Guests of the Pod
203: Course Diaries – Worcestershire Golf Club
We sit down with friend GCA guru and member of The Worcestershire - David Thomas - to hear more about the history of the oldest club in our own county. Golf goes all the way back in Malvern to the 1870’s and a young H.S. Colt lived here from the age of 2, meaning this is where it all began for the young man who would go on to become one of the most influential course architect in history. Mackenzie would later become the course architect when the club moved site in the 1920’s, and Colt despite being a member of the club for several decades was unsuccessful in being appointed by the club. Fascinating chapter of history that little is spoken about. For overseas listeners, much has been made of the correct pronounciation. Worcestershire is pronounced; ‘Wu-stuh-shuh’ Latest Products [...]
On-Call, on the Course.
Alister MacKenzie gained the nickname ‘The Good Doctor’- he served as a field surgeon in the Boer War not long after graduating from Cambridge, then it was time to ply his trade around Leeds, his hometown. He traded the scalpel for topography maps and golf course design after World War One. Harry Colt gave up his Law career after a couple of years to design courses, while MacKenzie saw out nearly twenty (intermittently) as a Doctor. I suspect the Good Doctor was less-than-full time at the Doctoring during these years; he produced Alwoodley GC as his first design in the middle of this period. Colt wasn’t cash strapped- he took the Sunningdale Secretary job for £150 a year when the average London Lawyer was earning £1500 per annum. These men partnered up in design for a brief period of time but [...]
202: Post-BMW Catch Up
Tom, Bruce & Sam talking about a wide range of topics in here. Travels through France, takeaways from the BMW and looking ahead to the Ryder Cup, Hagestads recent win in the US Mid-Am and more... Latest Products
Les Bordes: The New Course – Gil Hanse
As part of the recent development work at Les Bordes under the stewardship of the Private Equity group RoundShield who acquired the estate in 2018, a second 18 has been built on the higher sandy ground nearer the entrance to the 1,400 acre estate (the second largest privately owned estate in France... the largest being Disneyland in Paris). Gil Hanse was commissioned to design and layout the course with one simple brief; ‘This is a members club, a second club for almost everyone and as such it was important to create a course which was walkable and enjoyed short transitions between holes’ In contrast to The Old which is verdant and watered, The New sits on firm sandy soil, rich in fescue with the occasional smattering of heather. This is a course built with the charm of the Surrey/Berkshire heathlands and the fast running Carolina’s in mind, taking some of [...]
201 – Course Diaries: Les Bordes
Sam & Bruce catch up with Jack Laws, Director of Golf at Les Bordes in France. Les Bordes has recently made some big waves with the introduction of the The New course designed by Gil Hanse, as well as the exceptional short course, ‘The Wild Piglet’, complimenting the Old Course by Robert von Hagge in the late 20th century. We were very lucky to get to visit the club a few months back, experience it all first hand and hear about what goes in to creating a magical luxe golf experience! For more on Les Bordes head to @lesbordesgc Latest Products
Les Bordes: The Old Course – Robert Von Hagge
An honours board commemorating those that have broken 80, or kept the same ball in play all the way round. A course that is famed for its difficulty and an obscenely small membership (as low as 3 if some rumours are to be believed), Les Bordes has been the stuff of legend and mystique for many years. More recently however with events like The Bridges Cup and the addition of a second course (The New) by Gil Hanse, this club is creating a fresh history of its own. Not surprisingly then, when an invitation came through to visit and see the estate that Baron Marcel Bich (pen, lighter and razor magnate) called home many years ago, we leapt at the chance. What was possibly a more austere setting back then with only one course designed by Robert Von Hagge, now sits the same classical French gite clubhouse which has been [...]
