Cecil Hutchinson

[Tom MacWood (Guest)]

One of the more obscure and little known golf architects, but C.K Hutchinson's list of accomplishments looks impressive. Assisted Braid on the Gleneagles courses, designed Pitlochry, collaborated on Woodhall Spa, West Sussex, Seacroft and Ashridge, redesigned Brancaster, and brought Turnbery down to the sea before the War - but other than these works I know very little known about the man. Does anyone - maybe in the UK - know anything about him or maybe some of these courses or other designs?

[Ran Morrissett]

Echoing Tom's questions, how did he and Campbell and Hotchkin work together? Who had what strengths/talents?

Campbell did plenty of (excellent) writing for the group; did Hutchison ever pen much? I don't recall having seen it - and I've always thought that a lack of writing is an obvious contributing factor to anonymity - just look at Seth Raynor.  

[Richard_Goodale]

I've played Pitlochry, 2-3 times, and it is a fun course, built on some difficult but spectacular terrain.  Similar to other nearby mountain courses such as Comrie, Crieff and Aberfeldy, each of which have the same design problem of how to get up to the relatively flat and broad high mountain valleys from the base valley floor.  Pitlochry is easily the best of the bunch.  Like the others, it climbs for 2-3 holes, rather steeply, so get fit before you come here.  Once you make it up to the top, however, you get some incredible views (assuming it is not raining!) and some decent golf holes.  Not recommended for the first (or only) power golf Scottish holiday, but very much worth stopping by if you have more time and less macho ambition and just want to spend a pleasant afternoon in a mini-Alps sort of environment.  An added bonus is Edradour distillery, which bills itslef as the "world's smallest" and is friendly and informative.  The malt ranks about the smae as the golf course-not earth shattering, but better than most non-golf/non-drinking alternatives.

[Paul Turner]

I haven’t got any specifics about Hutchison, but I have played several of those that Tom lists.

I’m very fond of Ashridge (Campbell, Hotchkin, Hutchison+ Simpson!); it’s near my hometown and my favourite of the courses just north of London.  Ashridge certainly isn’t in the Woodhall Spa, West Sussex class (Tom Doak’s 6 is about right) but it does have some similarities and I played it a few weeks ago, so it’s fresh in the memory:

The course has an effortless grace and is not too taxing since several of the holes are routed through natural shallow valleys (called “bottoms” locally ), which tend to flatter a player’s driving.    Natural terrain (which is used to the maximum) and bunkers dictate the strategy and you’re always thinking:  read Tom Doak’s description of the WONDERFUL 2nd to get the idea.  

But it’s not just this hole. On the 4th, 5th, 9th 12th,13th,14th.15th 17th and 18th  if you flirt with the fairway bunkers or work the ball off the fairway slopes the approach shot is easier.   So in that respect, it has similarity to West Sussex and W Spa.  

The bunkers are only moderately deep but I really liked their jagged rudimentary look and mossy faces.

As at Woodhall Spa, the greens tend to be fairly flat, apart from the 14th, 17th and 18th which are heavily contoured.  Maybe the best green being the 14th, a great Road Hole style with a REAL road/lane too.  

But I thought that green complexes as a whole were well conceived, with some fine bunker placement and occasionally some lumpy/broken ground for chipping interest.  Including a small crater at the 6th.  

Cool routing too.  The hub of the course is in a bowl with 3 starting points: 1st,10th ,13th .  So there are 3 tees and 3 greens in close proximity, but not a hint of danger.  Taking a good look around at the vista from the 13th tee is inspiring as is the view down to the bowl from the 17th and 18th.

Top notch holes at Ashridge:

2nd(!!!), 4th(!) 5th (similar diagonal cross bunkers to West Sussex 17th)
 9(!!)(brilliant hole with a precarious plateau green), 11th, 12th (beauty),14th,17th
18th (fine downhill to finish)

Plain holes: 3rd,7th,15th,16th
 
The course is well preserved.  The old photos are almost identical to the current.  But unfortunately the new proposed clubhouse will be a right carbuncle; way too much glass that looks like it belongs on a science park.  (The current one is a bit odd but ok; the original burned down ages ago and was a stylish old thatched building.)

There are plenty of heathland courses around London that surpass Ashridge.  But Tom Doak is right on the money when he gives it a Sleepy Beauty Award: more than meets the eye!

(I’d like to try another from Campbell et al, Kington (heathland?) too, just because it’s in a forgotten part of Britain and might be a sleeper.)

[Tom MacWood (Guest)]

Are there similarities between Pitlochry, West Sussex and Ashridge? Pitlochry is a Hutchison solo job, West Sussex is with Campbell, and Ashridge might be with Campbell and Hotchkin, although at some point Hotchkin went out on his own. Anyone familar with Tadmarton Heath, I believe that is another solo Hutchison design?

[Paul Turner]

Tom

I can't pin down an obvious style similarity between Ashridge and West Sussex.  But here are some general similarities:

Other than bunkers, absolutely no earth moved in the fairways.  

Both courses have symmetry with a similar number of left-right shots as right-left.  Campbell's Rye has this too.

Shaping drives will help the player, as will skirting close to fairway bunkers.

A couple of greensites without bunkers on each course.  These holes have either fairly severe greensites (16th West Sussex, although this did have a bunker at one point, 12th Ashridge) or broken ground instead (2nd West Sussex, 13th Ashridge).  Rye has this aspect too at the 4th, 5th and 18th.

An occasional cross bunker collection, set at a diagonal: 14th,17th,18th West Sussex, 5th, 11th Ashridge.

Greens nearly always have some portion that is open to the running shot.