14 TEE BOX THE BIG PICTURE The short par-four sixteenth at Tandridge Golf Club in Surrey, England, photographed by Jason Livy. The greenside bunkers on the Harry Colt course have been renovated by Tim Lobb, principal of Lobb + Partners, and contractor 18 Golf Construction, as part of a longterm masterplan Lobb created in 2019. He is aiming to bring back the Colt design and philosophy to the course, while also ensuring that the layout meets the standards of modern construction and playability. “We did not seek to totally redesign the strategy or bunkering, but more to create a consistent playing test for golfers,” said Lobb. “Some of our most striking work can be typified on hole six, where we blended some smaller cross bunkers into a larger diagonal bunker, moved distant greenside bunkers closer to the green edge and removed awkward steps leading away from a green. “The golf course at Tandridge has evolved many times over the years and heavily reduced the number of bunkers from the original design. We felt it was important to retain the high visual presence of the bunkering as has been present on the site in recent years. Trying to retain the vintage look with modern construction techniques was the driving force behind our methodology.” Scott Weale, course manager at Tandridge, adds: “We’ve already seen a marked improvement in consistency and playability. Members and guests are experiencing better, more reliable conditions, and the club is benefiting from a more sustainable, longterm approach to course care.” The second phase of work will focus on fairway bunkers and is scheduled to begin in October 2025 and reopen by May 2026.
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