TPL wins St George's Hill project

27 June 2012

The former third hole on the New course

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 to bring it closer in style to that of the Red and Blue nines, Harry Colt’s famous 1913 creation. While the layout of the Green nine, formerly Colt’s eighteen hole New course, built in 1935, has changed over the years, some elements of his 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.”

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 asked GCA editor Adam Lawrence 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.