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Club House
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When Peter Alliss and
Dave Thomas first surveyed the site on which Ryder Cup history
would in time be created, they were not filled with the same
euphoria which so entranced Bobby Jones when he originally viewed
the setting for Augusta National.
Jones instinctively knew on seeing Fruitlands, a 365-acre nursery
where the progeny of a number of trees and plants imported from
all over the world had been nurtured, that the plunging terrain
provided the ideal location for his golf course. "It seemed
that the land had been lying there for years just waiting for
someone to lay a golf course on it," Jones said.
What Alliss and Thomas said to each other as they cast their eyes on 15
potato fields at Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, is most probably
unprintable. Yet it was there that they, having by then jettisoned their bag and
clubs for pencil and drawing board, created at The Belfry, The Brabazon course
on which for the fourth time the Ryder Cup will be played on September 27-29,
2002.
Initially, it would be criticised and maligned, causing some professionals to
be so outspoken that they were fined. Now it sits proudly by the Lichfield Road
as one of the most famous courses in Europe and part of a magnificent complex
where the Professional Golfers' Association also has its home.
The birth of The Belfry can be traced to 1970 when Alan Hunter, the estates
director of the Greenall Whitley company, asked Thomas to look at the site (a
modest 49 acres that then went with the hotel) and the adjoining land in other
ownerships. Hunter said: "We asked them to tell us the preferred areas required
to form an 18 hole championship course plus an 18 hole supporting course.
Following this I acquired the necessary land options to purchase and following
town-planning approval acquired the land on behalf of The Belfry Company."
In fact it was in 1959 that Jimmy Burns, an entrepreneur, had purchased
Moxhull Park, a private house at the time, for £18,500 and turned it into The
Belfry. His expansion programme increased the number of bedrooms to 59 and made
The Belfry a well known centre for wedding receptions and a place where in the
1960s such groups as Led Zeppelin, the Moody Blues, Slade and Status Quo
performed live. In 1969 Burns sold The Belfry to a group called Allied Vintners
Investments which in turn was bought by Greenall Whitley. At this time the PGA
had their headquarters at the Kennington Oval and it was there, over a pie and a
pint, that Colin Snape, then the new Executive Director of the PGA, lunched with
Alliss. Snape felt that is was an imposition to be continually apologising for
the surroundings as he ushered guests into the confined offices at the rear main
stand of the cricket ground.
His dream of the PGA was a new headquarters which were geographically
acceptable with two golf courses and modern offices. He had looked at both Royal
Birkdale in Lancashire and Foxhills in Surrey, but the then 28-strong PGA
Committee felt that his plan was no more than a pipe-dream since at that time in
February, 1973, the PGA's assets were a paltry £40,000.
Alliss came to the rescue over lunch. He told Snape of an old hotel on the
outskirts of Birmingham known as The Belfry which was being renovated and
converted to a sports complex. Thomas and Alliss had originally been asked to
design and build a pitch and putt course there.
Snape convinced the committee that expansion was a necessity and he must
truly have felt he had the Midas touch. Ellerman Lines, the shipping company,
was keen to diversify into leisure whereas Greenall Whitley, owners of The
Belfry, lacked funds at that time as they were investing in a new brewery.
Thus Ellerman Lines formed a company called The Belfry (Sutton Coldfield)
Ltd, taking 86.7 per cent of the equity with Greenall Whitley retaining 13.3 per
cent for providing the hotel and land, and purchased a further 265.5 acres. In
1975 work began on two courses - The Brabazon and the Derby - by Thomas and
Alliss. Brian Cash, a jocular but hard-nosed businessman, was brought in to
oversee the operation, which included the refurbishment of the hotel. Cash, too,
visualised the enormous potential of this triangular area of land near where the
Tamworth and Lichfield roads merge at Wishaw. The access was splendid with close
proximity to the M1, M5 and M6.
The PGA lacked the funds to become involved but The Belfry Company built the
new PGA offices, funding the cost of approximately £100,000 as part of the
overall deal with the PGA for two Ryder Cups. Meanwhile Accles and Pollock, the
sports equipment company, funded the furnishings of the PGA's Headquarters at
The Belfry in addition to investing a significant sum over ten years in the
PGA's training school.
In 1977 the PGA waved farewell to The Oval to begin a new innings at The
Belfry with a peppercorn rent for a 99-year lease. That year, with the existing
hotel completely rebuilt, The Brabazon course was officially opened with a
challenge match, Severiano Ballesteros and Johnny Miller against Tony Jacklin
and Brian Barnes.
The first official tournament to be held on the Brabazon course was the
Hennessy Cup, a match between Great Britain and the Continent of Europe. This
was played in September, 1978, and if any one player put the course on the map
then it was Severiano Ballesteros who performed a feat that the designers had
deemed impossible.
The Spaniard watched as Nick Faldo, his opponent, hit an iron into the
perfect position at the tenth from which to pitch over the water onto the green.
Ballesteros reached for his driver and launched the ball into orbit. It was an
imperious blow, for the ball soared then carried the trees strategically placed
to stop such a shot before finishing eight feet from the hole.
The hole then measured 310 yards, and a plaque marks Ballesteros's
achievement and remains as evidence of the moment when The Belfry was truly
born.
Nevertheless, The Belfry, or more precisely The Brabazon course, had its
critics as well as its supporters. The problem was the money supply. It had
taken £2.3 million to refurbish the hotel and to build the two courses. Cash
said: "We could not fool ourselves. We were aware that we did not have the
perfect piece of land and that it would take time to get the course absolutely
right."
Thomas quite rightly received praise for his fashioning of The Brabazon
course, which was American in style, but there was little he could do now that
it was in the hands of owners with, so it seemed, no funds to rectify matters.
In October 1981 Greenall Whitley purchased all Ellerman Lines shares in The
Belfry Company, and immediately launched the resurrection of The Brabazon
course. This was important because part of the agreement the PGA had with The
Belfry Company was for the Ryder Cup to be played on the course twice in eight
years and, following criticism during the English Classic in 1979, the match was
switched to Walton Heath in 1981.
The course required the kiss of life and it started with the soil of the
fairways being broken to a depth of nine inches so the stones which were causing
so many complaints could be removed. Then the fairways were top-dressed with a
mixture of fern peat and topsoil. In addition, 100 mature, 20-foot trees,
costing £500 each, were planted to increase definition while at the same time
strengthening the overall layout. It was coupled with an extensive drainage
programme. Much of the work was carried out by floodlight so as not to disturb
play during the day.
Off the fairways, Greenall Whitley spent a further £1.3 million on a new
accommodation block - Jacklin House - of 48 bedrooms, a covered driving range
and also opened a leisure centre. The chalet pub next to the famous tenth green
became the Bel Air nightclub.
By now The Belfry had become part of The De Vere Group of hotels. With a
further 56-bedroom extension - Trevino House - it was ready to stage the Ryder
Cup which would be the ultimate test for The Brabazon course - and it
unquestionably passed the examination. There were no complaints in 1985, when
for the first time since 1957, the United States were beaten. The match drew
unprecedented crowds of more than 90,000 in comparison to 16,000 at Walton Heath
in 1981. That the course itself was presented in superb condition was naturally
important, especially as by now investment stood at £8.1 million.
The persuasive tongue of the enterprising Cash led to The De Vere board
investing a further £8 million for the 1989 match which ended in a tie with
Europe retaining the Cup following their historic 15-13 win at Muirfield Village
in 1987 - the first time that the Americans had been beaten on home soil.
For 1989 two new lakes were constructed to control water flow and improve the
aesthetics. An electrical irrigation system was installed. More importantly, as
far as the spectators were concerned, special mounds were created to improve
viewing and accessibility.
By now the management was convinced that from those small potato fields had
grown a golf course of which everyone could be proud. Indeed the Ryder Cup
returned to The De Vere Belfry in 1993, when the United States retained Samuel
Ryder's elegant golden chalice following their win at Kiawah Island in South
Carolina in 1991.
For 1993, when The De Vere Belfry made history by hosting the Ryder Cup for a
third time, the De Vere Group spent a further £2.5 million remodelling The
Brabazon course to enhance spectator viewing and to provide an even tougher test
and improving the hotel facilities. No fewer than ten of the holes underwent
improvement changes. Thomas said: "It was exciting to go back and do some of the
things you would have liked to have done originally."
Stuart Reed, then the Chairman and Chief Executive of De Vere Hotels, pointed
out that the "huge success and popularity of The Belfry, De Vere Hotel's
flagship golf resort, has played a vital part in shaping the development of the
group. The leisure and business guest who wants to play golf is becoming more
and more discerning and quite rightly - more demanding. The programme of work at
The De Vere Belfry focused on creating the best venue for the Ryder Cup because
we wanted to make sure players from both teams, officials and sponsors were as
comfortable as possible. But the benefit of that investment will be seen in the
coming years by all those who visit The De Vere Belfry, and play the course and
enjoy the facilities."
Now, following another eight years of continued refurbishment and building of
the hotel and in particular in the remodelling of The Brabazon course, The De
Vere Belfry is ready to host the Ryder Cup for a fourth time. There have been
many changes since 1993 with an overall investment in excess of £40 million on
the complex including 120 significant changes and £3.5 million spent on
alterations and improvements to The Brabazon course.
Mike Maloney, the Executive Director of The De Vere Belfry, has seen the
complex grow since he first arrived at the hotel in May 1991, but the tremendous
progress made in the last eight years have provided him and all his staff with a
challenge that they have brought to fruition with enormous skill and diligence.
Even so Maloney acknowledged: "Our selection for this prestigious event could
not have been achieved without the tremendous help received from the local
community. I would particularly like to thank all the people at The De Vere
Belfry together with North Warwickshire Borough Council, the Birmingham
Marketing Partnership, the NEC Group and Birmingham City Council. We have
enjoyed working with them all in the build up to what will be a magnificent week
for golf."
The De Vere Belfry, part of the De Vere chain of hotels owned by The De Vere
Group plc, also played host to the Benson and Hedges International Open in 2000
and this famous tournament returns to the venue in 2001. De Vere Group Chief
Executive Paul Dermody, said: "The Ryder Cup Committee's choice of The De Vere
Belfry is a tribute to the management and staff who have done such an excellent
job over the previous three Ryder Cup matches. I am absolutely confident that
the hotel, the staff and the course will live up to the high expectation
entrusted in us by the Committee.
"We have been totally committed to the standards of excellence worthy of this
great event and Dave Thomas has spent five years enhancing The Brabazon course
in a way that it has never been seen before."
Thomas also designed the PGA National Championship course, which opened in
1997. This further enhances the golf facilities at The De Vere Belfry and
provides golfers with three demanding championship courses.
Sandy Jones, Chief Executive of the Professional Golfers' Association said:
"No one can deny that The De Vere Belfry has already staged three very
successful Ryder Cup Matches. Taking this into consideration together with the
superb development and refurbishment of The Brabazon course, and coupled with
the fact that in 2001 The PGA, the oldest PGA in the world, celebrated its
centenary, makes us believe that The De Vere Belfry is the ideal venue for the
staging of the 34th Ryder Cup Matches. De Vere, owners of The De Vere Belfry,
are loyal and long-standing supporters of the Association and of golf in
general."
There can be no doubt, too, that there will be much to celebrate in
September, 2002, when the eyes of the sporting world will focus on The De Vere
Belfry and once again will come ample evidence that from those small potato
fields has grown a course of which all can be proud." |
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