Seacroft, ENGLAND

The clubhouse and rolling 18th green.

How much research do you do while planning a golf trip? Do you listen to friends who have made trips similar to what are proposing to undertake? Do you read up on the courses in an effort to decide which ones to play (and which ones not to play)? With the latter, do you put all your faith in one source, or do you try to find a consensus among different authors? The latter provides for a 'safer' trip as it is unlikely you will play a disappointing course. However, some of the fun is gone as well as you do not feel you are taking a chance – a chance at finding a 'hidden gem' or suffering through an average layout.

When the authors were planning a trip to the central and eastern part of England, they consulted the usual sources: Tom Doak’s The Confidential Guide, Donald Steel’s Classic Links of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland and the popular (and often helpful) Following the Fairways, among others. When the day came for them to play Woodhall Spa (which they had previously played, thoroughly enjoyed, and wanted to revisit), they wondered whether they should play two rounds on that classic course or try to play the afternoon round at another course? Looking at the map for possibilities within an easy drive of Woodhall Spa, they considered the resort town of Skegness to the east and its course at Seacroft. Looking up the course about which they knew precious little, the authors found that Doak had made some complimentary remarks but had awarded it only a '4' on a scale of 0-10. Following the Fairways offered more hope, describing it as 'most underrated.' Steel, however, quickly settled the matter, as he pronounced it 'superb' and went on to write 'it is an absolute gem, and if my words send golfers scurrying across the Lincolnshire Fens to see for themselves, it is no more than it deserves.' After this stirring endorsement by one of their favorite writers and architects, the authors quickly decided to forego an afternoon round at Woodhall Spa in favor of one at Seacroft.

One of the pleasures of going to play courses such as Seacroft about which you know little beforehand is that you do not know enough about it to form any opinions – you are therefore playing it with an open mind, free to discover for yourself which holes you like (as well as which you don’t). On the other hand, a visitor to the Open courses will likely already be familiar with the course before his first round there, and what he has read about it and seen on television will serve to guide him into forming certain opinions. Such was not the case with the authors’ trip to Seacroft.

This view from behind the 3rd shows the character of Seacroft.

Seacroft, located along the coast just south of Skegness, immediately gives the visiting golfer a different 'look' as there is no parking lot for the club. You just park right on the street and then proceed to the clubhouse, located on the street corner. At first glance the course conjures up images of Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s, with red-roofed houses framing the starting and finishing holes with good linksland in between. Like Lytham, Seacroft’s appeal lies not in its natural beauty, as more holes feature houses than the marsh. Unlike Lytham, though, there are splendid moments of isolation, such as at the distant 10^th tee, with little evidence of civilization present.

Getting away from it all: The 10th.

Often, courses that are described as 'charming' are labeled such as a synonym for 'short.' Seacroft is charming, and it is also on the short side, but its routing, greens, and design lead to this characterization much more so than its modest length. The course features some of the most sweeping greens of any links, especially those in England. The bold 2^nd, for example, could well have been the work of Alister MacKenzie (although it isn’t). Such touches are evidence that Seacroft is a sophisticated links that owes much of its success to man (in this case Tom Dunn, who designed the original in 1892, and Willfrid Reid and Sir Guy Campbell who later made revisions) and not just nature. Further proof lies in the expert use of angles on the 8^th and 13^th holes where the player can gain a clear advantage by taking a more aggressive line. Yes, there were practiced architects on hand at Seacroft.

The sweeping 2nd green: Not nature's work.

The routing makes the course, as if takes full advantage of the dunes the property has (e.g., the line of dunes that runs down the left of the 8^th and then the right of the 9^th fairway before crossing in front of the 9^th green and serving as a site for the 10^th tee) as well as an unusual feature of two very different levels: the plateau holding all or part of holes 13-16 and the lower but more rolling balance of the course. Given the property, a relatively narrow strip between residential property to the west (and some on the east) and the marsh to the east, it would have been easy to develop an unimaginative out and back affair. However, the architects worked to throw in as much variety in terms of the holes themselves and the direction as the site would allow. They succeeded by staggering holes in slightly different directions than their predecessors, as with the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th holes. As the property narrows, the last four holes were all but forced to run in the same direction, but the architects injected character by varying uses of the upper plateau and the length of the holes. For example, instead of playing from the top of the plateau behind the 14^th green, the player must descend into the flat to play an intimidating tee shot back onto the plateau. At 313 yards, the 16^th provides a good change of pace as 15, 17, and 18 are of similar lengths (400-415 yards).

The two parts of the course: The 6th green in the foreground on the flat with the 13th green on top of the plateau.

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