SOS Appeal To England, World: Old Tom And MacKenzie's Cleeve Hill Set For Closure
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Leigh Boobyer reported a couple of weeks ago on the non-renewal of the wonderfully bizarre and historic Cleeve Hill Golf Club, a place that has to be seen to be believed (video below). A second story by Boobyer reports the plan is to tear down the clubhouse and return the course “to the natural state of flower-rich limestone grassland".
The unique word gets thrown around a lot these days but if ever a course earned the name, it’s Cleeve Hill.
Check out this video posted by Cookie Jar Golf (and some of their other works) capturing the majesty of this original Old Tom Morris design, which enjoyed some touch up work by Alister MacKenzie.
This GolfClubAtlas discussion thread features an excellent summary of changes by Sean Arble. It details what’s left of Old Tom and MacKenzie’s work and more about the overall singularity of the place.
Also, an absolute must-listen is this podcast with architect Robin Hiseman and America’s Arble that covers the course, its place in the area, the architectural charm of Cleeve Hill, the maintenance and the “common ground” success of it for both golf and walkers.
