Volvo Matchplay returns to England

News today that this year's Volvo Matchplay will be held at the London Club in Kent (which is not in London). Having been played in May for the past few years, the tournament is also moving back to its traditional October setting, shortly after the Ryder Cup.

I am assuming that the club put in a big bid for the tournament. This can only be a good thing... last year's event in Bulgaria was only watched by a handful of people and some mountain goats, but an event in south east England is guaranteed to bring the crowds in and give the opportunity for many golf fans to watch Ryder Cup heroes (hopefully) in the flesh. This event could generate the same interest as the WGC held at the Grove after the 2006 Ryder Cup.

The London Club has hosted European Tour events in the past, most recently the European Open in 2009. It has 2 championship courses: the Heritage is the tournament course, designed by Jack Nicklaus it is open to members and guests only. The International is open to all and is very popular for societies and corporate days. The club opened in the early 90s, funded by Japanese money it was intended to be a haven for Japanese bankers to meet up with friends and entertain clients, and featured a fantastic Japanese bath and spa, as well as delicious Japanese food in the clubhouse. It is now owned by Spanish property group Bendinat.

Ray really pleased to see matchplay back in England. Would have preferred a different venue, but hey money talks! Course is long and fairly typical Nicklaus. One winner of the Euro Open was Frenchman who didn't hit it far (name eluding me) and also played so slowly I know he cheesed off those he played with. It's quite exposed from memory and could get a bit tricky if there is any wind. Recall access to the course was down a very small road, with some traffic issues, so get there early!
Fascinated to see who is going to turn up

It can be pretty very wet and cold in Kent England in October.  I'd have thought the weather could definitely be a factor. Good to see it back though in a region that follows golf - as interesting and picturesque as that course was, it was a bit disconcerting last year to see top players GMac playing to empty galleries.

Had to look up who the slow Frenchman was: Christian Cevaer.

The only other time the Euro Open was held at London GC (2008) it was won by Ross Fisher. Funnily enough Fisher won the Volvo Matchplay in 2009 (at Finca Cortesin). If Fish somehow becomes eligable I'd recommned him to sign up for the Volvo Matchplay - just to boost his confidence further.   

Don't think the weather will be such a big issue. October in the South East is not worse than Scotland in October    (dunhill links). Or Arizona in February.  

pedro wrote:

Don't think the weather will be such a big issue. October in the South East is not worse than Scotland in October    (dunhill links). Or Arizona in February.  

Not sure that's the case. October is a wet month in SE England, but a dry month in the NE and the east coast of Scotland.

Not sure where people are getting their data from .. October is usually a pretty good month in the SE England .. I'd put money on the Ryder Cup being more disrupted by weather that the London Club

met office stats. st andrews is a low rainfall area (about 25 inches per year). london gets marginally more but october is one of the wetter months whereas it's one of the drier ones in st andrews.

disruption of the ryder cup is possible but gleneagles is not on the east coast and so gets more rain than the auld grey toon.

I would guess that the London Club have thrown some serious money at this but I will try and get down to watch. Interesting that they are playing the Heritage Course rather than the International which is the one that they used for the ET events. I would guess that they want to be able to say that they have two championship courses.

Only played the International which was in fantastic condition and had a great matchplay final hole. A friend who was a member there through his last company preferred the Heritage though. Lots of water (in lakes) and quite hilly.

Nice to have another event in the UK though.

George1507 wrote:met office stats. st andrews is a low rainfall area (about 25 inches per year). london gets marginally more but october is one of the wetter months whereas it's one of the drier ones in st andrews.

disruption of the ryder cup is possible but gleneagles is not on the east coast and so gets more rain than the auld grey toon.

Where do you live George? I will take an internet wager with you right now that the event at London Club will be relatively unaffected by weather even in October. I'm a Northerner by birth so know all about wet weather but I've live in the SW for 35 years and I'm confident it won't suffer. Compare to other potential UK venues for this event (Belfry, Lancashire coast, Celtic Manor, most of the scottish and Irish courses) .. SE England is a FAR better bet.

west is wet in the uk. I live in edinburgh now, lived in herts for 30 years before that. I was born in glasgow, which gets a foot more rain than edinburgh. no doubt london is a better bet in october than the south west or wales or lancs or ayrshire, but not east lothian or east yorkshire or east anglia.

west is wet in the uk. I live in edinburgh now, lived in herts for 30 years before that. I was born in glasgow, which gets a foot more rain than edinburgh. no doubt london is a better bet in october than the south west or wales or lancs or ayrshire, but not east lothian or east yorkshire or east anglia.

These things are so easily investigated - http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/city-of-london-greater-london#?tab=climateMaps Select October and rainfall and you'll see Gleneagles is much more likely to be wet than Kent.

Thanks smithers

It is pretty obviously a wet month for gleneagles, and a drier one for kent.  You can see the east west split in rainfall but it lies well east of gleneagles.

My point re weather had nothing to do with rainfall. I reckon the course is quite exposed and it could be very windy. Having said that, I have only walked the International and not the Heritage where I now see the tournament will be played. Hey oh, just glad it's back in UK, and England even more.

There's a mean wind speed option on that map too, and guess what?

It's windier in the south.

October is a good month to play golf in St Andrews.

twoeightnine wrote:I would guess that the London Club have thrown some serious money at this but I will try and get down to watch.  Interesting that they are playing the Heritage Course rather than the International which is the one that they used for the ET events.  I would guess that they want to be able to say that they have two championship courses.

Only played the International which was in fantastic condition and had a great matchplay final hole.  A friend who was a member there through his last company preferred the Heritage though.  Lots of water (in lakes) and quite hilly.

Nice to have another event in the UK though.

289,

They used the Heritage course for the ET events, the same course they will use for the match play. The international is the course open to the public, this course is not the tour course but it's not bad.

I've played both (my firm used to have membership) and I like the Heritage much more than the International. I played the Heritage the day after the 2008 European Open and it was brutal. Windy and exposed, Long rough, narrow fairways, rock hard greens, and a thick collar of rough around the greens, and Sunday pin positions! At least it was warm, sunny and dry... South East definitely the best golf weather in the UK.

"For many, golf’s oldest and most celebrated Match Play Championship is returning to its rightful home and London Golf Club is ready."

Saw this quote on European Tour website. Getting a bit carried away here, they seem to have forgotten the Ryder cup.

Know what you mean Ray though I guess they could nit-pick and say RC isn't a Championship

It's a shame money talks again...!
Woburn would really deserve a big tournie again and, being in the South Midlands, has a greater catchment area.

A bigger catchment area than London?

Well, yes.
Not only London to the south, but west midlands and east midlands to the north and even more accessible than The London Club to those further north and west than that.

It's the infrastructure which concerns me. The access to the course is via a very narrow country lane and the last time the ET had a tournament there, the queues to the car parks were backed up along the A20 for miles. We vowed never to go again - even though we live only a matter of a few miles away.

Welcome back LP.

Hi LP,
Don't leave us!

Speaking of attendance. I read that last year's Irish Open was the first and only ET event ever to be sold out.

kwinigolfer wrote:Hi LP,
Don't leave us!

Still wasn't sure if I was still welcome but I have been "dipping" and couldn't resist commenting on this. I may post a bit more in future (with kid gloves on).

pedro wrote:Speaking of attendance. I read that last year's Irish Open was the first and only ET event ever to be sold out.

I was at it - and this goes to the comments about infrastructure. Royal Portrush is not that well served either in terms of infrastructure. However, the organisers did a great job, and provided huge car parking areas at a radius of 10 miles, got local council support to temporarily turn the smaller roads into a one way system and ran a fantastic bus service. Basically, unless you lived close to the course or had a good reason, you were discouraged from driving in. It was only £5 to park and ride and from parking I was dropped off 15mins later 20yards from one of the entrances to the course.