Donald Steel grew up as a young boy in Hillingdon on the outskirts of London during a time of bombing raids and air raid shelters. His father was a surgeon, physician and Medical Director of a large hospital and his mother was a nursing sister.

He learned to play the game as a junior at Denham, his father’s club, where John Sheridan was appointed professional in 1946. John was the son of Jimmy Sheridan, the Sunningdale caddie master, and both men served their respective clubs for more than half a century.

Cricket was Donald’s first sporting love and he played for Fettes College, Edinburgh for four years, becoming the first person from a Scottish school to play in the Public Schools XI against the Combined Services at Lord’s in his final year, 1956.

He then enrolled at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a Batchelor of Arts degree in Agriculture in 1960.

 from his university days and the journalist invited him to help out when the 

 started up in February 1961. He began as golf correspondent for the weekly newspaper on a 6-month trial period, making him the youngest specialist writer in Fleet Street at the age of 23.

His involvement in golf course design began with a story he was writing about 

, who was building two layouts at St Pierre and Ross-on-Wye. They kept in touch and a couple of years later, Ken invited Donald to work with him in his design practice in 1965.

Donald takes up the story, in an extract from his own website: “He became a partner of Cotton, 

 and Charles Lawrie. All three were fine golfers and men of great kindness and integrity. Their help and influence provided the perfect grounding for any young protégé.

On the death of Cotton in 1974 and Lawrie in 1976, Steel and Pennink worked with Michael Bonallack for five or six years but, on Pennink's death and Bonallack's appointment as Secretary of the R&A, both in 1983, Steel's thoughts turned to the founding of his own company in 1987. It proved a roller coaster ride.

Since 1987, Donald Steel has travelled more widely than any golf course architect in the world. This has entailed two thousand flights as well as half a million miles at the wheel of his own car, rental cars or enjoying the luxury of being driven. His passport bears the stamp of 25 countries.”

 joined Donald’s practice soon after it was established at the end of the 1980s and they remained with him until he became President of the English Golf Union in 2006.

From Donald Steel's website:
On the Churchillian assumption that a man is fortunate if his work and pleasure are one, Donald Steel has had forty five years doing what he has loved best. In his chosen careers of golf writing and golf course architecture, a balance of interest has given the best of both worlds. Still does.

What is more, it has earned unprecedented recognition from his two professional bodies. He has served as President of the Association of Golf Writers (1993-98) and the British Association of Golf Course Architects (1986-89).

If watching champions and studying new land passes as work, the playing side of a varied life shows (or, at least, did) that he can practise what he preaches. Proficient enough to have taken take part in the 1970 Open Championship at St Andrews, and to have represented England at International level, he was a regular contestant in amateur championships and occasional professional events (as an amateur).

In addition, he won the Oxford and Cambridge Golfing Society’s famous President's Putter on three occasions – 18 years apart. Serious Fun, a phrase adopted by Steel in 1985 and used in the title of the Society’s History, rings true.

Paul Daley, who edited a scholarly appraisal of Melbourne's great Sandbelt courses as well as several volumes on golf course architecture, paid a notable compliment:


"To assist Donald in his line of work, three skills are at hand:

At each of these elements, one may find others who may be more proficient. But, if you take these skills as a package and take a composite rating, Donald Steel is, in my opinion, the leading golfing personality in the world, and among the top 5 in our game's glorious history."

 added spice to his indoctrination by winning the first two Open championships that Steel covered. Altogether Steel reported 32 Opens in succession. After leaving the Telegraph at the end of 1989, he continued to write for Country Life having, in 1983, become only the magazine’s fourth regular writer on golf. He followed the distinguished line of Horace Hutchinson, Bernard Darwin and Pat Ward-Thomas.

“My first ‘solo’ design was the 9-hole course for Harrow School on a piece of ground full of ups and downs – hence not much use for anything else except army exercises. Radley, Charterhouse, Bradfield and Wellington followed suit. Such courses provided something for everybody in introducing a new dimension to school activities.

Greatness in a course is the sum of its individual holes. The overall length is of little consequence. Courses come in all shapes and sizes. There are no rules or formulae relating to the sequence of their design. The land dictates. Architects are the judge and must make the best of what they are given. Nobody criticizes Cypress for having successive par fives, successive short par fours and successive par threes.

Architectural teaching has always been based on the principle that strategic architecture is more worthy than the Penal school of thought. That is why a study of the Old Course at St Andrews used to be a must. The strategic belief is providing alternatives, highlighting positional play, recognising the ability to flight the ball, encouraging guile and ingenuity, and rewarding skill. The punishment must fit the crime. Good architects tempt and tease not torment. Subtlety and sympathy are the substance of strategy.”

Planet Golf:
Aside from boasting an impressive Amateur resume, Donald Steel is a respected golf writer and historian who started in the design business in 1965 with Frank Pennink. Steel subsequently established his own practice and has since famously consulted at all of the British Open championship venues. He has also designed a number of new golf courses from scratch.

Lorne Rubenstein:
Mackenzie and Ebert worked for a Renaissance man of golf. He wrote golf for the 

, a British national newspaper, for nearly 20 years. He contributed a column under the title ‘A Golf Commentary’ for the English magazine 

 was the first book written specifically about links golf, and it’s a classic itself. Steel is as gifted a speaker as a writer; for years, he’s been one of the most engaging and sought-after after-dinner speakers in the game.

Books of which Steel was author, co-author, editor or co-editor include.

The Shell International Encyclopedia of Golf

 – with Peter Ryde & Herbert Warren Wind (1975)

Sunday Telegraph Golf Course Guide to Britain and Ireland

Classic Golf Links of Great Britain and Ireland 

Thin End of the Wedge – a life in golf 

When asked to share a ‘famous golf celebrities’ anecdote, Donald answered: “The only one I will relate concerns my participation in the Open [at St Andrews in 1970] when, on the 16th hole in the second round, I played so well left that I encountered Arnold Palmer going the other way on the 3rd. Understandably aghast, he asked, ‘what are you doing here, Donald?’ ‘Oh, downgrading the championship you came to save,’ I replied.”

Donald Steel

Cricket was Donald Steel's first sporting love and he played for Fettes College, becoming the first person from a Scottish school to play in the Public Schools XI against the Combined Services at Lord’s.

Hertfordshire

England

Located a mere 20 miles to the north of the capital and close to leafy Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, lies Brocket Hall Golf Club. With two courses named after Prime Ministers who used to reside at Brocket Hall, the Palmerston is the new kid on the block, opening for play in 2000.

Designed by Donald Steel and measuring a whopping 7,080 yards from the championship tees, the Palmerston is a real test. The course winds its way through the undulating estate where majestic specimen trees, including hornbeam, beech and pines create a feeling of intimacy and pose as impressive hazards. Steel’s design philosophy was to provide a top quality course with the least possible intrusion on the site. We think he has exceeded his objective with the Palmerston course and it’s probably just as well, because this is top quality land.

Unlike the older Melbourne course, the River Lea doesn’t come into play on the Palmerston course. Instead, there’s bold bunkering to contend with and, of course, avenues of trees. Steel has created a thinking man and women’s course where the golfer is presented with options. Central bunkers divide the 3rd fairway and the 4th tempts the big hitters to drive left, over a small hollow and across the corner of the dogleg. The short par five 9th is also tempting to attack in two shots, but cleverly positioned greenside bunkers await anything but the best struck approach shot.

Your approach shot on the par four 12th must negotiate an unusual chalk face which lies some 100 yards from the green. This really is a delightful hole, which requires pinpoint accuracy from the tee.

Without doubt, Brocket Hall Golf Club is a classy and stylish place to play golf and the Palmerston course is a delightful contrast to the Melbourne. In many ways the Palmerston is reminiscent and almost as good as Woburn’s Marquess course. Add in the famous Auberge du Lac restaurant and you’ve got a tasty venue.

Brocket Hall (Palmerston)

Brickendon Grange

Britain & Ireland

Without doubt, Brocket Hall Golf Club is a classy and stylish place to play golf and the Palmerston course is a delightful contrast to the Melbourne.