Colt knew the area, having played with his boyhood hero Douglas Rolland at Limpsfield Chart when Rolland had been the professional there. He selected 146 acres of Tandridge Park as the best land for building a special course, and Sir Henry entered negotiations with the landowner, Sir Bernard Greenwell. He was supportive and agreed to sell the land with vacant possession for £8,550.
Colt supplied a sketch map of his design, and through the end of 1922 and into 1923 the scheme was advertised locally. Sir Henry’s letter to local residents began, "A good 18 hole Golf Course is much needed in this neighbourhood."
The first clubhouse Copyright The Francis Frith Collection
A quote of about £15,000 was obtained to cover construction of the course and a clubhouse. It was all to be financed by the sale of up to 200 bonds of £100, and local dental surgeon Theodore Harris stepped forward to buy Bond No.1. He was followed by a band of landed gentry, military men, lawyers, senior civil servants, captains of industry and sportsmen. By the end of 1923, all arrangements were in place for the running of a golf club, and Colt refined his design when extra land for the 15th and 16th holes was acquired.
Annual subscriptions were set at 10 guineas for men with the entry fee the same, at 6 guineas with a 5 guineas entry fee for women, and at 8 guineas for bond holders. The green fee for visitors was set at 5 shillings.
Amazingly, these rates actually stayed the same until 1957, by which time they were considerably too low and were increased by a stinging 50%. Hopefully our current finance director will not get any ideas from this!
1924 membership card for Sir Henry Gibson
Harry Colt’s go-to construction firm was Messrs. Franks Harris Bros of Guildford and Claude Harris had started work at Tandridge in February 1923. After occasional visits by Colt to check progress and agree the sites of bunkers, the course was open for limited play in June the following year, with the official opening of the club timed for the completion of the clubhouse on 1st October 1924
Sir Henry's dream had been realised.
Colt’s layout made full use of the natural contours of the land and featured two loops of nine and more than 300 bunkers. As The Times subsequently reported, "Mr Colt's architecture and layout has been carried out on a grand, bold scale, eminently fair, but devilishly ingenious."
The trademark Colt features were all present and correct: good routing, interesting approach shots, varied par 3s, visual deceptions, well-chosen green sites with subtle borrows, and finally, strategic bunkering - lots of it ! This included those on the 6th, Colt’s favourite set of risk/reward diagonal bunkers.
Difficult Times
Judging by the minutes of various meetings, the first few years were not easy financially for Tandridge. It was generally a difficult time economically and applications for membership were slow. Members had to put their hands in their pockets to guarantee a bank loan. Even the East Surrey Bus Company was asked to help by reducing the fare from nearby Limpsfield to the course from 4d to 3d.
In October 1925 an exhibition match was staged to encourage more membership, featuring the club’s own professional, Alf Baker, and three Open Champions. Alf and Ted Ray were beaten by Harry Vardon and Alex Herd, 3&2 over 36 holes. Alf was paid 5 guineas for his efforts.
Alex Herd, Ted Ray, Alf Baker, Harry Vardon
The inaugural club match was also played that year to boost the club’s profile. The opponents were a team from the House of Commons including several future Cabinet Ministers. The Times reported that Tandridge won by 12-6. Today there is an extensive fixture list with local and not-so-local clubs.
Friday the 13th lived up to its reputation when, in May 1927, the clubhouse was completely destroyed by fire. Clergy from the Diocese of Southwark were playing that day. Along with others, they made a valiant, but doomed attempt to fight the fire, despite calling on help from above.
The replacement clubhouse was opened in February the following year, a little over eight months after the fire and still the one we have today. Unsurprisingly, the thatched roof which had been a feature of the previous building was not repeated. However, the new interior bore a striking resemblance to the original and still does, with the offices and dining room being added in 1936.
Better Times
Despite this rocky start, the accounts reveal that by 1932, the club had bought the freehold of the course from Sir Bernard and was on a sound financial footing.
Tandridge became popular. Prince Arthur of Connaught, a grandson of Queen Victoria, joined and the club had visits by test cricketer Jack Hobbs and his Surrey team mates, by Le Mans racing driver Woolf Barnato who became a member and by the great Joyce Wethered. Also visiting were Winston Churchill from nearby Chartwell, and RAF ace Douglas Bader soon after he had been fitted with artificial legs following his crash. All went well until Bader got to the steep path down from the 14th tee, which he slowly negotiated by using his playing partner as a walking frame.
Joyce Wethered
Jack Hobbs
1935 saw Harry Colt’s last contribution to the course when he swapped the sites of the 11th green and the 12th tee to avoid crossing over, thus making both holes a little more dog-legged.
Although restricted, golf continued at Tandridge during the 1939-1945 war. The buildings were requisitioned by the Services, and searchlight and barrage balloon detachments were positioned on the course. The proximity of RAF stations at Biggin Hill and Kenley meant Tandridge felt the impact of enemy action. During one air raid, a large crater appeared in the middle of the 12th fairway, although a suggestion to retain it as a permanent feature was not taken up.