GolfClubAtlas.com > Golf Course Architecture

July Feature Interview with Richard Pennell

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Ran Morrissett:
https://golfclubatlas.com/feature-interview/feature-interview-with-richard-pennell/

All eyes will soon turn to the northwest of the U.K. for the Open, but before so doing, let’s veer south and east and check in with Richard Pennell, Secretary at Woking Golf Club.

We all face pressures in our daily lives. However, only one person in the world has the distinction of being the Secretary at the course that Bernard Darwin deemed, “The best and pleasantest place to play golf that I have ever known.” Yikes! Talk about added pressure as it seems unlikely - for various reasons - that Darwin will ever write “The even more bestest and even more pleasantest place to play golf that I have ever known”! ;D 8)

Richard took the helm there early in 2017 and as we have read on GolfClubAtlas, good things have continued to occur. Just last winter, Woking embarked on an acceleration of their heather regeneration and tree removal program. Richard updates us on its progress and how results are already being realized. Hard to believe there are ~25 more educational experiences worldwide for a student of golf course architecture than here. Swinley Forest, Sunningdale, Walton Heath and Woking form the nucleus for gaining an appreciation of heathland golf and how golf successfully moved inland from the coast at the turn of the last century. At Woking, be sure to pick up a copy of James Connelly’s 1993 centenary book A Temple of Golf, as he carefully tracks all the changes that occurred during its first 100 years, along with Dick Bell’s Twenty Five Years On, which brings us up to the Club’s 125th in 2018.

This month’s Feature Interview also charts Richard’s career prior to Woking, from selling books in London to Mitcham GC to New Zealand GC to Royal Wimbledon. All three seem to have their own set of charms and the pictures from Royal Wimbledon are drool worthy. NZ and RW represent the low-key kind of clubs where members routinely enjoy a quiet - and quick - hit. Those sorts of clubs proliferate more in England than elsewhere and explain why England remains my favorite country for golf.

For going on 30 months, Richard has been at Woking, the epitome of intelligent design. Simply put, to appreciate golf architecture history is to appreciate Woking but that isn’t to imply it is stuck in the past. At over 6,600 yards and played against a tight par of 70, it has gained over 1,000 yards since its inception. Since its centenary in 1993, the course has picked up ~300 yards and possesses some steely two shotters like 3, 8, 9, 13, and 17. You will hit every club. 

I hope we can do more Feature Interviews with Club Secretaries going forward (we did one with Stephen Toon at Sunningdale in 2011). After all, people don’t pursue that profession with a view of being cutthroats, making hordes of money and retiring early to count their plunder. Rather, they do it out of the desire to be around the game and to give back to it as best they can. Same applies to Green Keepers and we learn early on that Richard has held both positions. That and his love of books, and Richard embodies a trifecta of appealing pursuits. As they might say in his home country, he is a good man.


We all have different places that get the ticker going (I am off to Pebble, off to St. Andrews, etc.) but for me, ‘I am headed to London’ holds as much promise for diverse golf as any destination. And with quality people like Richard at the epicenter, I don’t see those sentiments changing anytime soon. Richard’s contact details are included at the bottom of the Feature Interview – please look him up should you be headed that way as you are guaranteed a warm reception at a world class design.

Best,

Mark Chaplin:
One of my very first “internet” friends was Richard who contacted me through GCA, we had a memorable first meeting and game at Royal Cinque Ports for many reasons and I’m honoured to call him a friend.


Richard was in his very early days at New Zealand when we first met and I’ve ensured subsequent moves have been to suitable clubs!! We’ve enjoyed a trip to the US for his 40th enjoying the delights of Winged Foot and a couple of nights at Pine Valley, he now has one of the best jobs in golf and is highly regarded and respected by his members. It’s great to see a good person do well.

Thomas Dai:
Thank you. One of the best aspects of this website is the insights that are provided by those ‘in the business’.
Atb


Later edit - old now coloured photos added -

Tony_Muldoon:
Richard 2005! I'd forgotten Woking was the first course we played together. I now recall it must have been autumn as I found some Penny Buns and shared them with you.  You survived that and the next year we played the Addington, WHO, Rye and New Zealand. Not a bad list and a new friend all thanks to GCA.




I've told this story to others but can't recall if I've told you. My wife was incredulous that I'd metup with  'some guy' from the internet and even more astounded that you'd taken the mushrooms.  From that day on she has referred to this site as the Axe Murderers Web site.
I did manage to turn this back on her. In her last job someone popular was retiring and they all knew he was a keen golfer. She was given the task of deciding what to do with the sum they'd collected and I suggested that 2 green fees at New Zealand would surprise and delight anyone.  It did indeed and he contacted her to thank her and ask how she'd discovered this magical hidden course which he'd never heard of.  She told him about some website I was always on and promised to pass on details.   So I forwarded her the address to send him, www.axemurderersgc.com  Without paying attention she forwarded it.  He came back saying the link didn't work and she called me to check it. I got her to spell it out twice before she realised.    ;)   I wonder if he lurks or posts on here now?




Hope to see you soon, all the best.




PS Ran another great interview.  Thank you for all the friendships I've developed through the site and I'd love to have seen the Questions you were originally planning to send Richard P!

Mark Pearce:
Great to see a feature interview with Richard.  But what's with those pictures of Woking.  The greenest green I have ever seen on this site.  I was there a few weeks ago and I simply don't believe Woking has ever been that shade of green.  We can't whinge about TV and Augusta blah, blah, blah if we're posting colour enhanced pictures of a classic like Woking.

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