GolfClubAtlas.com > Golf Course Architecture
ENVILLE GC Highgate Course
Sean_A:
Enville is an attractive village not far from Stourbridge. The club is about 1.5 miles north of the village in glorious Staffordshire countryside and both courses are a pleasant change of pace from the heavily industrial Black Country to the northeast. Two 18 hole courses were eventually completed and designated as such in 1983; both are approximately equal parts heathland and parkland. The evolution of the Highgate course is vague, but I believe it is an combination of work by A Padgham, A Wigglesworth, H Lewis and F Pennink over several decades.
The Highgate Course is named after the nearby common. The course has been the site of Open Regional Qualifying and relatively high qualifying scores are a testament to its ability to test the best players. In the recent past changes have been afoot at Enville. Two new greens have been built and a few others had their bunkering and shaping altered. The opening seven holes are a grand stretch of heathland golf measuring less than 2300 yards, however, one should not be deceived by this modest length as much long iron/fairway wood play is required on later holes.
The course opens with a fabulous par 5 which requires precision approaching to hit the green in two. Forward bunkers and a green sloping away from play combine to make this short three-shotter a true par 5.
The bunker changes on #1 serve to make the green easier to approach. Then and now.
The second is a demanding long par three with a green sloping surprisingly left. The Highgate is punctuated with several blind/obscured drives. The drivable par 4 third swings left between two blind bunkers and finishes with a green running away from the fairway. Behind the green is the 1st fairway. The intimidating 4th has a large bunker eating into an obscured narrow fairway.
A nasty cross bunker awaits the aggressive player willing to take on the 240ish yard carry over the previous bunker. Below is an example of how parched the club is willing to let the course become. While courses look very attractive when baked out, it isn't necessarily ideal conditions because it is difficult to get the balance of fairway aprons and greens running at roughly the same speed...which to me is ideal conditions.
A tight par 3, the fifth was re-worked a few years ago. Gone is the forward cross bunker; replaced by a simple bunker which should be a more prominent feature with a higher nose. Some foliage to the rear has been cleared out as well.
To this point the golfer has been engaged in a game of cat and mouse with length not an issue. The 6th alters this formula with a brutal, but great par 4 of 449 yards.
The second is all uphill and ever so difficult. Most must flirt with these bunkers to get home in two.
This is one of the greens which had the bunkering and shaping altered, however, the front to back tilt remains.
The opening stretch is completed by a seemingly breather hole of 323 yards. Like all good short par 4s there has to be some sort of sting in the tail and the narrow target of the green provides this bite.
We now play nine holes in a more parkland setting with trees being the major obstacle to good scoring. I believe 8-13 are D Steel holes. The 8th is another blind drive, but within reach of the tee is funky mounding which replaced a blind creek. This is better than the creek, but not enough to win me over.
Each nine is book-ended with a par 5. All the three-shotters are very different and only the 9th requires some hitting. At 596 yards and through an alley of trees this hole can fairly be called a beast. Only two very accurate and long shots to the corner of a dogleg will leave an opportunity to approach the green.
The short three-shotter 10th features another blind creek in the driving zone. Again, one of the hardest aspects of this hole is its obscured nature. It is difficult to pick a line and commit to it. One can lay-up and still reach the green, but the odds are the approach will be coming in flat and not hold the green or find the very well placed bunker well short of the green. This is a most unusual par 5 and I applaud its originality.
By now I am longing to return to the heathland. The holes among the trees grind because many of them are not wide enough to accommodate shots. It is very easy to be just off fairways with absolutely no shot at the green; which is fine for a few holes, but not for long stretches at a time. The 11th was formally quite a short, tight par 4. It has been extended about 40 yards with a new green near the boundary line. A swale fronts the green which has more movement than the older version.
The double dogleg 12th is a case in point about lack of width. The corridor is about 50 yards wide and the hole turns right then left at the landing zone. To top it off the fairway cants left. Its a great shame it isn't easier to make the approach to this great green site.
The 13th turns back on #12. The right to left slope of the 12th is now left to right; again, a very accurate drive is required for this long par 4. Down the right is the remains of an old pond whose clay base was punctured when fire fighters used the water on a call. Consequently, the pond drained. I can imagine this being a marvelous hole if trees down the right were cleared to the would be pond, leaving an upper and lower fairway. While still among the trees, we are finally rewarded for the patience of the six previous holes with a good par 3. Very little of the putting surface can be seen and there is a hidden bunker mid-green to the right. The fifteenth is the beneficiary of a new green complex which is far more interesting than its predecessor. The drive used to be largely blind until the tee was moved further right. With the land canting well right, we have another dogleg against the grain. Below is the approach. On the holes with newer work more mounding was created, but for some reason trees are in these areas, thus reducing the visual impact of the work.
We now break back into more open ground, though not quite onto heathland. I am not sure why the water isn't better utilized for this short hole. However, there is a gradual slope rising from the water to the green which can easily repel shots which come in too high. To reach the 17th we must cross over the Lodge's 18th and 2nd holes. The heathland look is immediately discernable once stepping on the tee of the penultimate hole.
The dogleg on the par 5 final hole is severe, but a well placed drive leaves an opportunity to reach the green in two; although it may be wiser to forego the aggressive play due to a new bunkering scheme tightly guarding the green.
The house.
There are many fine holes and compelling shots on the Highgate, especially on the heathland holes. However, I can't help thinking what gem is waiting to be discovered if the club ever decided to create one heathland course rather than two hybrid courses and clear out thousands of trees. That said, I am in the minority of not enjoying the six hole stretch between 8 and 13 - most folks like this sort of golf. I admit they aren't bad holes and nothing that wider fairway corridors couldn't fix, still, I am left wondering. Good news though, some 2500 trees were recently removed and there are long term plans to continue tree removal. The inconsistency of quality and too many blind shots with trouble lurking are enough to limit my appreciation for Highgate, but one won't be disappointed should he happen to get an invite. 2018
Link to Lodge Tour
www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,61551.msg1461523.html#msg1461523
Ciao
James Boon:
Sean,
This looks much more appealing that your Copt Heath tour so again thanks for posting!
From the pictures it reminds me a bit of Sutton Coldfield? Perhaps its the mix of open heathland and tight parkland?
I'd be interested to know of the courses pedigree with regards to who was involved if anyone knows. If I remember I'll check Cornish & Whitten when I get home tonight to see if they can throw any light on the matter...
Cheers,
James
Sean_A:
--- Quote from: James Boon on June 28, 2010, 01:11:45 PM ---Sean,
This looks much more appealing that your Copt Heath tour so again thanks for posting!
From the pictures it reminds me a bit of Sutton Coldfield? Perhaps its the mix of open heathland and tight parkland?
I'd be interested to know of the courses pedigree with regards to who was involved if anyone knows. If I remember I'll check Cornish & Whitten when I get home tonight to see if they can throw any light on the matter...
Cheers,
James
--- End quote ---
Boony
You are right, Copt Heath doesn't have any holes the stature of Enville's 1st or 6th. I would agree that Enville is probably just below the class of Sutton Coldfield and the two courses are somewhat alike. I really don't know who designed Enville, but I would hope the archie(s) would have tried to convince the club to create a primary heathland course.
Ciao
Peter Pallotta:
Sean - Highgate was built in 1983, you say? And not by a 'name'? Fascinating. That sure goes to prove something. I'm not sure what exactly - perhaps that the LAND, for anyone with eyes to see, TELLS you how to design and build a course; perhaps that a GOOD but relatively obscure designer, if he is willing to remain relatively obscure, will build a BETTER and more lovely and more LASTING golf course than would a hungrily ambitious designer; perhaps that if one honours his OWN TRADITION (both personal and 'cultural') instead of that of another person or place, you end up having a golf course that looks like it's been there a HUNDRED YEARS. (I m not usually a big complainer about cart-paths, but here I wish they'd have scaled those back a lot). I think I may like this Highgate even more than you do, Sean.
Thanks
Peter
James Boon:
Sean,
No luck with Cornish & Whitten I'm afraid. Enville isn't mentioned so no light on who designed it from that direction. It has to be the first course I've come across that isn't mentioned in their book?
Cheers,
James
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