Routing a Golf Course... thoughts on Stanley Thompson

By Jeff Mingay, in Jamaica

Stanley Thompson visited Jamaica on several occasions during the late 1920s/early 30s, principally to lay out the Constant Springs golf course at Kingston, this island nation's capital city.

Apparently, at some point too, Thompson orchestrated some remodeling work at Manchester Golf Club’s nine-hole course, in the mountains at Mandeville. Originally laid out during the 1890s, Manchester is said to be Jamaica’s oldest course.

Regrettably, time didn’t permit a visit to either course during our trip last week. Travel throughout this mountainous former British colony, where they still drive on the “wrong side” of poorly maintained roadways is tedious and expensive (and, frankly, potentially dangerous).

I’m not sure about the Mandeville course, but I suspect there’s something to see at Constant Springs. Thompson laid out Constant Springs from scratch during his heyday as a golf course designer.

So much is made over Thompson’s bunker styling, but not enough emphasis is placed on the fact that the true brilliance of his best works stems from his talent at routing a golf course. Thompson was a master at utilizing a site’s best natural attributes, and also envisioning what was possible through construction where the inherent landscape was deficient.

Let’s take a quick look at Thompson’s “big five” courses in Canada, and highlight a few brief lessons learned from each routing.

Seeing the Possibilities through Construction: Jasper (1925)
Jasper, Alberta

The scenery at Jasper is surreal, but the site was very rugged when Thompson arrived to layout the course during the mid 1920s. Construction of the course involved massive tree clearing, blasting and removal of large volumes of rock, and shaping of tons of fill material. This was a remarkable achievement at the time, requiring the vision of an architect who could see the possibilities through construction.

Creating a Golfing Experience: Banff (1927)
Banff, Alberta

At Banff, Thompson created one of the great golfing experiences throughout the world. Similar to the Old Course, Thompson’s original routing began in the shadow of the magnificent Banff Springs Hotel. The course took golfers “out” for eleven holes then turned “back”. Heading in, with the hotel getting closer and closer with each stroke, was an integral part of the Banff experience. Unfortunately, the sequence of holes has changed – golfers now start at Thompson’s fifth hole – and golfing at Banff suffers in comparison.

Exploiting a Great Property: St. George’s (1929)
Toronto, Ontario

With more than 2,000 acres at your disposal, where do you begin? This was Thompson’s predicament at St. George’s (originally Royal York). He chose a beautifully wooded tract of rolling and varied terrain with good soils featuring a meandering stream, then proceeded to lay out a world-class course that presents an excellent case study in regard to exploiting a site perfectly suited for golf. Thompson’s usual methodology began by identifying the best natural locations for the par-three holes. As a result, St. George’s features an excellent collection of five one-shot holes, including the sixteenth, manufactured over relatively featureless terrain to essentially link the fifteenth and sixteenth holes.

Dealing with Steep Terrain: Capilano (1932)
Vancouver, British Columbia

Like Dr. Alister Mackenzie’s Augusta National course in Georgia, Capilano presents an excellent case study in regard to laying out a functional golf course over steep terrain. In fact, Thompson’s routing at Capilano is arguably a greater achievement than the Good Doctor’s efforts at Augusta. Laid out across the slope of a mountainside overlooking downtown Vancouver, Capilano features a number of world-class holes, and more important, is remarkably comfortable to walk. By tacking holes across the steep slope – a la Augusta National – Thompson was able to avoid routing consecutive holes playing straight uphill.

Thinking “Outside the Box": Cape Breton Highlands Links (1939)
Ingonish, Nova Scotia

At Cape Breton Highlands Links, Thompson sincerely allowed the inherent landscape to dictate the course layout. His thinking was clearly “out of the box”, resulting in a relatively unconventional routing that traverses some 13 kilometers from the first tee to the final green, and features two sets of consecutive par-fives at holes six and seven, fifteen and sixteen. Thompson’s ingenious routing comprises eighteen holes of distinction that are so good it's easy to ignore the poor agronomic condition of the course (under the management of Parks Canada). In fact, Highlands Links is currently one of only three Canadian courses to feature on GOLF magazine’s ranking of the top-100 courses throughout the world. The others? St. George’s, and Harry Colt's layout at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

Originally appeared at MingayGolf.blogspot.com, January 22, 2007