Henry Shapland "Harry" Colt (4 August 1869 – 21 November 1951) was a

golf course architect A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

born in

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...

, England. He worked predominantly with

Charles Alison Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

John Morrison John Morrison or Morison may refer to: In politics * John Morrison (Manitoba politician) (1868–1930), politician in Manitoba, Canada * John Morrison (Saskatchewan politician) (1872–1950), Canadian Member of Parliament * John Morrison (intelli ...

, and

Alister MacKenzie Alister MacKenzie (30 August 1870 – 6 January 1934) was a golf course architect whose course designs span four continents. Originally trained as a surgeon, MacKenzie served as a civilian physician with the British Army during the Boer War ...

, in 1928 forming

Colt, Alison & Morrison Ltd Colt, Alison & Morrison Ltd was a British golf course architecture firm founded in 1928. The partners Harry Colt, Charles Hugh Alison, and John Stanton Fleming Morrison jointly or severally designed over 300 courses on all of the continents with t ...

. 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 Wentworth Club is a privately owned golf club and country club in Virginia Water, Surrey, on the south western fringes of London, not far from Windsor Castle. The club was founded in 1922. Beijing-based Reignwood Group bought the club in Septem ...

Sunningdale Sunningdale is a large village with a retail area and a civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It takes up the extreme south-east corner of Berkshire, England. It has a railway station on the (London) Waterloo to Reading ...

Muirfield Muirfield is a privately owned golf links which is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Located in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland, overlooking the Firth of Forth, Muirfield is one of the golf courses used in rotation for The ...

Royal Portrush Royal Portrush Golf Club is a private golf club (institution), golf club in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The 36-hole club has two links (golf), links golf course, courses, the Dunluce Links (the championship course) and the Valley Links. The ...

, and Royal Liverpool. 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 (Thy Word is Truth) , established = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , founder = The Revd Francis Pocock , head_label = Head Master , head ...

near Bath, before taking a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...

Clare College Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, where he captained the

Cambridge University Golf Club The Cambridge University Golf Club is the golf club for the University of Cambridge, England. It comprises the Blues team, the second-team Cambridge University Golf Club Stymies, and the Ladies team. The club was founded in 1869, and the first U ...

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
Ladbrook Park Golf Club, Denham Golf Club,

St George's Hill St George's Hill is a private gated community in Weybridge, Surrey, United Kingdom. The estate has golf and tennis clubs, as well as approximately 420 houses. Land ownership is divided between homes with gardens, belonging to home owners, and t ...

(New course), Belfairs Golf Club,https://www.belfairsgolfclub.co.uk/ Rye, Blackmoor,

Swinley Forest Swinley Forest is a large expanse of Crown Estate woodland managed by Forestry England mainly within the civil parishes of Windlesham in Surrey and Winkfield and Crowthorne in Berkshire, England. Coverage Situated to the south-west of Windsor ...

, Brancepeth Castle, Brokenhurst Manor, Camberley Heath,

Calcot Park Calcot Park is a country house, estate, and golf club in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated between Calcot and Tilehurst, suburbs of the town of Reading, and within the civil parish of Tilehurst.Ordnance Survey (2006). ''OS Explore ...

Goring and Streatley Golf Club Goring & Streatley Golf Club is a golf course in the village of Streatley, in the English county of Berkshire. It takes its name partly from that village, and partly from the adjoining village of Goring-on-Thames in the county of Oxfordshire. Th ...

, Grimsby Golf Club, Hendon Golf Club, Tyneside and the East & West Courses at

. He performed extensive redesigns of

(Old course),

Woodhall Spa Woodhall Spa is a former spa Village and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England, on the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, south-west of Horncastle, west of Skegness, east-south-east of Lincoln and north-west of Boston. It is noted for ...

, and of

Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake The Royal Liverpool Golf Club is a golf club in Wirral in Merseyside, England. It was founded in 1869 on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club. It received the "Royal" designation in 1871 due to the patronage of the Duke of ...

, and

, three of the courses on the rota for the

Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

. In Canada, his courses for the

Hamilton Golf and Country Club Hamilton Golf and Country Club is located in Ancaster, Ontario. The club began in 1894. Renowned English golf architect Harry Colt designed 18 of the current 27 holes in 1914, with Canadian golf architect Robbie Robinson adding a third nine in 1974 ...

and the

Toronto Golf Club The Toronto Golf Club is a private golf club in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, a suburban municipality adjacent to Toronto. Established in Toronto in 1876, the Toronto Golf Club is the third oldest golf club in North America after Royal Montreal Go ...

are highly respected. 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 Barcelona Traction, Light and Power Company (BTLP) (locally known as in Spanish and in Catalan, "The Canadian") was a Canadian utility company that operated light and power utilities in Catalonia, Spain. It was incorporated on September 12, 19 ...

Light and Power Company Ltd.

Results in major championships

Note: Colt played in only

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

and

The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship (sometimes referred to as the British Amateur or British Amateur Championship outside the UK) is a golf tournament which has been held annually in the United Kingdom since 1885 except during the two World Wars, and in 19 ...

. 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 The England–Scotland Amateur Match was an annual men's amateur golf competition between teams representing England and Scotland. It was played from 1902 to 1931, although the match lapsed between 1913 and 1921. The match continued after 1931 but ...

(representing England): 1908

References

External links

Colt Association Official Site
*

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

article by Mark Pottle, 'Colt, Henry Shapland

arry Arry is the name of the following communes in France: * Arry, Moselle, in the Moselle department * Arry, Somme, in the Somme department 'Arry is also a nickname, an example of H dropping ''H''-dropping or aitch-dropping is the deletion of the ...

(1869–1951)

accessed 2 March 2007
Bath Golf Club Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colt, Harry Golf course architects Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge People educated at Monkton Combe School People from Highgate 1869 births 1951 deaths