Hi,
I'm not sure if I should comment on this thread or not due to my obvious vested interests and bias...
I guess I have decided to make a couple of comments... so I hope they are received warmly.
The course sits on the north side of the River Tyne and the holes sit over three tiers. The first hole is at the bottom, and the course plays up the slopes, with the highest green being the 11th. The course when plays back down the slopes and the 18th is parallel to the 1st hole.
I consider only three holes to be 'uphill' – the 2nd, 5th and 10th, the rest negotiate the slopes. I heard Wayne Riley describe the course on the TV today as being like a Wedding Cake made of three layers – and while I hadn't considered that analogy, I can see what he's saying...and like the visual.
The 18 holes are set in three areas. Holes 1,2,3,4, 16, 17, 18 are in one area, holes 5-9, in another and 10-15 in another. While the three areas are intersected by the access driveway to the clubhouse, and the practice facility, there is a hub around greens 4,9 and 15 and this is fun for members who wish to say hi to friends or reduce the round to less than 18 holes.
The routing is very unusual in that each fairway turns 90 degrees or more from the previous hole, and each fairway is a different width and elevation from the previous one. e.g. 1st hole: Plays west, medium width fairway, level hole. 2nd hole: plays North, wide fairway, uphill. 3rd hole; plays east, narrow fairway, slightly downhill. I can't think of another course that features this constant changing (but I'm sure some must??). Certainly, because of this, every hole feels and plays very different from the previous.
The changing directions of the hole also means players must constantly recalibrate the wind direction. Also adjust to the wind strength due to the exposure higher up the course, or when playing through or around the large trees.At about 6950 yards, the Colt is not a long course, but due to the slopes, the course favours good ball strikers and those who can control their ball flight and spin. For me, this means that more players can contend for the victory and should make the championship very exciting.
The reachable par 4 3rd hole is always a fun hole, and the 7th and 17th holes can given up eagles, and the 13th is a visual showstopper for may golfers at the Colt Course. The par 3s, all offer a different challenges are fun to play.
The greens have noticeable undulation and a good short game is required to score well. I think the 16th green is the most challenging green to read and this is due to the way it slopes into the hill. The players perception of the green somehow gets disturbed and putts become hard to read. The 3rd and 12th greens can have a similar affect on golfers.
The course gets its name (Colt Course) from two places. Firstly because of Harry Colt. He is may favourite architect and given the course is on an old English property, I wanted to design the course as I imagined he may have. Indeed, I visited 43 Colt courses when researching this design. There are no copycat holes, it was more of a theme and feel I was attempting to achieve. Secondly, the owner of the property owns race horses, so the name reflected his passion for the equine industry. The combination seems to have worked well, and if you ever get to visit the tee markers are horse shoes.
There are key dogleg’s on the course where I wanted to put pressure on the tee shot of players e.g. 16. and certainly the course is a test of accuracy - e.g. the 11th tee shot. But equally, it was very important to me that the course had width so golfers had to come up with their own strategy and solve some puzzles by themselves. I figured that maybe if I could get them thinking, then I might find a weakness (because their ball striking if often so good).You may notice some unique features around the course – like the lake in front of the 15th tees. The wall around the 18th green was an original feature. It need a bit of repair but I really wanted to keep it. We adjusted the lake (which was an old Ice Lake, and there is an Ice House still hidden in some nearby trees), but did, to very little controversy, keep the wall. I hope that the flag is not tucked behind the wall on the final day, but given most players will hit into the green with short irons, the wall is more of a visual hazard than anything. I like to think it focuses a player's attention, and I don't mind it as a talking point.
Visual intimidation is a tool golf architects can use and by keeping some tees low, or hiding landing areas, I have done this. You may notice it on the 2nd hole, 6th hole, 12th hole and 15th. Players become aware of it on the 1st hole. A tee shot on the right side of the fairway is safe but the flag is obscured by a slight rise in the fairway between the landing area and the green. However, a player who has hit their tee shot on the left side of the 1st fairway has a clean sight to the green.There were a number of challenges in coming up with an 18 hole routing including archaeological features form the Roman period, buried services, protected trees, stone walls etc. The key hole to unlocking the routing was the 16th. Until I found a way to get this hole in, we only had a 17 hole golf course.
One advantage of the course not being open to spectators (and there's not many) is that the course is being played in it's designed routing. In the 2017 British Masters, the course was renumbered and play started on the 5th hole and finished on the 4th, so there was area for the grandstands/tented village etc. This is fine, but I do like the finishing sequence of holes 16, 17 and 18 for the drama. We could see players finishing birdie, eagle and then facing a challenge on 18th. Let's hope.
Enjoy what you see,
Best,
Scott