Royal Worlington and Newmarket

When one first surveys the ground at Worlington (a Royal club from as early as 1895), one has little feeling that this is a pretty course, though the proud line of Scots pines standing tall like sentinels, running down the middle of the sixth and eighth holes, do provide some distinction.

Essentially this is golf laid over a flat field but also luckily standing upon an outcrop of sandy, draining terrain and, although strictly a geologically inaccurate description, it is often called an inland links. There is so much golf to be had here that it scarcely seems possible that it amounts to a mere nine holes.

There is some controversy over who was the designer: Willie Park Jnr, Tom Hood or Tom Dunn although of these Dunn, the professional at Tooting Bec and creator of so many early courses, seems to be the man. Harry Colt, England’s most prolific golf architect, also left a substantial legacy with new greens at the 3rd, 4th, 8th and 9th in the 1920s and not much has changed since.

It has been described as the least sheltered course in the Kingdom; the wind is popularly said to come “unstymied” all the way from the Steppes of Russia! This, nevertheless, does not stop many golfers from coming from afar to play on the renowned winter greens, often cited as almost as good as Rye’s.

After an opening par five that does not claim as many birdies as perhaps it might when played later on as the 10th, the quality of every hole here is exemplary. A course on which a match can be lost from dormy seven-up suggests an examination befitting a Cambridge University entrance paper and, of course, this is where C.U.G.C. have made their home.

Frank Pennink, himself a dark blue man, considered that the light blues had an inestimable advantage in being able to practice on these keen greens and tight lies that taught them to discard the lofted club in favour of their putter, or a straight-faced club, for work around the green.

The Cambridge Captains’ board hangs in the traditional clubhouse with Harry Colt himself appearing in the year 1889, as the first Captain.

The second hole (224 yards) has a true, upturned saucer green requiring a delicate bump and run for most players to extract their par of three.

The rumpled and pinched third fairway, over an old fashioned cross bunker, requires an accurate drive to give you a fair chance with your second shot at staying on the green. Failing this, one is hard-pressed or forced to be very creative to achieve a par four on this 360 yard teaser.

The fourth has been gradually extended over the years and the present tee dates from the 1970s. It may not be a great hole and there used to be a pond short of the incline protecting the green but, as this hole is all about catching the bounce correctly on the summit, the pond whether there or not, should not come into it - unlike the little stream beside and behind the green.

Donald Steel had the short fifth as his 5th in his Sunday Telegraph Dream golf course and described it
as a vaulting horse. It is so idiosyncratic in the middle of the round that it fastens everything else in place.

In the 1930s Churchmans published a set of golfing cigarette cards, each having a light-hearted commentary by Bernard Darwin on a particular hole. His commentary on the fifth at Worlington is as good a description of this iconic hole as any I have read:

“Mr Everyman made quite a good shot - that is admitted. He was unlucky when the ball kicked down into the left-hand valley but that was no reason why he should get so cross and bang the next across the green into the right-hand valley. He took five. Mr Tiger was rather strong and nearly in the fir trees. He could not get his downhill putt dead - four. Mr Rabbit half topped his drive straight and short. He ran up in two and got a three. ‘Discretion is the better part of valour’, said Mr Rabbit. A good hole if you know how to play it.”

Then come two strong par fours of over 450 yards in opposite directions, with the third short hole giving some relief, squeezed between.

The ninth hole (317 yards) typifies Worlington’s unique charm and sense of fun. A stream running across and alongside the fairway has claimed many balls topped or sliced although 1986 saw a hole in one achieved via a tree. Another less fortunate golfer saw his ball be carried away on a hay truck that appeared on the road in front of the green, later dropping it off 300 yards down the first hole!

The photo shows my Labrador Dexter surveying the green where his namesake, a Cambridge blue at cricket and golf - still winning long driving competitions in the South of France in the week of his 75th birthday! - drove this green with a three-iron on occasion.

Boxer Cannon, a stalwart of the club, almost unbeatable round here and the inventor of the ‘Pink Jug’, a local champagne cocktail often imbibed by those looking for a good time at Worlington, was once watching from behind the 9th. The unfortunate player having to putt down the slope and seeing the ball roll on and on, might well have heeded Cannon’s remark: “stroke it with the toe of the putter”.

There are too many interesting characters associated with Worlington to mention them all but the eccentric John Morrison, a treble Cambridge blue at cricket, football and golf - and winner of 31 out of 32 Halford-Hewitt matches when partnering Henry Longhurst in the 1930s, can be mentioned with relevance to the present.

It was John who was primarily responsible for the design of the Burma Road course at Wentworth while a partner in Harry Colt’s golf architect business in the 1920s. Of late, some have suggested that classic golf courses should be protected from rampant change by treating them like listed houses but, whether one agrees or not, the ‘through the air’ philosophy behind the new Wentworth West Course design has little in keeping with Morrison’s original fast running, strategic, heathland format.

The maintenance of the Worlington course has allowed a build-up of thatch (dead grass roots between the soil and the top, living grass) on the fairways, which at last is being aggressively tackled and improvement is already showing. Also the turf on the remodelled, rounded bunkers is having difficulty in taking but this should only be a short-term problem. Nevertheless, the greens remain true and let’s hope the dry, fast-running nature of the course is preserved. Gordon Irvine ( nicknamed Jim Arthur’s heir) is now helping advise so we can have some confidence.

One famous writer succinctly summarised such greenkeeping methods that worked in the past as “a minimum of watering, no fertiliser and plenty of common sense”. Perhaps ” lots of aeration” could be also usefully added.

Worlington has a depth of character and toughness that can get inside the brain. How one deals with its challenge can alarm any golfer used to ‘target’ golf but those who wish to be examined in every aspect of golf will love this club, (which is predominantly two ball play), that looks oh so innocent but can be ruthless and unforgiving.

On one occasion a passer-by enquired about the state of relations between some foursomes partners who were in a match six-down on the 13th ; he was met with the epigrammatic reply: “Strained; bearable; repairable.”

The centenary (1993) history book of Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Club is called “The Sacred Nine”, as befits the description of the finest nine-hole club in the world. John Gillum’s book (recently reprinted in hardback) draws on the writings of Cambridge University golf blues Bernard Darwin, Henry Longhurst, Pat Dickinson, Laddie Lucas, Leonard Crawley and Donald Steel. It contains so many anecdotes from so many characters of amateur golf that there seems more history per hole than at any other club in England. It is the most enjoyable read of any centenary book I have yet come across (and that includes those wonderful books covering Hoylake, Swinley Forest and Walton Heath) and if the visiting golfer can get hold of a copy before playing, their enjoyment will be even more enhanced.

Reviewed by Lorne Smith 2010.

On July 19th, 2010 Michael Estorick Said:

Worlington is as nice a place to play as anywhere ( as distinct from its obvious quality as a course). I love the feeling that you can just keep going round and round, though this might be some peoples idea of hell!.
Finnigan, the American writer, slates it, thinks its grossly overrated and just doesn’t get it, but he probably thinks Pine Valley a great CLUB (as distinct from course).
He also thinks Pennard, the ‘links in the sky’, one of the 20 best courses in the world. He’s probably never tried to organise a match there ( the locals don’t turn up!). How often do we rate a course where we play badly (and vice versa)?

Dear Michael,
Its always exciting to hear your experienced views. Thank you for contributing.
Best wishes, Lorne

On July 19th, 2010 John Hannah Said:

I’ve played this wonderful course on several occasions, most enjoyably in the match against the Cambridge Stymies, and most memorably the 54 holes played with Bob Garrett on my 54th birthday.
Perhaps we’ll meet again on my 72nd - although as it falls in October, daylight rather than stamina might be against us.

Details

1. Your Name(required)
2. Your Email(valid email required)
3. Your Website
4. Your Comment(required)
5. Send as
6. regular comment email to post author
7. Enter characters opposite

Optional Information

1. Address
2. Golf Club Membership
3. Golf Handicap
4. Age 0-20 21-40 41-60 61+

 

cforms contact form by delicious:days