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[Brian Sheehy]

I played Tandridge earlier this summer and found it to be a very underrated (given its position in the rankings) and interesting course.

Tandridge is a pleasant and old-fashioned feeling course based in Oxted in Surrey and was laid out by Harry Colt in 1924 - the original lay out contained more than 300 bunkers.

It has a good lay out with a handful of marvellous and slighty quirky holes – the lesser holes could be (and are being) massively improved by mainly cosmetic changes but also some strategy. The conditioning was impeccable and it’s great what they are doing with the fescue rough and also presumably the fairways and greens which were both playing firm and fast.

Frank Pont has been hired to “renovate” the course and has already undertaken extensive work on the front nine. I am looking forward to seeing the completed work and am assured there will be far less trees on the course upon completion. There are so many different specimens encroaching on lines of play on most holes, marring what is an otherwise picturesque landscape. It did seem such a pity that virtually all of the heather had died away - there is still evidence of what must have been in days gone by on number 10 – the pics show a beautiful heather topped bunker and there is also a nice patch of heather on the right of 5. If it was up to me, I would go on a massive heather planting and tree clearing mission – perhaps that will happen in time.

It is unfortunate that the 1st hole is also probably the weakest on the course – I understand from the members that Frank has made suggestions to convert this slog of a long par 4 into a short par 5. This can only be a good thing. There then follows an excellent stretch from 2-7 followed by a mediocre middle and then another strong stretch from 13-17. 18 has the bones of a great hole – as the pictures show it has a fantastic green site but the drive feels awkward, with unnecessary trees marring what could be a stunning view all the way to the hole.

The pics of the clubhouse pretty much speak for themselves. And, as the pictures will also show, the sausage and chips they produced were no ordinary sausage and chips. Truly exceptional!













Hole 1: Par 4










Hole 2: Par 4












Hole 3: Par 4














Hole 4: par 3








Hole 5: Par 4














Hole 6: Par 4












Hole 7: Par 4












Hole 8: Par 4










Hole 9: Par 5
















Hole 10: Par 4

Get that hideous tree out of there!







The course needs more of these






Hole 11: Par 4










Hole 12: Par 5
















Hole 13 Par 3:
















Hole 14: Par 4














Hole 15: Par 3








Hole 16: Par 4
















Hole 17: Par 4














Hole 18: par 4

[Anthony Gray]

  I can smell the clubhouse from those pictures. Was the original design that heavily bunkered?

  Anthony

[Brian Sheehy]

Anthony,
There were 300 bunkers originally - the most Colt ever included in one of his designs. A good portion of those have now been filled in. I think if enough people knew about it Tandridge could strongly contend for best lunch ever. I didn't have the carvery but surely it must be quality if the rest of the food is anything to go by...

[Martin Bonnar]

Now there's a clubhouse I could spend many's a happy hour in...

But do tell,
what is going on with the bunkers? Is there an active restoration programme in place? The mix of crinkly on some holes and smooth lazyB edges on others is extremely striking.
best (still sorry for next week!)
MB.

[Adam Lawrence]

Yes, there is - as Brian mentioned in his post, occasional GCA poster Frank Pont is working there. Frank did four or five holes last autumn and has just gone to work on the second phase. It is a very bold project - I haven't seen such an aggressive commitment to reinstating old bunkering anywhere else in the UK.

Tandridge is a fascinating place. I think the 300 bunker figure, which you see a lot in old literature, was slightly apochryphal, but it would certainly have been the most heavily hunkered Colt course I have come across. The scale of the bunkering, plus the use of a few things such as rear bunkers that were very unusual for Colt, led me to wonder whether MacKenzie had been involved there - it was built right at the end of their partnership. But there is no evidence to suggest it, and Neil Crafter et al's timeline suggests it is most unlikely to be so.

Super course, wonderful piece of land.

[Mark Chaplin]

Under 20 minutes from my front door and I haven't played there for 15 years! Brian the food at Tandridge is a massive selling point for societies, they have had a great reputation for years.

[Brian Sheehy]

Now there's a clubhouse I could spend many's a happy hour in...

But do tell,
what is going on with the bunkers? Is there an active restoration programme in place? The mix of crinkly on some holes and smooth lazyB edges on others is extremely striking.
best (still sorry for next week!)
MB.

Marty,

Nae wurries re: next week sur.

As Adam mentioned, Frank Pont is half way through a big renovation / restoration (?) project and the work done so far looks excellent - especially introducing centreline bunkers on the 3rd - massively improving the hole.

Adam - funny you mention MacKenzie, I did think when going around the front nine that some of the bunkering bore a resemblence to what is at Pasatiempo - and also, actually, at LA Country club - which I know is not MacKenzie but the bunkering there does have similarities with what is at Pasa.

One thing about the bunkering that Frank may be able to answer on here: whilst the rough / fescue topped bunkering is no doubt attractive, it does have a look similar to some of the modern "natural" looking bunkers you see in the prairie courses in the States (from the pics anyway). Was it ever mooted to top those bunkers with heather?

[Tom MacWood]

Brian
What do you make of those bunkers? Are those original to Colt?

[Brian Sheehy]

Brian
What do you make of those bunkers? Are those original to Colt?

Tom, I do like the look of them and when the job is completed, i think the place will be vastly improved. As to whether or not they are in the original Colt style, I will defer to those who know more about these things than I - i.e. Frank Pont, Adam etc. Personally, I'd like to see them heather topped like the look I am used to seeing in the likes of Swinley, the Berkshire etc. but maybe those bunkers never looked like that originally - maybe I am assuming it was far more heathland in character than it actually was.

[Frank Pont]

A quick post, since I am massively under the gun to finish a couple of reports and designs due for clients, but will try to post some more pics later this weekend.

We last year did holes 3-5, this year we are doing the remaining holes on the front nine.
Fist part of that work was completed last August, where we just "cut out" old bunkers that had been closed or made smaller.
Later in October we will do the bunkers that need a complete redo.
The holes of the back nine will be done over the next two years.

Currently the bunkering of the course visually is indeed a bit of a mess, with various styles mixed. There are original bunkers that have lost stylke and shape, new bunkers by Tom MacKenzie (who was doing work before me at Tandridge) and the bunkers we are doing now.

Model for the bunkers we are doing are old pictures, aireal and detail, of the bunkers in the intial years after opening.
I include a link where you can see a couple of these historic pics (courtesy of Paul Turner), which show the large number of bunkers, their enormous scale and their ragged edges. The edges were not done with heather as far as I can tell, but rather with bents and fescues.

http://issuu.com/frankpont/docs/tandridge_course_restoration_phase_i_b/1

The edges you are seeing at the moment on the redone bunkers I my view are bit too strong in places; where necessary they will be softened a bit, although many of them have already softened a bit over the last year.

Will post more old pics and better detail pics later
 

[JNC Lyon]

This is a good-looking golf course.  I really like the new bunkering on the front nine holes.  However, 13 appears to be over the most interesting land on the course, and it is a great looking par three (typical for Colt).  The clubhouse: it looks phenomenal.  I'm guessing it's a great place to curl up with a few pints of Guinness and/or tea and teacakes.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Brian you must have unearthed an old thread where I posted “My wish list”.


It looks like a splendid piece of p[property and I’m deeply jealous! 


Echoing the thoughts above for some reason The Valley Club came to mind?  However there are diagonals and greens with big fall offs and it certainly looks Colt to me.


Disclaimer.  Count me as a huge Colt fan and with only once exception(guess below)  I’ve never played a course of his where I didn’t have a bunch of fun.


But



Bunkers.   
ON courses like Romford or Canterbury I’ve been delighted how confident bold bunkering can really make a Colt course come to life.


But

Tandrige: 200 plus bunkers.
Lytham 200 Bunkers (I know he didn’t put them all in but that’s roughly how many were there when he finished) .
Check out old aerials of Thurlestone and there are others.


What was he thinking?  On here we moan about the costs of maintaining modern courses and to let Colt off having 200 bunkers is not correct.  He proved interesting courses can be built with far less.


Here’s my theory. Again I should disclaim that in all his dealings I’ve found Colt to be the model of probity and a thoroughly fine chap. But Colt marketed himself at the top end of his market, certainly  say compared to Braid who mostly seem do work on a turnkey design initially with Carters and later with Strutt for a fixed price.  Colt and Co had more Architects and onsite supervisors, e.g.Murry.  They required more time to build more features (including bunkers etc), requiring more site visits.  All this also generated more fees.  I admit I haven’t properly researched this but I find its hard to think of another reason.  The bunkers in effect said to the client look here’s where the money went. It’s not dishonest and it does allow for more time on site to build a better course, but I also suspect he knew many wouldn’t stay.



Still dying to get to Tandridge.  Thanks for the report Brian. See you tomorrow for another on the list!

[Brian Sheehy]

Tony, if Colt's brain did operate like that, then he truly was a sophisticated thinker! Interesting theory. I see where you're going with the valley club reference - the clubhouse definitely. The only thing lacking is that je ne sais quoi that comes with ultra exclusiveness.

Frank, I obviously misstated the extent to which heather existed on the original state. The bunkering does look handsome (and looking at the black and white photos) consistent with what was originally designed. I can't wait to see the finished product.

JNC, 13 is arguably the best hole on the course - that, 14, 17 and (when Frank's work is completed) 18 are, to me, what the place is all about.

[Frank Pont]

Hole 13 when finished in my view will be an "all england" par 3 hole, beautiful and very very scary....

[Brent Hutto]

If I get a chance to visit Tandridge, I'll make a note to treat my opponent to sausage and chips before the round. My treat. If anyone can shake off a meal like that and play well over the first nine holes they're a better man than me.

[Frank Pont]

As promissed some more pics of the current state of works at Tandridge, as of a week ago. I will explain which bunkers have been changed and which will be changed in the next phase of work in mid October.

Hole 1



The right side bunkers of the first hole will be done in the enxt pahe, they will be pretty impressive, bigger than anything I have seen of Colt before.

Hole 2



Here the three bunkers in the hill (one you do not see its hidden) have been done, and the hill covered with heather (Brian yu will like it!). In the next phase we will make 3 bunkers right of the green, and relocate the left bunker (a new one) back to its original location.

Hole 3



Was completed last year, might need 2-3 more trees to go on the right side.

Hole 4



Was completed last year. Maybe a bit over the top, but that is what it was and thats why we restored it fully with back bunkers and all.

Hole 5



Was completed last year. Probabaly the most fun drive and second shot on the front nine. We will put heather on the mounds behind the green (Brian). One more tree needs to go (guess which  )

Hole 6





Hole was slightly lengthened and the four bunkers around the green done, in the next phase the style of two (new) fairway bunkers will be changed to a consistent style.

Hole 7



Here the two large bunkers right of the green were done, in the next phase the whole left side of the green will be redone, with three bunkers at surface level going in so you see much more of the green (as it used to be).

Hole 8



All bunkers were done in August except for the most left two bunkers (where the player with the white shirt is standing in; they look like one bunker in the picture). Will be a pretty uphill par 3 when we are finished

Hole 9



THis the view of the tees now, in October we will do the final bunker which sits right in front of the green. Working hard to get some of the birches on the left to go....

Will post some historical pics later tonight if I find the time.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Notwithstanding my comments above.

Frank did you see a recent thread in which asked (paraphrasing) What is the best European restoration?  One aphoristic reply was that Europeans don't do restoration.


Can I just applaud you, and the members for putting aside ego's and setting out to do just that. They can certainly look forward to my green fee next summer and I look forward enormously to seeing this work.  Thanks.

[Martin Bonnar]

Frank,
a simple echo of Muldoon-sama's enthuse. I concur whole-heartedly. More power to your pencil/CAD programme! GREAT JOB!
Please detail for us if you will, what the actual works involved for the bunker resto's actually are? Simple spade hand-work? Archie's on-site supervision/lines drawn on grass with marking spray?
DO TELL!!!!
vvvvvv best,
FBD.
PS Did I say 'Great Job'? I think Harry would be pleased...