Harry Colt

Henry Shapland Colt (4 August 1869 – 21 November 1951) was a golf course architect born in Highgate, England. He worked predominantly with Charles Alison, John Morrison, and Alister MacKenzie, in 1928 forming Colt, Alison & Morrison Ltd. He participated in the design or redesign of over 300 golf courses (115 on his own) in all six inhabited continents, including those at Wentworth Club, Sunningdale, Muirfield, Royal Portrush, and Royal Liverpool.

Two Bunkers by H. S. Colt, representing the then-new natural style, 1914

Colt teamed up with George Crump in 1918 to design Pine Valley Golf Club, which is ranked as the #1 golf course in the United States, by Golf magazine (2017–18 ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S.) and Golf Digest (2019–20 ranking of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses). The classic Plum Hollow Country Club in Southfield, Michigan, was designed by Colt and Alison in 1921. The course played host to the 1947 PGA Championship, the 1957 Western Open, and Ryder Cup Challenge Matches in 1943.

Colt was educated at Monkton Combe School near Bath,^[1] before taking a law degree at Clare College, Cambridge,^[2] where he captained the Cambridge University Golf Club in 1890.

In 1897 he became a founder member of the Royal & Ancient Rules of Golf Committee.

Career

Colt's courses of note in the UK include: Tandridge Golf Club, which features Colt Corner, Oxford Golf Club,^[3] Ladbrook Park Golf Club, Denham Golf Club, St George's Hill, Sunningdale (New course), Belfairs Golf Club,^[4] Rye, Blackmoor, Swinley Forest, Brancepeth Castle, Peebles Golf Club, Brokenhurst Manor, Camberley Heath, Calcot Park, Goring and Streatley Golf Club, Grimsby Golf Club, Hendon Golf Club, Tyneside and the East & West Courses at Wentworth Club. He performed extensive redesigns of Sunningdale (Old course),^[5] Woodhall Spa, and of Muirfield, Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, and Royal Portrush, three of the courses on the rota for the Open Championship. In Canada, his courses for the Hamilton Golf and Country Club^[6] and the Toronto Golf Club are highly respected^{[by whom?]}. He also designed in 1914 the first Spanish course bigger than 4.300 yards, the Club de Golf Sant Cugat, promoted by the Barcelona Traction Light and Power Company Ltd.

Results in major championships

Note: Colt played in only The Open Championship and The Amateur Championship.

Tournament	1891	1892	1893	1894	1895	1896	1897	1898	1899
The Open Championship	T38	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
The Amateur Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	R64[7]	R32[8]	R32	R64[9]	R32[10]

Tournament	1900	1901	1902	1903	1904	1905	1906	1907	1908	1909
The Amateur Championship	R32[11]	QF[12]	R64[13]	DNP	R64[14]	DNP	SF[15]	R128[16]	QF[17]	R128[18]

Tournament	1910	1911	1912
The Amateur Championship	R32[19]	QF[20]	R32[21]

DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Yellow background for top-10

Team appearances

• England–Scotland Amateur Match (representing England): 1908

References

1. "Harry Colt". Bath Golf Club.
2. "Colt, Henry Shapland (CLT887HS)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
3. "Oxford Golf Club". www.oxfordgolfclub.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
4. "About Us". Belfairs Golf Club. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
5. "Harry Colt Golf Courses | The Greatest Golf Architect of All Time?". www.yourgolftravel.com. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
6. "27 Holes of Genius". Hamilton Golf and Country Club. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
7. "The Glasgow Herald 8 May 1895, p. 8". news.google.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
8. "The Glasgow Herald, 21 May 1896, p. 11". news.google.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
9. "The Glasgow Herald, 25 May 1898, p. 10". news.google.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
10. "The Glasgow Herald, 25 May 1899, p. 11". news.google.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
11. "The Glasgow Herald, 10 May 1900, p. 13". news.google.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
12. Golf, June 1901, p. 413.
13. "The Glasgow Herald, 30 April 1902, p. 10". news.google.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
14. "The Glasgow Herald, 1 June 1904, p. 11". news.google.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
15. Golf, July 1906, p. 30.
16. "The Glasgow Herald, 29 May 1907, p. 12". news.google.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
17. "The Glasgow Herald, 29 May 1908, p. 14". news.google.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
18. "The American Golfer, July 1909, p. 11" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
19. "The Glasgow Herald, 2 June 1910, p. 8". news.google.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
20. "The Glasgow Herald, 2 June 1911, p. 9". news.google.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
21. "The American Golfer, July 1912, p. 198" (PDF). la84foundation.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2010.

External links

• Colt Association Official Site
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography article by Mark Pottle, 'Colt, Henry Shapland [Harry] (1869–1951)' Colt, Henry Shapland [Harry (1869–1951), golf course architect] accessed 2 March 2007
• Bath Golf Club Official Site