The creation – Fowler and Braid

Walton Heath is synonymous with two greats of the golfing world: Herbert Fowler and James Braid. The former was the designer and brought us the two wonderful heathland courses. The latter was the first club professional who not only won The Open 5 times but also created numerous great courses himself. Without them we likely would not have a course which consistently ranks in the Top 100 in the World, has counted among its members royalty and parliamentarians and that has hosted major international events.

Fowler’s involvement is most interesting. He was primarily a cricketer, playing for his native Somerset, but was introduced to golf at Westward Ho! He became a proficient player and by the close of the 19th century he held memberships with both the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and the R&A. Walton Heath was, however, his first design project. It seems that Fowler was encountering some financial difficulties and his brother-in-law, Cosmo Bonsor, recommended that he filed for bankruptcy. Bonsor was also responsible for Fowler being put in the frame to create the new course.

The “Old” course opened in 1903 and the “New” followed 4 years later. Braid joined as the first professional at Walton Heath in 1904. He held almost legendary status within the golfing profession and his start was at it zenith in the first 11 years of the 20th century. Four of his Open victories came during his tenure at Walton Heath and in the period to 1911 he also won the News of the World Matchplay 4 times and the French Open. This all added to Walton Heath’s rise in stature and popularity.

Mixing with the aristocracy

The early membership consisted numerous politicians and royalty. The club can count among its former members 4 Prime Ministers (including Lloyd George and Winston Churchill) and Edward, Prince of Wales. The Prince was the first club Captain in 1935 and still held the role when he ascended to the throne in 1936, making Walton Heath the only club to have a reigning monarch as its captain. Shortly after his abdication, his brother (now King George VI) became the patron of Walton Heath.

Despite the list of more famous members, probably the most celebrated member is Earnest Holderness. He was a member for 55 years and during that time won the Amateur Championship in 1922 and 1924. Holderness was a senior civil servant and became a baronet in 1924. Sir Earnest played in the Walker Cup on three occasions and would surely have played more had it not been for the pressures of work. He also won numerous club competitions and medals, many of which are still on display in the clubhouse. He later co-founded the Surrey County Union and was instrumental in supporting the creation of the English Golf Union in 1924.

The Old Course at Walton Heath

Today I am playing the Old Course. This ranks at 90 in The World Top 100 list and at 10 in the Top 100 in England. I had played both the Old and New Courses before, but not at a stage when I was sufficiently competent to enjoy them. I remembered the course being quite difficult and long, but I hoped that with a little more control in my game it might prove to be easier this time round. Accordingly, I was very much looking forward to this and was particularly pleased to be playing with one of my closest friends, JB.

My recollection of the course was that the first hole was very different from the remainder and that once you got across the road, the heather and the bunkers really placed a premium on accuracy. Beyond that, my only strong memory was of the par 3 17th on which I witnessed my first ever hole in one. Sadly, it was not my ball nor was it even one of my group. We had gone back out after lunch to play the New Course and waited on the 2nd tee box whilst two teenage girls teed off on the 17th. They clearly did not appreciate having spectators and they both hurried off as soon as the second ball was in the air. We watched with amazement as it pitched 2 feet from the hole and spun back in.

Matchplay

JB and I would play matchplay. JB is a much more naturally talented golfer than me, but having two small children restricts his opportunities to play. I have therefore had a bit more time to improve my consistency and usually give him a few shots. The last time we played I lost 6&5 having given him 4 shots, so we decided that 2 shots would be sufficient. We had a look at the card and decided that the purple tees (stretching to over 7300 yards) were too long

The Front 9

Hole 1

As I mentioned above, the first hole is a bit of an outlier. The general layout around the clubhouse and the 1st on the Old is certainly non-standard. To get to the first tee, you must cross the entrance drive where there is a small chipping/putting area and then a small back-road. The first hole is set in its own field, with the backroad behind the tee box and the main road to the right. It is a long par 3 and at 230 yards requires a very good hit. The green is quite generous, but with bunkers left and right, you need to be straight if you are going to find the putting surface.

I teed off first and hit a straight, high 3-wood which landed softly and ran onto the front of the green. Given my propensity for a right miss (and the proximity of the road) this was a huge relief! JB went straight at the flag and looked to have hit a dreamy opening shot. Unfortunately, it had carried the bunker, hit the downslope and run through the green into the brambles. I misjudged my first putt and left myself a tricky return putt that I was unable to convert. JB got up and down, but with a penalty stroke, and so my 3-putt bogey was good enough to get me one up.

Hole 2

Once you have navigated the tricky road crossing (cars come along here at 50mph), the full extent of the course opens out before you. This is the heathland on which you have come to play. The next 5 holes are all par 4s and with 3 of them stretching out beyond 425 yards you will need your A game to score well.

The 2nd is the longest, but the tee shot plays down hill and you can take advantage of the hard fairways and get some good run. The fairways are links in style and when it has been dry will get very bouncy. The hole bends sharply to the right at the bottom of the hill and then plays uphill to the hole. The tee shot should be down the right side of the fairway, as anything too straight or left can run out in tho the trees. The green is large and can take as much as 3 clubs difference from front to back.

We both hit terrific tee shots which ran out to about 280 yards, leaving around 170 to the middle of the green. I hit first and was pin high, but just off the green on the left. JB had better direction, but came up a little short. I left my first putt short and was unable to convert for par. JB chipped on and comfortably two-putted. Halved in bogey 5s.

Hole 3

This is the best scoring opportunity on the front 9 and at 289 yards is potentially drivable. The fairway is, however, quite narrow, and the trees come into play on the left side. This, combined with the wide strip of heather on the right, forced us both to play for position. The fairway narrows dramatically as you get to the green and there is a huge bunker with a steep lip on the left.

The green is protected by another deep bunker on the front right and is comparably small. It is, however, still perfectly possible to hide the pin in a corner and make it a tricky two-putt.

Even having taken clubs for position, we did not fare particularly well – I went left and JB went right. We both had decent approaches and I just about found the putting surface. The pin today was tucked away in the back right and so my approach to the front of the green was not particularly helpful. Another 3-putt followed and we halved in bogeys.

Hole 4

The 4th is a stonking par 4 that has numerous hazards and a difficult green. The bunkering is exquisite and totally brutal. What is worse is that they come into play on every shot, which will be different depending on the wind. The hole measures 440 yards from the white tees and there is no down-slope to help you out here. It is flat the whole way. There is a huge centre fairway bunker at about 260 yards and another on the right at 170 yards.

There are three more strategically placed as you make your way to the green. The entrance to the green narrows dramatically and the green itself has a run-off and collection area on the left and to the back. If the pin is on the left hand side, forget it and aim at the middle of putting surface. This is stroke index 1 for good reason.

I hit another good drive, but was so far back that I decided to lay up. I left myself a perfect yardage at 100 yards and took dead aim at the pin. Today the pin was on the left side of the green and I pulled it just a fraction and ended up in the collection area. Short-sided and with no way to stop the ball, my chip ran 25 feet past the pin – three putts later, I had lost the hole and was pretty frustrated!

Hole 5

This is probably the best hole on the front 9 and certainly has the best green. The fairway slopes from right to left and feeds everything towards the heather and gorse on the left. There is a long thin bunker on the right edge of the fairway that will collect anything that is carrying slice spin. The approach plays slightly downhill to a brilliantly undulating green that is protected by bunkers left, right and short. The green has a false front and a number of individual shelves. There are no flat putts on this green!

I hit another good drive, this time up the left edge of the fairway which ran out to about 230 yards, leaving a 7-iron into the green. JB tugged his drive a little bit left and was unlucky to end up in a gorse bush. It was particularly frustrating as the provisional drive he hit had taken the slope and ran out to nearly 300 yards! I found the putting surface in two, but my woeful putting left me walking off with a 5 again. It was just good enough to win the hole.

Hole 6

The last of the long par 4s (for now) runs in the same direction as the previous 3. If these holes are playing into the wind they are absolutely ferocious. Today, it was not too bad, but there was just enough wind to make it difficult. The bunkers are up the left this time and pinch into the fairway at 210 yards and 245 yards. Heather flanks the right hand side for the length of the hole. A pot bunker with a steep lip protects the left edge of the green and the right side is encircled by a small mound.

I lashed my drive up the left side and it stayed there, nestling down into the second cut of rough. On the plus side, I had avoided the bunkers. JB hit a cracking drive up the right side and was level with the second bunker. A couple of poor shots later and I had air-mailed the green leaving a very difficult chip back on. JB was just on the bank in 2 and in total control of the hole. He calmly chipped on and 2-putted for a well made bogey. Back to all-square.

Hole 7

The second par 3 was in total contrast to the first. At just over 170 yards, it is the shortest hole on the course and it looks pretty innocuous. The design is very simple: it requires a shot over the heather to a pear drop green which slopes gently from right to left. The protection is one long thin bunker on the right.

JB nailed a short iron into the middle of the green and watched as it curled gently round from right to left and fed down to the back left pin. Best approach of the day so far! I made it look even better by chunking my tee shot into the wispy heather that I had just had to negotiate on the previous hole. Fortunately, I made a better fist of this and nudged a wedge into the middle of the green. With JB safely negotiating the downhill 10 footer, leaving a tap-in par, I went one down for the first time.

Hole 8

As we walked to the tee box from the 7th green, we realised why we were not playing the purple tees. On this hole, they are way back adding nearly 100 yards to create a hole just shy of 600 yards. There is loads of space to the right off the tee, you may end up in the heather, but it is far better than the other alternative. The bushes and trees encroach from the left and it really makes the tee box feel quite narrow. It isn’t narrow at all, but if you get that into your head it is difficult to get the thought back out.

In all honestly, if you can’t shape the ball from right to left, the better play is to go to the widest bit of the fairway in front of the bunker on the right. From there the hole straightens and you play towards the noise (the M25 is now on full volume). The first fairway bunker runs out at 215 yards, the second 115 ahead of that and the third is another 80 yards on. Whilst a lay-up may be the safe play off the tee, you are now left with a difficult decision for your approach. Ideally, you need to hit 175 yards to the middle of the fairway. When they are running as fast as they often do, this is not easy to judge!

The green has bunkers guarding the front right and left and there is a little thicket of trees on the right of the green. This may look just like a nice feature but it is definitely in play if you lash a 3-wood for your second and end up leaking it a little bit right. Chipping through the trees and over the bunker is not easy.

Two down

We both made a bit of mess of this hole. As you might have guessed from my comments above, I pumped one straight left into the bushes. JB scuffed one straight and just about made it to the fairway. My provisional was possibly the best drive I hit all day, but like JB on the 5th, I found my original ball! It was unplayable, so I took it back to the tee and pumped it straight back into the trees. Two down.

Hole 9

The one advantage of losing a hole off the tee that is 500 yards long is that by the time you get to the next hole, you have basically forgotten about it! The 9th is a comparatively gentle close to the front 9. The M25 is particularly loud and as I looked at my distance app, I realised it was literally the other side of the bushes. The fairway has a kink that pushes you right and then plays back to the left. There are no bunkers until you get to the green, but the two that protect it are quite penal.

I got my head back on pretty quickly and after JB had leaked his drive out to the right, I was back on track and onto the right side of the fairway. I made a mess of my approach from the perfect spot and pushed it into the rough right of the bunker. We both chipped onto the green and had two putts to share the hole in 5s.

So, JB stays 2-up going into the back 9.

The Back 9

Hole 10

The 10th is a deceptive hole. It is just shy of 400 yards, but the tee shot is slightly down hill and so it does not play as long. There is a fairway bunker on the left at about 220 yards, but the real trouble lies on the right. Not only will you be hampered by the heather and wispy rough, the approach will be blocked by the trees. There are two further bunkers protecting the green and they are in play if you either have to lay-up or are approaching from the right. The green is nearly 40 yards long, but only 20 yards wide.

JB went right off the tee and was in a bit of trouble behind the trees. I hit a decent tee shot and was just off the right side of the fairway. I had left myself about 170 to the middle of the green and nailed my rescue club. JB wasn’t able to get back out to the fairway and the ball dropped into a grassy bunker, meaning he had to play out sideways. He had not seen my approach and was a little surprised to see my ball lying 4 feet from the flag! For once, the flat-stick behaved and I drained the birdie putt to claw a hole back.

Hole 11

The first short hole on the back 9 is a cracker. It plays at around 185 yards and is slightly down hill. Four bunkers encircle the green and encourage you to miss long. If you do, the green slopes away from back to front and will feed the ball back towards the bunkers.

I went long left, chipped close and tidied up for a par 3. JB missed right and was on in two, but couldn’t convert for par. Back to all square.

Hole 12

The 12th is the shortest par 4 on the back nine and is a good chance to score some points. The fairway is split by the path, so you need to decide whether to lay up or try and clear it. The approach is played to a narrow green that is only about 14 yards wide. There is a large bunker at the front and two smaller bunkers protecting the back.

We had been followed through the last few holes by a couple of members who were clearly in a rush. They were playing from the back (purple) tees and we decided this was the time to let them through. We teed off whilst they were finish gin up on the previous green. I hit a good 3-wood to the edge of the first part of the fairway and JB took the tiger line. Neither of us had far in, but we both left our approaches a little short. I had a 4 footer for par, but it was down the hill and I was a bit tentative. Halved in 5s.

Hole 13

Back to back par 5s follow. I have discussed consecutive par 5s before and on further consideration I think that this is quite a good feature. It certainly works here.

The first of them, the 13th, is a beast. It stretches out to 522 yards from the white tees and has a wicked dog-leg from left to right. The fairway is no more than 15 yards wide at the point of the dog-leg, with a bunker pinching in from the right side. There is a further bunker at the ideal lay-up area and then two further bunkers protecting the green. The fairway continues to curve round from left to right even after the corner of the dog-leg.

Now, this type of hole should suit my left-to-right shape, but in the past I would have struggled as I would have tried to cover too much off the tee. The ideal play is to be up the left hand side of the fairway off the tee and then to send a low-running-fade up the left edge of the fairway with your second. Remarkably, today I achieved precisely that: driver off the tee and driver off the deck for the second. I had covered around 480 yards with my first two and left myself about 40 yards into the green. JB hit a good drive, but then went a bit too far right with his second. He recovered well and was on the green in 4, but couldn’t beat my par 5.

Hole 14

In contrast to the 13th, the 14th hole is arrow-straight. Bunkers punctuate the fairway at awkward moments and they are off-set to ensure that there is a trap in play whether you are into or with the wind. The ideal line of the tee is up the left and you need about 200 yards to cover the left bunker. Once over that, you get a little assistance from a gentle down-slope. The green is large (at about 50 yards from front to back), so check the pin position before you play your approach.

I dutifully followed the advice I have given about and drove up the left just covering the bunker. JB went right and commenced battle with the heather. My driver off the deck wasn’t quite as effective here, but even the slight mishit carried far enough to leave me with a short iron to the green. I didn’t find the putting surface, but chipped close and another par was good enough to win the hole. Two-up.

Hole 15

The 15th is stroke index 2, which I suspect is primarily for its length. It is a par 4 that measures just under 410 yards. Again, it is the bunkering that stands out on this hole. The fairway slopes slightly from left to right and fees everything towards the three fairway traps. A thin horizontal bunker lying across the fairway just short of the green makes the perspective on the second shot a little difficult. You really just have to trust your yardage.

Another fairway in regulation for me, as I fire one up the right side. JB has hit well and out-driven me, but his ball has just run into the heather on the left. My approach is a little wayward as I push the ball out to the right with my 3-wood. We both manage to secure bogey 5s, but with a shot JB has the hole and reduces the margin back to 1.

Hole 16

The closing three holes at Walton Heath are perhaps my favourite. A Par 5, Par 3, Par 4 closing combination is perfect in my view. These three are also the most picturesque holes on the course.

The 16th is a par 5 that measures out to 510 yards and after a straight tee shot, gently curves round from right to left. The bunkers are all adorned with heather and have steep lips. None more so than the huge green-side bunker which we had spotted early on in the round (looking back from the 4th tee box). The tee shot should be played to the right side of the fairway and then the lay-up to the centre between the two bunkers. The green is slightly raised and has a steep fall-away at the front that will feed anything short either back to the fairway or into the bunker.

My remarkable run of consistent golf continued, as I hit a good drive up the right, a 3-wood to leave about 50 yards and pitched onto the green to give myself another look at birdie. JB played the hole well, but left his approach a little short and with mine in close was chasing the hole. Another par was good enough to take me 2-up with two to play.

Hole 17

The 180 yard par 3 is a picture perfect hole. From the tee box, the green is framed by trees on both side and is raised above the run-offs and bunkers. You can always tell which are the holes that the members like, as there is usually a solitary bench behind the green! They have reshaped the bunker on the 17th since the first time that I played it, when the bunker covered the entire front of the green. The new design frames the hole much better than before. The green slopes slightly from back to front and then steeply once you reach the front edge.

I drilled a 4-iron to the back edge of the green and was delighted once again to be on the putting surface. JB got on in two and had given himself a chance of making par. I hit a positive putt that trundled straight down the hill and never left the hole. I will confess that it was a little quicker than I had anticipated and so the ball was carrying more speed that needed, but it hit the flag flush and dropped for a birdie 2. Game over.

Hole 18

So, we stood on the 18th tee the match was over, but we realised that I had a chance to play the back 9 in level par (gross). This was not something I had achieved before and so I was suddenly quite nervous (and excited) at the prospect.

The 18th plays slightly up hill and has two fairway bunkers up the left. The fairway is narrow and gets narrower as you get further up towards the green. There is another horizontal cross bunker, this time covering the entire width of the fairway about 50 yards short of the green. The green has banks on the edges which create run-offs into the corners and is protected by bunkers on each side.

I hit another good drive, but went a little bit left towards the first bunker. At 240 yards and uphill, I was hopeful that I had not quite reached it. JB went right and was just into the heather. From there he laid up in front of the cross-bunker. I had 175 yards into the green and had just skirted left of the bunker, but had a slightly iffy lie between the heather. The head-cover came off the rescue club and I got a clean strike on the ball, it was pin high but just out to the right of the bunker. I would have to get up and down from there to make par. I pitched on and left myself 8 feet, but slightly over-read the putt and left it just wide.

Final thoughts

The Old Course at Walton Heath is a classic. It is rugged yet manicured, long yet playable and testing yet fair. From looking at the course map you might think that there are lots of similar holes, but each plays differently and requires a range of skills. I can fully understand why this has featured in the World Top 100 every year since the lists were started. The opening par 3 will always be a bit of a mystery and it is not much fun having to navigate the road with a golf trolley, but once you are into the main part of the course it is truly wonderful.

I am lucky enough to have played it on 3 occasions now, though never as well as I did last week, and I have just had an invitation to go back next week. This is a course I could play over and over again.