Gopher Watch Competition – January 2024
October’s issue saw Sandy paying a visit to Dr Alister MacKenzie’s lovely Cavendish course in Buxton, in the north of England.
Built in the early 1920s for the Duke of Devonshire (whose family name is Cavendish), the course was mostly ignored for years, principally because its back tees stretched only just over 5,700 yards. After enthusiastic championing by the likes of Tom Doak, though, it has been accepted for what it is, a wonderful little example of MacKenzie’s genius, and a fixed feature in lists of Britain’s best courses.
The par-four tenth, where Sandy was photographed, lies at the bottom of the course, and is one of the best holes on the course. Andrew Oliver, a member of St Anne’s Old Links, spotted the hole and wins the coveted GCA shirt.
For this issue, Sandy is pictured at one of England’s hidden gems, so a clue is probably in order. The course was originally laid out by Cecil Hutchison and more recently, as the club approached its 100th anniversary, Ken Moodie oversaw bunker remodelling work.
Know where Sandy is and fancy a shirt? Answers to gopher@golfcoursearchitecture.net.