Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club
East Sussex, EnglandOverview
Bernard Darwin, the renowned golf writer, had a soft spot for Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club and spoke highly of it.
It was purportedly Frank Penninks favourite golf course. Arthur Croome put it in on par with St Andrews, Prestwick and Westward Ho!
Horace Hutchinson and Harry Colt were members of the club.
Tom Doak recommends golf architecture students pay special attention to the routing and bunkering (or lack thereof as the case may be...) There are parallels to Pine Valley with the suggesting the '5th, 6th, 7th, 12th and 17th would fit nicely' without being out of place!
Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club Reviews
Golf Club Atlas' review can be found here
Golf Course Review
Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club is also known historically as Forest Row. The short course and practice lie on the west side of the property with The Old Course on the east side. The club was founded in December 1888 on the site 732 feet above sea level in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The four founding members were William R & Francis A Lee, Robert Birch, and Reverend AT Scott. William Lee is credited with taking the lead on the design and layout. Harry Hunter made alterations in 1892 and again in 1897 along with Jack Rowe. Jack Rowe would make the last major changes in 1922.
Uniquely, the course is a bunker-less! The Ashdown Forest is protected from any alterations made by man. The course needed to lay on the land without any need or reliance on artificiality. What could have been considered a restraint worked in the club's favour as the course needed to make use of what nature offered.
Golf Course Photography
Purchase photography of this course here.
Joe McDonnell & Evalu18 LtdFeatured Architect: Alister MacKenzie
As taken from his book, Golf Architecture, Alister MacKenzie felt the following were essential: 1 - The course, where possible, should be arranged in two loops of nine holes. 2 - There should be a large proportion of good two-shot holes and at least four one-shot holes. 3 - There should be little walking...
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At a glance
Architects
- Scott, A.T.
- Lee, W.R.
- Hunter, Harry
- Rowe, Jack
Facilities
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Joe McDonnell & Evalu18 LtdFeatured Architect: Alister MacKenzie
As taken from his book, Golf Architecture, Alister MacKenzie felt the following were essential: 1 - The course, where possible, should be arranged in two loops of nine holes. 2 - There should be a large proportion of good two-shot holes and at least four one-shot holes. 3 - There should be little walking...
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