Whitehill House Golf Club

[Marty Bonnar]

Has anyone here ever played this Course?
Someone mentioned it on Facebook, so I had to go look it up. Designed by our own John Chilver-Stainer in the grounds of an old country house just south of Edinburgh, it has some fairly ‘interesting’ bunkering features and what looks to be be a pretty wild routing.
Had only one mention in the search history that I can see.


https://www.whitehillhousegolf.co.uk/


Anyone? Anyone? John?
Cheers,
F.

[Niall C]

Martin


Looks very interesting. Never heard of this one before. When do you want to play ?


Niall

[Marty Bonnar]

Martin


Looks very interesting. Never heard of this one before. When do you want to play ?


Niall

Maybe once the sun returns?
 

[Charlie Goerges]

I clicked on the link and their website says the following (dated yesterday):

Due to the inclement weather and health and safety reasons our course will remain closed until further notice.

Do we know what's going on exactly?

[Mark Pearce]

I clicked on the link and their website says the following (dated yesterday):

Due to the inclement weather and health and safety reasons our course will remain closed until further notice.

Do we know what's going on exactly?

Storms.  Suspect nothing more.  I travelled South from Newcastle yesterday and there were no trains running to or from Edinburgh for safety reasons

[Charlie Goerges]

I clicked on the link and their website says the following (dated yesterday):

Due to the inclement weather and health and safety reasons our course will remain closed until further notice.

Do we know what's going on exactly?

Storms.  Suspect nothing more.  I travelled South from Newcastle yesterday and there were no trains running to or from Edinburgh for safety reasons

Thanks Mark, so sounds precautionary rather than great damage being done.

[John Chilver-Stainer]

Well since you asked
 
Whitehill House GC  is one of my many «unusual» or «special» golf course projects.
It all began in 2000 when by chance I was visiting an old golfing pal from my Uni days in Edinburgh. He lived near Rosslyn Chapel, of Templar knights and Dan Brown fame.
There was a rumour that a wealthy developer had bought an old mental Hospital  nearby in Rosewell, originally a stately home, and was planning a restoration of the house and a new housing development with a new golf course. So I checked him out and soon discovered we were kindred spirits with a passion for jazz, golf and curry.
At the time I was waiting for a building permit for a golf course in Switzerland where I was based and had time on my hands, so I agreed, if he «looked after» me and my pal for a couple of weeks I would «research» the lay of the land for his golf course project-
Suffice to say we had a successful time, played East Lothian and Fife golf, did the scottish jazz venues and ate a lot of curry and drank the associated beverages,
 
 The site at Whitehill House was impressive with access along a grand tree lined drive. Now a Category A listed building, it was constructed for a wealthy mine owner in 1844 in a Tudor-Jacobean revival style, with extravagant stone moulded windows and barley twist chimneys. There are stable areas with a court yard and tall specimen firs, oaks and copper birches surround the grand house.
 
 Part of the estate, opposite the south facade is where the golf course was to be situated. The land had been farmed but was enclosed by woodland and hedges. There were 2 areas separated by a deep treed valley, the main area rises with from east to west with an elevation change of 30m over 700m, a gradual 4% incline. Enough to make the difference between the run outs on downhill and uphill fairways, and a welcome variety to the generally smooth terrain.
 
 We researched dozens of variants to maximise the land available and the positioning of house plots. The project expanded into some utopian ideas and adjoining land was to be included in a mammoth development with 36 Holes etc.. Looking back, a mad spiral of heady optimism that appeared real but in the harsh light of scrutiny was never more than fantasy.
 
However the original hospital land was still the focus of the first phase and I came up with a layout, with some unusual ideas which suited the brief. As part of the first phase of the «grand scheme» a temporary low cost 9-Hole golf course was planned, after which it would be sacrificed for development in favour of the 36-Hole fantasy project.
 
We made some exploratory digs and found part of the site had sand material which we had tested and would be suitable for the greens and tees, a cost saving bonus for the client.
 
I drew up plans and within a year a building permit as part of the on going development was obtained. In the summer of 2001 I got the call from the client - he wants to start tomorrow!!
At the time I was  in the middle of supervising the construction of a prestigeous faux links I had designed in Leuk Switzerland, a wall-to-wall fescue Par 72 golf course with full on-shaping influenced from my scottish links background, reinforced by my «research» for Whitehill House GC  from the previous year. But thats another unusual story.
 
 My client in Scotland insisted the «temporary» golf course would be carried out by his own crew on the development site, so I gave him instructions on ordering materials, getting skilled personel, and essential machines.
I agreed to take a week off from the job in Switzerland and flew to Edinburgh on a friday night in July to help the Client kick start the operation and do some initial shaping. During the week I set out the golf course and managed to shape 7 of the greens complexes with the machine operaters leaving instructions with the new greenkeeper, formerly from Gullane, to lay the drains, and root zone.
I later returned for a few days in the middle of September to fine tune the greens with a borrowed John Deere Sand Pro.
 
 The general concept was that all the greens would allow the ground game with open or partially open entrance at grade level. Greens would generally have slopes and movement. A low maintenenace philosophy was adopted which favoured fescue grasses, that can be left alone to handle diverse weather conditions, more so than more contemporary hybrid grasses that require more attention. Bunkers would be small but effective both visually and strategically to add a degree of difficulty to the relative short and smooth golf course.
 
 The now 20 year old «temporary» golf course has a new greenkeeper since 4 years, Mario Weyler, who flies the torch for low tech maintenance. The Whitehill House greens have some of the highest fescue content in Scotland. Mario is a disciple of Micah Woods, the well known agronomist whose maintenance advice is based on climate and growth observation, rather than the standard cook book menus often provided by agronomists of the fertiliser suppliers. Mario and I  recently did a tour of the East Lothian courses to check out the greens. We were disappointed to find all the greens had a low fescue content, which we put down to low height of cut and probably over use of fertiliser. Speed apparently kills.
 
 After entering the majestic long tree lined drive, theres a car park and small club house with a practice green and driving nets. The car park is usually full, not of golfers, but the clientele of award winning Angelinas Coffee Snug, who runs the charming «club house» as an irresistible cake and coffee (the best beans), souvenir and arts cafeteria with cool background sounds.
If you ask nicely you might get a beer and bacon roll.
 
The first tee is right next to the club house in a copse of scots pines. A long par 3 inviting a roll on to the open and only flat green (constructed by the client) on the golf course.
 
 Then immediatly into the highlight of the round, the 2nd Hole «Ramseys Revenge» (Wardlaw Ramsey being the original owner of Whitehill House). From the tee the hole takes ones breath away. A long Par 3 over an impenetrable gorge bristling with rhodedendrons, with high oak and pine trees guarding each side of the corridor, reveals a semi bath-tub green with an open entrance cut into the rise of the valley with a deep high backstop. This half of the green has been designed to encourage a hole-in-one, and if the green keeper can be persuaded to put the pin in the lowest point, an ace is on the cards.

 

 Just to say ….. Whitehill House GC is worth visiting just for this hole alone. The variety and ambience of this 10-Hole course deserves a place in the « 9 Hole courses of Scotland if not the UK»
 
 The 3rd tee reveals the rest of the course and a Par 5 that snakes up the rising fair way to a large 800m2 green hidden by huge specimen copper birches and oaks planted at the birth of house.
The Par 5 requires precision shots, if one gets out of position, the unfavourable angles will mean investing in some extra strokes. At the green the magnificently grand Whitehill House dominates the setting. The largeness of the green is designed to reflect the grandness of the setting, and provide some long putts.
 
 The 4th hole is a bit of a squeeze. The oak trees have TPOs (Tree Protection Orders) so have to stay, but theres enough room from the back tees to punch under the branches or curl round the side. Shorter alternative tees are available. The green has a steep unpinnable side slope with a flat area on the right hand edge, a bit like ANGC 16th in mirror image. The obvious shot is to start left of the tree with fade and catch the slope to let it roll down to the flag. Good luck.
 
 The 5th is a tight left hand dog leg over a blind rise with 2 sighting bunkers to indicate the line and provide some golfing ambience (eye candy?). The green is open to a roll-in and has interesting falls and a pond behind to catch over pitched balls. The pond is a speclal wish from the clients wife and is actually quite attractive in a very natural way.
 
 The 6th goes back up the hill and challenges the player to clear a semi-rough low swale to get a view round the corner and a shot within reaching distance of the green. An island bunker sits as a prominent art work guarding the foreground of the right hand side of the green.
 
 The 7th is one of my most extreme holes ever. In order to make use of the space and create a Par 5, I designed a double left hand dog leg that starts off as a drive offering a small corridor between trees and a bunker or a layup. Classic risk and reward that challenges the long hitter to find the gap and get a turbo off the falling slope and a view of the green. The inside line from the fairway to the green is defended by bunkers, but an approach from the outside of the fairway allows an entry through an opening to the green along the ground. Once again the beguiling choices of shots are first apparent when recovering from «out of position» shots.
 
 The 8th is a special client wish that the fairway could be used as a runway for a light aircraft.
 So it is straight, even and with no fairway bunkers, but a tricky fall away green.
 
 The original 9th was a cross-fairway right-angles dog-leg, with my patent «JCS» bunkers in the second leg of the fairway, to inhibit the golfer cutting the corner. In the meantime the client has split the hole into 2 Par 3s. His new 9th green is only a wedge to a tiny pizza green. Its quite fun as the challenge to hit the green is like going for the bulls eye on a dart board.
 
 The remaining part of the dog leg is now the hole number 10, a  Par 3 with the Whitehill House in the background and multiple bunkers in the foreground. It is more intimidating than it looks, a fine way of ending the 10 Hole round, but why not play another 10.
 
 Walk back over the grand stone bridge to Angelinas and that Victoria Sponge Cake and a delicious Cappucino.
 
 The club is private but if you phone ahead and mention my name they might let you on for a modest guest green fee.
 
 If you go as a group I can ask my pal to guest you for the price of the guest green fee, and I could even ask the greenkeeper for the hole in one position on the second, provided you invite him for a cake and coffee and some interesting inside chat.
 
 Cheers
 John
 
 
 
 

[Niall C]

John


Absolutely brilliant. It's been a while since we had a proper Clan gathering and Whitehill House sounds like it would be a lot of fun. I'll speak to Martin and tell him to get it organised 


You mentioned that you were based in Switzerland when you designed Whitehill; where are you now and are you still working ? (please excuse my ignorance).


Niall

[John Chilver-Stainer]

 Hi Niall,
 
 
A brief bio goes like this:
 
 
 I grew up in Scotland in a village called Balmore just north of Glasgow.
 I learnt my golf on my annual holiday on the Isle of Arran at Corrie GC, initially using the cut down hickories of my great grandfather, who was a founder and captain of Cowall, GC, Dunoon. Subsequently I was a junior at Balmore GC. My father was into skiing and I have wonderful memories of spending many easter hols skiing on Cairngorm in the morning and playing golf at Boat of Garten GC in the afternoon.
 
 
 After school I did a year at Glasgow School of Art and then went to University Heriot-Watt, Edinburgh where I graduated in Civil Engineering. After working in Edinburgh, Dominica and London I married a swiss girl and emigrated to Switzerland where I worked as a civil eingineer in Zermatt and Brig.
 
 
 In 1985 I got the incredible opportunity to design my first golf course on the Riederalp at 1950m above sea level. After that I was bitten by the golf design bug and became a passionate golf course architect and have never looked back.
 
 Switzerland was at the time swept up in the golf boom and I was fortunate to ride the wave going on to realise 21 golf courses.
 17x were in Switzerland (4x 18-Hole design and supervise, 3x 18-Hole redesign and supervise,
                                            9x   9-Hole design and supervise, 1x   9-Hole redesign.)
 2x in Fuerteventura, Spain (1x 18-Hole design and supervise, 1x 18-Hole redesign and supervise)
 2x in Scotland, (1x design and supervise Whitehill House and 1x building application Brahan GC)
 
 
 There were also many projects that required my design and planning skills,  but failed to get realised both in Switzerland and abroad.
 
 
 Since COVID and the inflationary crisis and the emphasis on food security and agricultural land protection, the bottom has dropped out of the golf course construction market in Switzerland.
 
 
 At 74 years young I consider myself semi retired still based in Switzerland but with the freedom to spend some of my time in the UK playing golf. This year I shall be constructing a new green at Appenzeller GC., Switzerland.
 
 
 Golf course architects never give up, they just fade away.