The historic St George’s Hill club in Weybridge, Surrey, has appointed local design firm Thomson, Perrett & Lobb to conduct a strategic review of its Green nine, with a view to commencing a long-term renovation programme.
The club’s goal is to strengthen the Green nine (already a delightful 9 holes of golf) to bring it closer in style to that of the Red and Blue nines, Colt’s famous 1913 creation.
While the layout of the Green nine has changed over the years, some elements of Colt’s work remain, and TPL principal Tim Lobb says his aim is to retain them, and indeed put original features back wherever possible.
“You’d have to be pretty arrogant to believe you were a better golf architect than Harry Colt, so we are making great efforts to identify what of his course remains, or could be restored,” he said. “But there are elements of the course that do need improvement, and we have a variety of ideas that could make it better. St George’s Hill is one of England’s greatest golf clubs, designed by its greatest architect, and it’s a privilege to be able to work here. We shall propose a range of options to the club and then sit down to decide the best approach.”
Club secretary Barry Hill said: “We interviewed a number of architects before deciding to appoint TPL for this project. TPL have the experience and the reputation and importantly for us they are local. We are not in a hurry, but we do want to formulate our plans and build these into our overall strategic objectives. We are a forward thinking club.”
Lobb has asked Adam Lawrence, editor of Golf Course Architecture magazine, to consult on the project. “My objective is to help keep any work as faithful as possible to Colt’s original work, while ensuring the course remains the best possible golfing experience for both members and visitors,” he said.
Thomson Perrett & Lobb
Thomson Perrett & Lobb is the golf course design firm founded by Peter Thomson (five times Open Champion) based in Surrey, UK. The principals of Thomson Perrett & Lobb have more than 80 years of experience in golf course design and a portfolio of more than 200 projects in more than 30 countries worldwide.
It is a multi-disciplined organisation actively involved in golf course design, course restorations, master planning, architecture and landscape architecture. The firm’s experienced design team have been involved with some of the most highly rated and successful golf projects around the world.
TPL is working on a number of high profile golf clubs in the Surrey and London area.
St George’s Hill www.stgeorgeshillgolfclub.co.uk
Thomson Perrett & Lobb www.tpl.eu.com