Golf’s Greatest Foe: Mother Nature

Two back to back hurricanes hit the West Coast of Florida over the past two weeks leaving in their trail hundreds of billions of dollars in damage in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, and hundreds who lost their lives. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who have suffered.

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This newsletter dives into the historic effects of Mother Nature on golf courses.

Out of these two hurricanes, I was asked a question by Joe Tutor on Twitter: “Historically speaking do you know of any course lost due to natural disasters?”

Rather than tell you one story, I thought I might share a few stories of how nature conquered the game of golf & how mankind fought back.

The Old Course

One of the most prestigious golf courses in the world did their best to conquer Mother Nature twice in the 1800s. The savior of St Andrews, Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair fought back against the sea in the 1840s. Prior to Playfair’s battle against Mother Nature, the sea would intrude inland as far the current day location of the R&A Clubhouse. Under Playfair’s leadership the sea was pushed back, which made it possible for the construction of the R&A Clubhouse in 1854.

A mere 30 years after Playfair’s heroics, in 1875, the town of St Andrews built the Bruce Embankment to further strike back against the sea. The embankment was constructed of abandoned boats filled with concrete then covered with soil and grassed over. The creation of the Bruce Embankment gave birth to the 1st and 18th holes of the Old Course.

The Lido Club

The revolutionary Lido Club opened its doors in 1917 as one of the 8th wonders of the golfing world. Charles Blair Macdonald along with his chief engineer, Seth Raynor dredged 2,000,000 cubic yards of sand to build the first ever golf course created from nothing! Where there was once ocean and marsh, MacRaynor built what Bernard Darwin called one of the greatest golf courses in the world.

But even this miracle of golf course engineering was no match for Mother Nature. A mere two years after the course opened a hurricane hit Lido, and the mighty storm took with it the magnificent Ocean Hole Biarritz. This famous template hole (see above) only existed in this for a mere 2 years.

The Olympic Club’s Ocean Links

For nearly two years the Olympic Club in San Francisco had one of the greatest Oceanside golf courses in the world.

The original plan was to build 10 stunning golf holes that would sit upon the cliffs of San Francisco overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

In 1924, The Olympic Club and its Ocean Links Course became the buzz of American Golf. At the time very few, if any American courses, offered what I would call an American Links Style set upon cliffs overlooking the ocean. The setting offered views of the Pacific Ocean quite similar to that of  modern day Bandon and Pacific Dunes.

Olympic Club’s Ocean Links Course only lasted from May 1924 to May 1926. Two unbelievable years of stunning golf paired with stunning views. Unfortunately for the Olympic Club, the land was deemed to be at risk of landslides & the lower portion of the course on the Ocean was abandoned.

Last year I took the opportunity to walk play a couple of the lost holes of the Olympic Club. I wouldn’t call it “playable” outside of using your imagination, but for just a moment- while squinting my eyes between shots I could feel the majesty of that once great golf site.

I dream that has yet to be fulfilled:

There have been a few members of the Olympic Club in recent years who have pressed the club to restore the old Ocean Links course. That being said, the dream may never be more than just a dream.

Ooooh No Not Westward Ho!

A report from Royal Devon Golf Club:

“The course has undergone a sustained attack from the sea for all of the time it has existed and during the winter of 2017/18 we lost over 20ft of sand dune beside the 7th green which took half of the 8th Championship tee completely. As a result the 7th hole has been rebuilt further inland and changed into a fantastic Par 5. The 9th has been shortened and is now a Par 4 keeping the course to its Championship Par 72. During 2023 the plan is to introduce a new 8th hole (Par 3)  which was built in 2021 using the turf from the old 7th green. This hole has been trialled for a month in 2022 by the members and with a view of water approximately 280 degrees around the tee it is in a fantastic position and was very much enjoyed. We look forward to introducing it later in 2023 when it is up to the standard of the rest of the course.”

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Mother Nature might be golf history’s most formidable foe. Environmental studies have indicated that the Old Course of St Andrews could be submerged as soon as 2050 due to rising sea levels, so the question remains…

Who will be the next Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair?

As always thank you for reading this newsletter and sharing it with your friends. It is my pleasure to share these little sometimes unknown stories with you.

Until next time…

Yours in Golf History,

Connor T. Lewis