James Braid Courses

Blake's Heaven!

By Laurence Gale MSc in Golf on 28th Aug 2011 6:00

This article appeared in Pitchcare Magazine
Issue 37 - June / July 2011

Fulford Heath Golf Club is a parkland course situated a short distance from Solihull and Birmingham. Designed by James Braid - five times Open winner and member of the World Golf Hall of Fame - and opened in 1933, this eighteen hole, par 70 course is just over 6,000 yards in length and presents a challenge to golfers of all standards .

The River Cole, three lakes and mature trees feature throughout the course. Particular favourites are the 12th hole where the gentle River Cole presents a constant challenge appearing alongside the fairway as a lateral hazard, whilst the elevated green of the par 3, 16th hole is reached by playing over a stunning lake.

It is one of several Midlands courses I have fond memories of; as a teenager back in the 1970s I grew up not far from Fulford Heath, and it provided a wonderful habitat for hide and seek whilst, at the same time, giving us the opportunity to find golf balls, which were sold on for pocket money!

The course is renowned for setting a golfing challenge; not only does the layout of the course, with forty-two strategically placed bunkers and maturing tree-lined fairways, test the golfers' accuracy, the many grassy meadows and conservation areas also attract a lot of wayward balls.

However, the golfers do not mind, as these areas not only provide a burst of colour between June and September, but are also a key wildlife corridor and feeding area for birds and insects.

The development of the wildlife corridors is down to the present Course Manager, Kim Blake, who joined the club in 1988, having had previous experience at Broadway Golf Club and contracting work. It has been a labour of love for Kim, who continues to make steady progress and embrace the ecological requirements of the course.

Taymouth Castle, Scotland to feature restored James Braid ...

Plans for a new world-class golf and sporting estate at Taymouth Castle , Scotland, featuring a restored James Braid-designed golf course, have been approved.

The decision by Perth and Kinross Council means extensive work can now begin on renovating and remodelling the course, which opened in 1923, as part of a landmark project led by Meteor Asset Management to transform the spectacular Taymouth Castle estate, just 40 miles north of Gleneagles, into a luxury boutique hotel and collection of private residences.

Golf course architects Weller Designs, in association with Scotland's number-one home-based professional golfer, Stephen Gallacher, has been appointed to oversee the work, which includes a significant rerouting of the course, two new holes close to the River Tay, nine new greens, 18 new tees, restoration of all bunkers and the lengthening of the course to just over 7,000-yards.

Bruce Weller, principal course architect on the project, said: "While we are restoring a James Braid design , the remodelled course will certainly be long enough for championship golf and will be an unforgettable experience for the amateur golfer.

"The landscape is breathtaking and will play a huge part in the enjoyment of the experience. That's why we're excited the rerouting of the course has enabled us to create two new holes close to the River Tay, which will make for a spectacular backdrop."

The site of Taymouth Castle has been the ancestral home of The Earls of Breadalbane and the Campbell Clan since the 1550s, and was visited by Queen Victoria in 1842 (the Castle doubled for Balmoral in the 1996 Queen Victoria film, Mrs Brown).

However, after the 7th Earl of Breadalbane, Gavin Campbell, gambled away his entire Scottish estate, including Taymouth Castle, in the casinos of Monte Carlo, the castle was sold and converted into a fashionable hotel and a luxury retreat for the 1920s elite, with five-time Open Champion James Braid designing the original 12-hole layout.

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