 with Ken Cotton, who subsequently became his senior partner. He was building two courses – St Pierre and Ross-on-Wye – in the early 1960s, so he went to both locations and wrote a piece about building new golf layouts, which he found absolutely fascinating.

They kept in touch. Then about two years later Ken contacted Donald as he wanted a bit of help and asked if he’d be interested. Donald stopped him before he’d even finished the question and said, “Thank you very much!” Before long, he joined forces with Ken Cotton, 

 and Charles Lawrie in their design practice.

Donald describes Cotton as “a pupil of 

, a fine player himself, [who] decided to embark on a third career as an architect to establish his own name and portfolio in spite of the fairly flat market. St Pierre and Ross-on-Wye couldn’t have been more different, St Pierre almost ready-made and Ross-on-Wye carved out of poorly drained woodland.”

Steel continues: “Brickendon Grange was another of Ken’s new courses around that time and there was also a pleasant journey with him to Brecon to look at a course called Penotre, now named Cradoc. He was also responsible for the extension from 27 holes to 36 at Frilford Heath.

His best course abroad was Olgiata in Rome, scene of great Britain and Ireland’s first victory in the 1964 World Amateur Team Championship, but perhaps Ken’s greatest act of kindness to me was his bestowal of Tom Simpson’s ‘Golf Architect’s Bible’ which is an amazing leather bound miscellany of architectural and greenkeeping ‘secrets’. The fact that there is only one copy is because it is predominantly hand-written.”

A graduate of Cambridge University, Cotton was a scratch amateur golfer who was both a school teacher and golf club secretary between the wars before moving into golf course design when he saw potential opportunities in reclaiming layouts that had been neglected or fallen into disrepair during World War II.


“It is a fitting tribute to Ken Cotton who died last Wednesday a few weeks before his 87th birthday that the week’s two major tournaments, the County Champions and the Dunlop Masters, were played on courses which he designed, Ross-on-Wye and St Pierre.

Their creation marked the beginning of the wave of new courses which have sprung into being in Britain in the last 10 or 12 years and their contrasting delights display the very best of Cotton’s undoubted talent as an architect.

His knowledge and appreciation of the art were based on his own considerable skill as a player whose handicap was once plus two; but one of the remarkable facts about an enviable life was that he graduated from Cambridge having played virtually no golf there, and did not take up golf course architecture seriously until the end of World War II when well over 50.

In between times he taught as a schoolmaster before drifting into golf in the role of secretary at Parkstone and Stoke Poges – and Oxhey where Ted Ray was professional and with whom he must have made the best professional secretary foursomes partnership in history.

His experiences as a secretary, together with those of a player, enabled him to get to know golf inside out and with the encouragement of his brother and some expert advice from his friend Tom Simpson he launched himself with immediate success on a third career. As in the other two, his kind and thoughtful manner won him nothing but friends and he will be widely missed.

In an effort to safe guard clients against golf course architects with little knowledge of their trade, he was co-founder of the British Association of Golf Course Architects and in June of this year succeeded 

It is sad to reflect that he and Mackenzie Ross represent almost the last of a generation which has seen so much change in the game this century, but it is unquestionable that their influence upon this change has been both lasting and good.”

“C.K. Cotton, a graduate of Cambridge University, took up the game of golf after college and quickly developed into a fine player. He was a scratch golfer for over thirty years. Cotton worked for nearly twenty years as a club secretary at a series of golf clubs. After WWII he decided to assist in reconstruction of the many war-torn layouts.” Geoff Cornish and Ron Whitten 

C. K. Cotton

Cotton didn't take up golf course architecture until the end of WWII when well over 50. In between times he taught as a schoolmaster before drifting into the role of secretary at Parkstone and Stoke Poges.

Hertfordshire

England

Hertfordshire is blessed with a number of fine parkland golf courses and Brickendon Grange Golf Club sits comfortably within this group. The club was established in the 1960s and fifteen holes – designed by C.K. Cotton – opened for play in May 1967. The remaining three were ready for play in June 1968. A gentleman’s annual membership fee in those early days was twenty guineas... how times have changed!

The golf club is located in the parish of Brickendon, which is set to the south of Hertford, a mere thirty miles north of London. Brickendon Grange Golf Club has enjoyed a thriving membership since the outset and this continues to this day.

Brickendon Grange is set in 160 acres of undulating countryside, featuring a wide variety of trees and a number of hazards including no less than eight natural water hazards. At least five of these are well in play from either the tee or for approach shots to the greens. The first of the holes involving water is the hazardous 5th, measuring only 350 yards from the tee but doglegging right at 200 yards, with an approach over a recently extended pond 30 yards short of the green. With the course boundary just left of the green, a very precise shot is required.

The 12th hole is a firm favourite at Brickendon, named ‘Cottons Choice’ after the great man decided this was his pick of the holes. It’s a tight drive with strategically placed bunkers at the landing point, leaving another tough approach to a protected green where more bunkers and trees stand guard.

The signature hole is the 17th, named ‘Ace of Herts’, which is undisputedly one of the best holes in Hertfordshire. It’s a daunting hole, firstly off the tee where anything left or right is punished either by trees or fairway bunkers. Then the approach shot to the green is likely to be played from a downhill lie and over water to a raised green. In our opinion the stroke index of 7 does not do this hole justice in terms of degree of difficulty.

Visitors are more than welcome at Brickendon Grange Golf Club and are assured of a pleasurable time. Many remark on the quality of the course, especially the lightening-fast summer greens. The Brickendon setting is lush, wooded parkland and a favourite part of the experience for us is the walk from the 17th green to the 18th tee. It’s a beautiful wander through the woods where you may contemplate your round prior to your last tee shot to the uphill par three where the welcoming clubhouse waits behind the green.

Brickendon Grange hosted the English Girls U15 and U13 Championships in 2007. Suffolk’s Heidi Baek won the U15 event and Wiltshire’s Hannah Turland took the U13 title.

Brickendon Grange

West Herts

Britain & Ireland

Hertfordshire is blessed with a number of fine parkland golf courses and Brickendon Grange Golf Club sits comfortably within this group.