Next week will kick off in South England this year’s ‘To Heath & Links’ study tour with 70 leading golf architects (US, Australia, Europe). The study tour is organised by the European Institute of Golf Course Architects and supported by the Toro Company.
For those of us who are not familiar with this study tour, you should know that the ‘To Health & Links’ takes place every 3 years and involves golf course architecture associations of America, Australia and Europe.
In 2009 it was held in Australia where golf architects visited the Royal Melbourne, Royal Sydney and Kingston Heath golf clubs. In 2012, the American Society of Golf Course Architects were the hosts. In that year, participants visited The National Golf Links of America, Maidstone, Bethpage Black and Baltusrol.
The golf course architects will start at Sunningdale Golf Club (see picture below) with a tour of Harry Colt’s “Lost Holes”. There they will play a little bit on the New Course. The next station of the tour will be Herbert Fowler designed The Red Course at The Berkshire.
The final two days are dedicated to seaside golf on the Kent Coast playing at Royal St George’s and Royal Cinque Ports. Royal St George’s is famous for hosting 14 Open Championships (last time in 2011 when Darren Clarke won). Although Royal Cinque Ports hosted only 2 Open Championships it has an interesting history. In 1949 they were appointed to host the Open Championship, but the the golf course was flooded by the sea.
