Short But Sweet: An English Gem

Filed in archive Golf Courses on October 20, 2007

The 1st at West Hill

In 1907, a Scottish professional named Cuthbert Butchart was commissioned to build a golf course just outside Guildford in Surrey, England.

Butchart created West Hill Golf Club, which opened in 1909. The club was the inspiration of a Mrs. Marguerite Lubbock, a keen golfer who, being a woman, was not allowed to be a member at any of the existing clubs.

So she built her own on land that was originally slated to be a cemetery.

I had occasion during my recent visit to the United Kingdom to spend an hour at the club, chatting with long-time head pro, Guy Shoesmith.

Guy is in his late 30s and began playing golf as a young boy. It just so happens that he played at West Hill.

Guy told me that the length of the course (just over 6350 yards) had not changed much in the past 70 or 80 years. What keeps this layout challenging is the amount of heather (see opening photo) and some well situated water hazards.




In fact, West Hill ranks at number 38 in top courses in England and number 85 in courses in the British Isles (which includes Scotland and Ireland, don't forget).

So challenging is the course that it has hosted major tournaments including the 1989 Senior British PGA Championship and the 1995 British Club Pro championship, a tournament that selects English club pros to compete with other European club pros against the American club pro champions in the PGA Cup.

This is a tournament held every two years, like the Ryder Cup. This year saw the American side win it by a single point over the European squad.

While the length of West Hill has remained much as Butchart laid it out in 1907, there are new elements like a modernized irrigation system in 1981 and reprofiled bunkers with superior sand, a project begun in 1999 and now complete.

It's not a long course but it boasts what many English golf authorities, Henry Cotton among them, claim is the toughest par 3 in the land, the 15th hole, a 212 yard tester.




For someone from "across the pond", I found West Hill to have a much different look to the courses I've played in North America. It's not as manicured; the clubhouse is not grandiose but more like an enlarged bungalow; there are only two or three power carts available to rent - this is a walker's course. But there is heather and there are trees - plenty of them!

If there's a studied, old-fashioned quality to West Hill, the pro shop where Guy Shoesmith runs the show, is completely modern. Guy is a believer in today's modern equipment but he has a tried-and-true method of club fitting. He watches his customer hit balls at the range, assesses the ball flight and determines the best shaft and loft for that customer.

I asked Guy if he wanted a launch monitor to assist his decision making. He said, " If I had infinite funds, then I'd have all those gizmos because people like technology. It's a bit of fun, as well".

I wandered out to the first tee where a couple of the younger members - two lads around 19 - were teeing off. The first hole is a forced carry over some dangerous heather to a rather narrow landing area about 200 yards out. Both used mid-irons and made nice swings but, being the first hole, pulled their tee shots into the tree line down the left side. They easily cleared the heather, though.

A good opener, that first hole. And a fine way to start a round at a classic old English course, if you ask me.