Moortown and How to Play It

by Dr A. MacKenzie – The Fairway Magazine 1929

The Ryder Cup match is to be played at Moortown this year so a description of how to play the holes may be of interest to the readers of The Fairway magazine.

Moortown is essentially a course which is full of interesting strategical problems and on which the golfer is continually flirting with danger to obtain great rewards. The obvious route is usually the wrong route for the player who desires to obtain par figures. At most of the holes there are easy routes for the dubs who are content with fives, sixes and sevens, but hazardous routes for players who are attempting to get threes and fours.

The British professionals think they know the strategy of Moortown. This may be the reason why it has been chosen for the Ryder Cup match. If the American team wish to beat them, it is essential that they study the subtlety of the course or they will suffer the same feat as befell Gene Sarazen on the Portland course at Troon some years ago. Sarazen devoted his time to practicing on the old course at Troon and neglected the Portland course where the qualifying rounds were to be held. The Portland course has far more difficult strategic problems then the old course and although Sarazen was play magnificent golf at the time, he had not learned how to play the Portland course and justly deserved his fate.

Moortown is one of five courses adjoining each other including the first one I made, namely, Alwoodley. Unfortunately the committee will not allow competitions there, so it is not as well-known as it deserves to be.

About twenty years ago, shortly after I had constructed the Alwoodley golf course, a group of prospective golfers approached me with the idea of designing a golf course on the site where the present Moortown links exists. They said they had an option of a lease from Mr. George Lane Fox. I asked them how much money was available for the purpose. They told me they could not raise more than £100 ($500). I advised them to go ahead and said that I could make at least one hole for $500 and that this would be so good that it would bring in pots of money. I constructed the eighth hole, which has since become world famous, and is known as the Gibraltar hole. This hole created such a sensation, as it was palpably so much more spectacular than anything in the district, that they had no difficulty in raising £3,000 ($15,000) to construct the remainder of the course.
As Moortown was constructed twenty years ago so it remains in all material aspects today.

Shortly after the war a new committee was appointed and they, being determined to celebrate their election by so-called improvements of the course, proceeded to fill up certain hollows and make other changes in an effort to eliminate features they considered were unfair. The members, however, found that these alterations had detracted considerably from the interest and excitement of certain holes, and they rose in their wrath and demanded that things be put back as they were before. I was again consulted and requested to comply with their demand, so Moortown was restored to its former condition.
Moortown is a heathland course. The greater part of it was originally a heather bog full of large boulders with a hard pan considerably below the surface; in other situations the peat was so thick that drainage was an extremely difficult matter. In many places we had to dig through six to eight feet of peat before we could get a hard bottom of clay to lay the drain pipes on. In other sites we were unable to get sufficient fall for drainage if we went below the peat, so we had to content ourselves with laying the drain tiles on the top of planks. Notwithstanding great efforts made to drain the course with drain tiles, this was not completely successful, so we resorted to mole drainage on the top of the tile drains. This had the desired effect and now Moortown is as dry, in spite of its heavy sub-soil of clay as most sandy heathland courses.

We had many other difficult construction jobs at Moortown. From the eighth to the fourteenth holes was a heather bog without a blade of grass, so seeding appeared to be hopeless. Fortunately there was turf in a neighbouring field. We purchased this turf and sodded between twenty and thirty acres of fairways.

Moortown is an excellent course on which to hold a competition like the Ryder Cup match, although many people would consider that it is not so suitable for medal play.

There is an enormous variety in the holes; every shot has to be placed if par figures are desired. A player is always tempted to take big risks to obtain great rewards, but on the other hand the smallest slip might lead to disaster so great that his score for even a short hole might mount to double figures.

Description of the hole is as follows:

First Hole: – This was originally designed as a three-shot hole but in these days, it can be and not infrequently is reached in two shots. It is essential that the green be attacked from the left. So if it is desired to reach the green in two it is necessary to place the teeshot to this side. If, on the other hand, the wind is unfavourable and it is impossible to get up in two shots, then it is essential to place the second shot left so as to have an easy approach.

Second Hole: – The green is divided into two parts; there is a large hollow on the left and a plateau on the right. The hollow part is of an artificial appearance and is somewhat freakish. It was constructed when I was ill, so that I was unable to give it an adequate amount of supervision. If the flag is placed in the hollow it is comparatively easy hole to play, but if it is placed on the plateau, as I hope it will when the Ryder Cup is played at Moortown, very accurate placing of the tee shot to the left is required so as to make it possible to get one’s second near enough to the hole to have a reasonable putt for a three.

Third Hole: – In match play the hole should be cut on the left side of the green; this brings out the best features of the hole, as then it is desirable to go for the long carry on the right with one’s tee shot, so as to open up the hole for one’s second.

Fourth Hole: – This is the first of the one-shot holes. The shot varies according to the position of the pin.

Fifth Hole: – At this hole the flag should be placed to the right of the green. It is then advisable to go for the long carry over heather and bushes on the left so as to make the approach an easy one. Some players play an iron for safety as a long sliced shot may reach a bunker on the right.

Sixth Hole (Current 8th): – A one-shot hole. The shot varies according to the position of the tee and the flag.

Seventh Hole (Current 9th): – About 250 yards from the tee there is a stream which has been culverted in for a space of thirty yards. When the flag is placed on the right of the green, as it ought to be for match play, it is desirable to go for this gap, so as to obtain a clear run in for one’s second.

Eighth Hole: (Current 10th)- Many golfers consider this the best short hole in England. It is good because the shot varies so much according to the position where the hole has been cut. When the flag is placed immediately over the bunker on the left a high lofting shot is desirable or a pitch and run with slight pulled spin. When the hole is cut on the plateau on the right then it is desirable to play the shot with a slight slice so as to hold it against the slope.

Ninth Hole: (Current 11th)- If the flag is placed on the right, it is advisable to hug the wall on the left with one’s tee shot.

Tenth Hole: (Current 12th) – This hole is considerably over 500 yards and was originally designed as a three-shot hole. It can be occasionally reached in two shots, but the second shot would be blind. There are, however, three tall poplars some distance behind the green and these locate the position of the green. About 300 yards from the tee there are some bunkers and heather; these can be reached by a long tee shot. A player who can drive as far as these should take an iron and play well to the left where he can hit as far as he likes.

Eleventh Hole: (Current 13th) – This is a long two-shot hole. If par figures are desired, it is desirable to go for a long tee shot on the right so as to open up the hole.

Twelfth Hole: (No longer)- This is a one-shot hole of about 180 yards. It is at its best when the hole is cut at the far right-hand corner of the green.

Thirteenth Hole: (No longer) – At this hole it is desirable to hug the wall on the left with one’s tee shot. There is a hollow short of the green on the right which makes the approach shot a difficult one from this side.

Fourteenth Hole: (No longer)- A short mashie pitch.

Fifteenth Hole: – Hug the out of bounds on the left so as to obtain an easy second. This is especially important when the flag is placed in the most interesting position to the right of the green.

Sixteenth Hole: – Unless the tee shot is played over or pulled round a group of trees on the left a long drive is liable to reach a stream. The approach to the hole is distinctly easier from the left, so that it is not desirable to play short to the right with an iron.

Seventeenth Hole: (No longer) – A sliced tee shot at this hole will necessitate an extremely difficult second.

Eighteenth Hole: – It is essential to drive a long ball to the left so as to obtain an easy second shot.