Who's who: Col. S.V. Hotchkin

  • Torrey Pines - South course, host of the Farmers Insurance Open
  • Prince's GC, England
  • Torrey Pines - South course, host of the Farmers Insurance Open
  • Terras da Comporta, Dunas
  • Monte Rei G&CC
  • Marco Simone GC (Italy); host of the Ryder Cup 2023
  • Pebble Beach host of the US Open; US Women's Open; Pebble Beach Pro-Am
  • Marco Simone GC

Who's who: Col. S.V. Hotchkin

  • Name:

    Col. Stafford Vere Hotchkin
  • Country:

    England
  • Lived:

    [1876-1953]. Born on May 5, 1876 in Lakeside, nr Finsthwaite (Lake Windermere), Westmorland. Died on Aug 8, 1953 in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire (aged 77).
  • Original/Home Club:

    Woodhall Spa GC
  • Occupation:

    Landowner; army officer (21st Lancers, Leicestershire Yeomanry and Royal Horse Artillery); Conservative MP for Horncastle, Lincs (next to Woodhall Spa); High Sherrif (of Rutland); President of the English Golf Union; golf course architect; golf writer.
  • Turned Pro:

    n/a

Roll of Honour

Awarded the Military Cross in the 1914-18 war (the UK's second highest military honour for officers).

Golf course design

Hotchkin's best known work includes, but is not limited to:

ENGLAND:
Ashridge GC, Herts (1932, with Cecil K. Hutchison & Sir Guy Campbell) / West Sussex GC, W Sussex (1931, with Hutchison & Campbell) / Woodhall Spa, Lincs (1920s, modifications with Cecil Hutchison).

SOUTH AFRICA:
Durban CC, KZN (1928, major modifications) / East London GC, Eastern Cape (1928) / Humewood GC, Port Elizabeth (1931) / King David Mowbray GC, Cape Town (1928, major modifications) / Royal Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (1928, major modifications).

Did you know?

After meritoriously serving with the Royal Horse Artillery in Palestine during the First World War, Hotchkin developed an interest in golf course architecture. Returning to England in 1920, he bought his home course, Woodhall Spa, and set about remodelling it with renowned course architect Cecil K. Hutchison. The original nine-hole Woodhall Spa course had been designed by Harry Vardon, and was subsequently extended to eighteen by Harry Colt. It was Colt's layout that Hotchkin and Hutchison revamped, retaining only one of the great man’s greens.

In the early 1920s Hotchkin published his famous text, The Principles of Golf Architecture. By the late 1920s he had set-up his own golf course design company, Ferigna ... which took its name from his revolutionary iron-based turf dressings and fertilisers.

In 1928 fellow designer Hutchison and family friend Sir Guy Campbell had joined Ferigna. The firm covered all aspects of golf course design, construction, maintenance, equipment, turf dressing and seeding. With its three ex-military officers at the helm, Ferigna undertook the design and construction of several courses in the south of England ... most notably, West Sussex (1931) and Ashridge (1932).

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Tournaments

The Masters: The 88th Masters Tournament at Augusta National sees LIV golfer Jon Rahm defend his title against the world’s best. Pressing hard will be world No.1 and 2022 champion Scottie Scheffler and world No.2 Rory McIlroy (April 11-14).

Chevron Championship: the women’s major championship season gets underway for the second year at its new Carlton Woods home outside Houston, Texas. World No.2 Lilia Vu defends (April 18-21).

Who's Who

Nelly Korda: records a perfect start to 2024 with five wins out of her last five starts on the LPGA Tour. Winning the Chevron Championship also brought the second major championship win of her career.

Scottie Scheffler: narrowly missed out on matching Nelly Korda's five wins in five starts, when he placed second at the Houston Open. Either side of that, he won The Arnold Palmer, The Players, and then The Masters and The Heritage.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

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