Sandy Lodge

[Paul_Turner]

I found these interesting old photos in Golf Illustrated (1912): of Sandy Lodge near London:



The course is still there but it doesn't look much like this anymore.  Some of the bunkers are sleepered now.

A "nervous finish" indeed, looks a bit like th old chalk pit at Eastbourne.

Harry Vardon designed the course.

[Tom MacWood (Guest)]

Paul
I'm not able to view the photo. I'm not sure if its my computer or something else.

[Paul Turner]

Tom

Not sure, I can view them OK, can anyone else?  If you get a small box with a red cross, right click on it and then left click "Show Picture", that sometimes works.

Darwin profiles the course in his famous book.

[RT (Guest)]

Paul,

Interesting photos from 1912, esp. the riding reel mower, and for some the hand watering (or "syringing"), and the use of Le Touquet "bents" on the mounds....On the growing list.

RT

[Tom MacWood (Guest)]

Paul
Very cool photos. Interesting names for the holes. It makes me want to go back and re-read Darwin's commentary. Does any of this survive today?

[Paul Turner]

Tom

Actually, I was wrong about Darwin.  There's a painting by Harry Rowntree in Darwin's book but no review!?

The tufted mounds remind me of when I visited Pacific Dunes when it was being built.  The bunkers on the 12th had similar tufts of grass that were growing in.

[Paul_Turner]

Here's the routing, pretty basic, but not surprising really, given the rectangular shape of the property.  Interesting to see the placement of those big sprawling bunkers.



And a close up of one of the bunkers/fake dunes.  Nice and rugged.



Tom

I think the course does still have some big bunkers.  I did find the modern website some time ago, but it appears to be down now.  It showed quite a few big sleepered bunkers, but nothing really like these photos.  I remember a description of the 1st stating that the huge cross bunker had recently been fillled in!  I do think the course does still live up to it's name in beind sandy, and so it probably plays fast.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Sorry for the delay in getting this one online. I had it at home.

Paul, once again, this is specifically the type of content that makes this website so special.



Sandy Lodge is right around the corner from Northwood and undoubtedly one of those that my London cohorts in crime will be visiting--and actually capturing the vision of another nearby hole called Death or Glory

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Looking at that picture of the 18th strikes a shrill up my spine--the fearsome look of the ancient blind shot par 3. In this case it comes at SL's 18th which is even more mind-boggling on a course that has a par of 70. Can you imagine how good of a match play course this could be? (considering all of the trouble one could get himself into)

Yes, 18 does have a resemblence of a mini-Chalk Pit.


Once again, if I could find suitable work would be in England simply because of courses like this and an architecture that is bold beyond belief, I could live there in a heartbeat. Imagine all of those courses--all of that architecture and the wealth of fun knowledge that comes with it!

WOW!

[Joel_Stewart]

The 18th looks amazing but it now appears to be grassed over and devoid of any sand?  Does anyone know anything about the history of the course?

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Joel,
Get out your copies of Bernard Darwin's Golf Courses of the British Isles and Horace Hutchinson's British Golf Links which give a solid view of the course

[Paul Turner]

Tommy

Thanks for the photos.  Looks like the Sandy Lodge bunkers aren't quite what they used to be!  But at least it isn't covered in trees.

I'll have to read the article on the Gutty vs Rubber Core ball at Sandy Lodge, mentioned on the routing plan.  James Braid was one of the contestants.

I'll try and dig up an old photo of "Death or Glory" for you.

[London cohorts]

Keep him high and dry Paul, we're dangling it in the air to get him over.  And we'll stay away from King's Cross too..

[Tommy_Naccarato]

I hope I will never have to ever see King's Cross ever again, and if I do, it will be as a strung out soccer hooligan looking for a way to get green fees for Sunningdale or Rye.

Paul--The quickest way to get me over there is to get that old picture of Death or Glory up as soon as possible so I can be motivated to get a certain UK based ___ over there to restore it! (Hell, he is less then a half hour away from the place!)

Maybe I can get Rachel Ward to consultate?

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Also, If I get into any trouble over there at King's Cross, I know a local barrister who can.........

[TEPaul]

Paul:

Very interesting photos--thanks. I do not know English golf courses but being so close to London Sandy Lodge would be considered part of the the "heathlands", correct?

The reason I ask and the reason those photos particularly are interesting to me is the apparent connection and similarity of the look of some of the bunkering of Coore and Crenshaw's new Hidden Creek!

Coore said mid-construction that they were attempting to create a course that was an American adaptation of the "heathland" look--and when I asked what that look was  or what the adaptation would concentrate on he only said "ridgy" bunkering (on a quite flat site)!

Hidden Creek, like Sandy Lodge is on quite flat terrain and the bunkering (or the surrounds--in Sandy Lodge's case the dunsy looking mounds) sort of pop out of the flat ground and at first blush certainly don't appear to look particularly natural in their formation (in the context of the otherwise very flat land of the natural site)!

I asked Coore about that when they were forming the "ridgy" bunkering at Hidden Creek that appeared to me to be unnaturally "popping out" of an otherwise flat site in New Jersey.

He said yes that was very true and an interesting observation and distinction to otherwise "site natural" golf architecture but in this case (Hidden Creek) they were foregoing what they might normally do to make bunkering look COMPLETELY site natural and pay tribute instead to how the early "heathland" courses were built many decades previous which in the case of early "heathland" bunkering was clearly somewhat of a "cut and pile" operation that was efficient in its proximity!

The best examples at Hidden are the mid-hole bunkers on #13 but particularly the large mounded bunker short right of the green on #2!

But think about it--at Hidden Creek C&C were foregoing what they normally do with almost completely site natural bunkering and going for a tribute to the way things were done many decades before which was somewhat of a rudimentary attempt to mimic the true linksland in the English Heathlands!! This was the early era that many consider the true beginnings of actual man-made golf architecture!

It's a very thoughtful, cool and interesting interpretation on Coore and Crenshaw's part and another example of their penchant to vary what they might normally do for a very interesting reason!

For those seeing Hidden Creek--both those that prefer modern age style courses and those purists that prefer completely "site natural" courses it should be understood what they were attempting to do with their bunkers and why--otherwise both groups might think they did something quite odd.

It isn't--it's very interesting and very good--and the reason they did it that way is even more so!

[mike_beene]

This brings back memories of the first instruction book I had,Practical Golf by John Jacobs.On page 148 Jacobs references how he plays one and fourteen at Sandy Lodge.I believe he taught out of there at one time.Thanks for the information.I always wondered exactly where the course was and what it looked like.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Tom,
If I could be so blunt, Sandy Lodge iwould undoubtedly be a Heath, mind you that it is just North of London.

Wouldn't that be correct barrister? (Jim)