Wiley WHITTINGTON HEATH: Winter Tour 2022-23

[Paul_Turner]

Neil

Yes, the position looks about right.  I guess nobody knows if the green was reshaped for the current hole...unless it's in the club archives.

Would you be able to publish the original hole lengths?

Still hoping the dumb HS2 is kyboshed.

[Adam Lawrence]

The government has just announced the compensation packages for households that will be affected by HS2 (which is, IMO, not 'dumb' but one of the most important infrastructure projects Britain will have undertaken in a century) - I think it is most unlikely to be stopped.

I learned this week that Whittington has apparently hired architect Jonathan Gaunt to advise the club on possible options in the light of HS2.

[Frank Pont]

I learned this week that Whittington has apparently hired architect Jonathan Gaunt to advise the club on possible options in the light of HS2.

I had heard a few months back from the club that they had hired Jonathan Gaunt and Donald Steel

[Adam Lawrence]

That makes sense - Jonathan and Donald have been working together for a while, notably on the renovation of Greensboro CC in North Carolina

[Paul_Turner]

The HS2 is certainly "important" but whether it makes economic sense from a cost benefit point of view is a different matter.

[Sean_A]

Folks

It seems hard to believe that HS2 will split this gem in two  :'( .  I am very impressed by how well WH drains - many far more expensive and famous clubs could learn a thing or two!  Take a look at the updated tour. 


Previous stops on the 2013/14 Winter Tour

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57487.0.html  West Hill

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57396.msg1340334.html#msg1340334  Walton Heath Old

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57349.0.html  Sandy Lodge 

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,26579.0.html Tadmarton Heath

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,51321.0.html Sutton Coldfield

There are no scheduled stops - I am winging it!

Ciao

[Paul Gray]

Fingers crossed that HS2 is abandoned. Twenty years until it opens to passengers. Only in the public sector.....

[Sean_A]

I made it back to Whitty Heath after a long spell away.  The redesign is well underway though it is hard to say how much the course will be architecturally compromised.  Time will tell.  See the significantly updated tour.

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,35648.msg1169721.html#msg1169721

Ciao 

[Thomas Dai]

Nice update of a course I like very much so thank you Sean. There can’t be many courses with more greens where the front edge is higher than the back edge than WHGC. The 10th was a right rascal in this respect.
Whilst the hole numbering is a touch confusing I recognise holes.
Has any of the new bunkering altered the putting surface contouring at all? I recall quite a few shoulders flowing into the greens from the rear of the bunker mounds.
Arb

[Sean_A]

Nice update of a course I like very much so thank you Sean. There can’t be many courses with more greens where the front edge is higher than the back edge than WHGC. The 10th was a right rascal in this respect.
Whilst the hole numbering is a touch confusing I recognise holes.
Has any of the new bunkering altered the putting surface contouring at all? I recall quite a few shoulders flowing into the greens from the rear of the bunker mounds.
Arb

ATB

The holes numbering hasn't altered yet.  I saw several new bits of the coming course, including the new five holes under construction beyond the current 1st green.  The new 9th, which will play to the current 11th green, is going to be very interesting with the two inside fairway bunkers.  This may play right into the hands of long hitters.  Although, I must say the overall increase in yardage will be quite minimal at ~150 for daily tees and ~100 yards for medal tees. Par will go from 70 to 71.   

The club has done quite well in retaining a strong membership with a fairly hefty joining fee given the circumstances it faced five years ago.

Ciao 

[James Boon]

Now that the eastern leg of HS2 has been scrapped, what will Whittington Heath do, which I believe was on that leg of the route?


Will they be able to retain the original course? Is the proposed new routing too far developed that they will have to stick with this? Or is there some hybrid course of however many holes they now have, that they can work with as a new plan?


Cheers,


James

[James Reader]

They’re still building the eastern leg as far as East Midlands Parkway, James.  It looks like that’s following the same route as originally planned, so will still impact on Whittington.

[Adam Lawrence]

Whittington is affected by the phase 1 to Manchester

[James Boon]

I stand corrected, thanks Adam and James! Geography is usually one of my strong points but obviously had an off day. I must get back there to see how things are developing...
Cheers,
James

[Sean_A]

I stand corrected, thanks Adam and James! Geography is usually one of my strong points but obviously had an off day. I must get back there to see how things are developing...
Cheers,
James

The new holes and house are complete, but last I heard they were still using the old version.

Ciao

[Sean_A]

I recently stopped by Whittington Heath. If I am being honest, the new course has turned out better than I expected mostly because the drainage on the new holes is good. I am not convinced much was done to integrate the new holes with the old, but given the treeless landscape of 1-5, maybe that was hoping for too much. In any case, please see the first page for the significantly updated tour.

Previous stops on the 2022-23 Winter Tour

North Berwick
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59363.0.html

Kings Norton
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,71728.0.html

Minch Old
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,48765.msg1100536.html#msg1100536

Welcombe Hotel - no photo tour

Painswick
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,51629.msg1181534.html#msg1181534

Planned Tour Stops

Formby
West Lancs
Wallasey
Southport & Ainsdale
Hillside

Ciao

[Duncan Cheslett]

The last time I played with Jonathan Gaunt at Cavendish he was vociferous in his dislike of the whole concept of internal out of bounds. I was rather surprised to learn therefore, that his brand new design at  Whittington Heath incorporates just such a contrived and ugly feature.


A subsequent addition by the club, perhaps? 🤔

[Sean_A]

The last time I played with Jonathan Gaunt at Cavendish he was vociferous in his dislike of the whole concept of internal out of bounds. I was rather surprised to learn therefore, that his brand new design at  Whittington Heath incorporates just such a contrived and ugly feature.

A subsequent addition by the club, perhaps?

Yes, I think the club decided on the internal OoB because it was a dangerous arrangement. You can see from the above plan made prior to the changes that hitting down the third from the 2nd is on. I  don’t know what the remit was for the job. Whatever the case may be, somebody screwed up and Gaunt's name is signed to the work.

Ciao

[Duncan Cheslett]

Yep,


Internal OOB imposed retrospectively on doglegs spooned together is not unusual on 100 year old courses. 300 yard drives down the “wrong” fairway were understandably not envisioned by the original architect.


On a brand new design?


🤦‍♂️

[Sean_A]

Bumped for Donal. So it was all for nothing 👀.

Ciao

[Mark Pearce]

I played Whittington Heath on Wednesday.  I had played it once before, and long enough ago that it was pre-HS2.  I have to say that the contrast between the new holes and the old is stark and really quite jarring.  The opening 5 new holes aren't bad by any means (although they aren't great, either) but they feel like an entirely different course.  They're big, butch wide open golf holes and nothing like the intimate holes of the original course.  The 8th is a better fit (partly because it has trees but also because it's more "in scale").


I liked the old holes a bit more than I remembered.  For a flat site there's an extraordinary amount of movement in the greens.  The scar through the course of the HS2 works (and there's a long, long way to go before that work is complete) is noticeable on a couple of holes but really isn't as bad as I had expected.

[Ben Stephens]

CDP are now the consulting architects for Whittington Heath


https://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/content/whittington-heath-appoints-cdp-as-consulting-architects


will be interesting to see what they come up with

[Ben Stephens]

One wonders whether it would be a good BUDA at Beau Desert and Whittington Heath with Sutton Coldfield as a third course