Little known gem deserves our attention

A rare case of a friendly round which turned into an eye opener

A Stanford University study suggests that the number of novels published in the English language could be as many as five million. That’s quite a lot. Even if you read three a week for sixty years you’d only get through just under 0.2 percent of them. Despite this I’m prepared to wager that only one novelist has ever listed their address as being in a bunker.

The Sixth Bunker

Addington

is what PG Wodehouse wrote in 1926 below the preface to his novel The Heart of a Goof.

The bunker in question, just short and right of the sixth green is indeed formidable. It’s perfectly possible that a frustrated golfer might conclude, after many failed attempts to extricate their ball, that it might be quicker to write, well at least one chapter of a novel if not a complete book, than to stay there trying in vain to surmount the steep high bank which towers above them, blocking all view of the green.

Wodehouse was only one of many famous members of The Addington, to give the Club its full title. Others included Bernard Darwin, Henry Longhurst and King George VI. The latter granted royal patronage to the Club in 1937 and this only expired on his death in 1952, four days after The Addington’s clubhouse was totally destroyed by fire. In the 1930s the Club was particularly fashionable among London’s women as well as men and Rolls Royce was allegedly the most frequently seen make of car in the car park.

When I played there a couple of weeks ago it was only my second visit. The first was in the distant past, before Tom Doak’s shrewd classic The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses was published. I was therefore unaware of its future inclusion in his Gourmet’s Choice. My dim recollection now of what I thought at the time is that I rather dismissed it as a course probably more famous for its past glories than its current excellence. But I’d heard glowing accounts of recent improvements so an invitation to revisit from Mark Batten, past Captain and current Treasurer of Royal St George’s, was readily accepted.

Our four was made up by Lance Morrish, another good friend and RSG grandee, and David Home, a long suffering foursomes partner of mine whose hard work as Chairman of North Berwick is now achieving remarkable results. The match was a friendly four ball with honour rather than money at stake, ideal for a day when studying changes to the course was a significant part of our purpose.

It was soon apparent that the reports of a complete transformation were no exaggeration. The first striking change, apparent at once on arrival, is the effect of the very extensive tree removal programme. At last, the amazing all round views from the magnificently located course, which have been hidden for decades by trees on all sides and lining almost every hole, are suddenly now visible. Canary Wharf, the Shard and many other city landmarks a dozen miles away are clear to see in the distance.

Nor are the the benefits of cutting down trees confined to the better views. The holes themselves are substantially improved and their attractive heathland setting more easily appreciated. A Golf Monthly photograph of the 13th, accessible online, illustrates this clearly.

To understand what’s been happening at The Addington it helps to be aware of its history. The South African born course architect John Frederick Abercromby, an excellent golfer, had made his name with his design of Worplesdon which opened in 1908. Thereafter, aiming to build a rival to Sunningdale, Walton Heath and Woking on the outskirts of London, construction began and the Addington Golf Syndicate Limited was incorporated in 1913.

World War 1 delayed the formation of the Club and the official opening of the course until 1919 when Abercomby, the de facto founder, was made Chairman. After building the course he was so taken with it that he continued to live there and never left it, remaining a benevolent dictator until his death in 1935.

Credit is also due to Harry Colt, whose help was enlisted by Abercromby and whose role is now underplayed, though a photo of him inspecting the newly constructed 13th hole in 1914 is shown on the Club’s website. It’s interesting to note that when Bernard Darwin visited the site during construction he reported that “20 years ago a golf architect would never have chosen the heavily wooded hill for the course, and its construction was a massive undertaking, employing 500 navies to clear 1500 trees and 700 barrow loads of stones”. Plus ca change.

In 1922 Darwin paid The Addington an unusual tribute, saying “The ideal which all great golf architects set before them in laying out a course is to reproduce as closely as far as possible the best features of links and to adapt them to inland conditions. Mr Abercromby has achieved this here”.

A second course, the “New” opened in 1923. By this time a new firm whose partners were Herbert Fowler, Abercomby, Tom Simpson and Arthur Croome had been established. The Addington’s New Course was their first project and was highly regarded. Alas the demands of World War 2 meant that it was taken over by the government in 1944 for development in order to alleviate the post-war housing shortage and it was compulsorily purchased from the Club in 1945.

In 1958 control of The Addington passed to a family who regarded the course as Abercromby’s masterpiece which should never be altered. Although this judgment was understandable it overlooked the real nature of golf courses which is that they are like living organisms. If left unmanaged nature gradually encroaches and they tend to deteriorate. Fortunately in 2006 control changed hands again, this time to the Noades family who already owned several commercially run golf courses.

In the words of Ryan Noades, a qualified charted surveyor who is now the current Managing Director, The Addington is “cut from different cloth” compared with the other courses they own. A decision was therefore made five years ago restore it as a top quality course. A long chat with Ryan following my round demonstrated clearly that he is very well suited to overseeing this process which is being assisted by Clayton Devries & Pont.

It is not in the least surprising that it’s been described as “the best restoration project in Britain”. I am sure that Abercromby, Colt and the others who were responsible for shaping its original layout would give it a resounding round of applause if they saw it today. Space doesn’t allow me to describe individual holes in detail but the illustrated guide available on Golf Club Atlas is excellent.

I wish Ryan and his team every success in their endeavours. The Addington deserves to join the select group of courses near London which all serious golfing visitors should play. I look forward to watching their progress towards this goal and it will enhance the attraction of southeast England as a golf destination.

ENDS and an apology for the lateness of this post.