reinforce a few key points.

-Mainly THIS IS NOT A SHORT COURSE.   Although I wasn’t spanking my driver I’ve never hit so many 7w and 5i’s on any course I’ve played.

The flow of holes is marvellous hole to hole.  With only 2 walks of more than 25 yards this increases the intensity of the experience.


We started on 10 and the first few holes really did remind me of Woodhall. The carries over the heather, and the ways in which the bunkers are raised to catch your eye with the safe fairway to one side of them and the treacherous heather on the other, made you really think about how you were going to negotiate your way down those holes.

10


11


12


And by the time you reached the 12th green you realise the fairways and greens work as a pair, with the magnificence of the greens topping the fairways (not something you’d necessarily think about Woodhall)

12th green – it flows down from left to right but in many folds, the shaping seems almost liquid.


Also the course contains just the right amount of blindness.  Sean’s already posted the blind drive on 2, but many of the approach shots don’t let you get a good look at the greens.  I suspect that even when you know the course well you can never quite sure where the pins are and how your ball will finish when it lands.  Here is Sean playing into the 14th.



The clubhouse with 1 & 2 in front of it does have a touch of St Georges Hill about it. But as a course St Georges seems much wider with more space off the tee.  The railway down the left of the first makes the course at this point resemble Woking  In fact the green resemblance to the variety of Woking was the best comparison I could make.

I’ve already stated on GCA how much I love Heather as an obstacle. On one hole Sean landed in the stuff only to find his ball was suspended 2” off the ground- an impossible shot.  Other times you get lucky and it will sit down but give you a good chance of getting the full club head on it. (Also you can nearly always find the ball quickly in it- a decided advantage).  This is my lie on 2 it should have been a simple 135 yards in but there was a single strand of heather behind the ball.  Stupidly I didn’t take my punishment and I can now report there’s a stream to the left of that green.


Did I mention Sean is long? This it’s the third about 285 on the day.  He also plays for fun and decided to see if he could drive it. Right bunker am, left bunker pm.



It has a simple green tilts right to left. Impossible to get it near the pin that day.



The fourth shows me how good you would have to be. Into the wind I’m delighted to say I hit the green both times with my trusty rescue club. First time it rolled to the back left and second it continued over a ‘narsty’ little ridge at the back of the green. Despite my chip being as good as I imagined it I was still 20’ from the hole.  So how do you hit a ball 184 yards with a soft landing?



5 & 6 unfortunately I didn’t take and pictures of the green on 6.  Its 424 yards up hill and the big bunker is about 35 yards short of the green. The approach is blind and the green is so simple.  It’s like a pimple on top of the hill.  With nothing behind it you can only see the top of the extended flag pole and to add interest there’s a tiny, but deep bunker tight front right.  The green falls away in all directions (but not uniform falls - that would be too simple) and I don’t think you can realistically expect to hit it in two.  So once again can you get up and down?


9th This hole has such a beautiful sweep about it. Lovely


The prevailing wind on Tuesday was a cold North Easterly i.e. 180 degrees from the normal direction.  However there’s so much about this course that even on a still day you could never tire of going back.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Sean I beleive I'm confusing 6&7?  The hole that sticks in my memory is the one I describe above.

Have you ever seen a course with more Heather? I think it's in play on every hole except the 1st.  They also appear to be adding a few gorse plants behind the green on 14.

The only other Colt courses I've played are St George's Hill, Thorndon Park and Rosses Point. But I would observe that
- he's not afraid to use hazards that run directly accross the fairway, sometimes on a diagonal.
- apart from 8 on SGH, he prefers small to medium bunkers that  grab the eye.
- he likes to set greens jutting out at you from rising ground that are real targets with the ground around them falling away.
- tremendous variety in the routing.


Finally it's something I've wondered before. Those greens had all kinds of subtle movement in them. How much of it is due to settlement or did he really design them just as they are today? Can we ever know?

[Sean_A]

Tony

I wasn't going to mention it, but yes, you speak of #7 with a photo of #6.

From my experience of Colt all of his courses tend to have subtle greens with a few whammies tossed in for good measure.  Much of the time Colt uses the surrounding land to create movement and it can be surprising how unsubtle his subtle greens can be!  Perhaps it is all due to settlement, but I doubt it.  

Off the top of my head I can't think of a course with more heather.  However, I think more heathland courses will get more heathery in the future.  Notts has started a trend which I think many will follow.  Woodhall has started to widen (including clearing undergrowth/shrubs) fairway corridors in the hope that more heather will grow.  

Ciao

Sean