HARRY S.COLT
HARRY S.COLT
Excerpt from the site “Rolex, the world’s top 1,000 golf courses,” and with its authorization
Harry Shapland Colt is considered to be a pioneer of modern architecture in Great Britain. Before embarking on a career in architecture, Colt, a trained legal expert, initially held the position of secretary at Sunningdale – a course designed by Park which he reshaped for the very first time.
Harry S. Colt, the first architect to systematically use a drawing board, put forward most of the architectural principles which govern “inland” courses. Before him, most layouts were very monotonous: the holes were as straight as an “i” and only differed from each other by their length. Moreover, they all finished with square-shaped greens. Bunkers, which were very often a meter deep, were filled with a fairly thick reddish substance and were always placed at right angles to the line of play.
Colt totally changed the aspect of courses, introducing curves and contours which obliged players to ask themselves at what spot they could cut them short… and he placed the bunkers in such a way as to punish the slightest off-target shot and to encourage players to think strategically.
Furthermore, more skilful players had to attain more difficult objectives. What is even more important, perhaps, is that Colt wanted his courses to blend in with the landscape as if they had always been there. In short, he wanted man’s intervention to be as discrete as possible.
Harry Shapland Colt always aimed to shape courses which would stand the test of time and which players would always enjoy playing again & again. He was a genius and he established standards which are still in force today.
A few figures:
Harry Colt designed more than 300 courses around the world, including 122 in Great Britain, 57 in the United States, 19 in Ireland and 12 in France.
48 of them, including Saint-Cloud Golf Club, are referenced in the Rolex Guide to the World’s Top 1,000 Golf Courses.
Harry S. Colt, the first architect to systematically use a drawing board, put forward most of the architectural principles which govern “inland” courses. Before him, most layouts were very monotonous: the holes were as straight as an “i” and only differed from each other by their length. Moreover, they all finished with square-shaped greens. Bunkers, which were very often a meter deep, were filled with a fairly thick reddish substance and were always placed at right angles to the line of play.
Colt totally changed the aspect of courses, introducing curves and contours which obliged players to ask themselves at what spot they could cut them short… and he placed the bunkers in such a way as to punish the slightest off-target shot and to encourage players to think strategically.
Furthermore, more skilful players had to attain more difficult objectives. What is even more important, perhaps, is that Colt wanted his courses to blend in with the landscape as if they had always been there. In short, he wanted man’s intervention to be as discrete as possible.
Harry Shapland Colt always aimed to shape courses which would stand the test of time and which players would always enjoy playing again & again. He was a genius and he established standards which are still in force today.
A few figures:
Harry Colt designed more than 300 courses around the world, including 122 in Great Britain, 57 in the United States, 19 in Ireland and 12 in France.
48 of them, including Saint-Cloud Golf Club, are referenced in the Rolex Guide to the World’s Top 1,000 Golf Courses.