England’s infrastructure issues are no secret. The country faces enormous debt, and the list of necessary repairs—to transport, water systems, sewage, housing, hospitals, and more—feels overwhelming. Neither political party seems capable of addressing it, often looking more like helpless, bungling spectators. And yet, despite this chaos, the nation has adopted a resigned humour, a familiar trait to help us cope with the horror of it all.
To be fair, the government does try. At least, it tries to appear busy, investing public funds with the recklessness of a gambler on a losing streak. Amid numerous pressing issues, it has poured resources into the HS2 rail project—a high-speed line originally intended to zip travellers from London to Manchester at record speeds. Since 2009, HS2 has loomed large, promising cutting-edge infrastructure and thousands of jobs. But what have we really gained? On paper, a London-to-Birmingham line, at an astronomical cost, with an estimated launch date that might stretch well beyond 2033.
But let us be clear: this is no mere tale of delays and runaway budgets. This is an account of something far more grievous—a sacrilege committed against a fine West Midlands institution: Whittington Heath Golf Club. HS2’s most egregious offense? Bulldozing straight through this historic, “Harry Colt-designed” course. For the uninitiated, let me clarify: Harry Colt is to golf what da Vinci is to art. You do not alter a Colt design unless it is to restore his original vision, and only if decades of wear and growth have blurred it. Yet, HS2 has ploughed right through Whittington Heath, bisecting the course in a straight line, all to save mere minutes on the journey from London to Birmingham—which now, finally, is planned to end at Euston Station, rather than an outpost in West London.
Despite this upheaval, Whittington Heath’s resilience shines through. Faced with this disruption, they steeled themselves to secure a suitable compensation package, negotiating for a stunning new clubhouse and five new holes to replace the ones standing in the way of the HS2 routing. The new holes are built on treeless farmland, but there has been no shortage of investment to create worthy replacements. The new holes which play as the 1-5 provide good quality, challenging golf. However, the contrast in style between the original heathland holes and the new holes is for now, stark. Naturally, the newer landscaping cannot yet rival the matured beauty of the original course, whose roots date back to 1886. But the potential is there. Over time, as the contrast softens and the young heather begins to blend with the established course, Whittington Heath will emerge as a course with 18 exceptional holes. HS2, bound by mitigation obligations, must restore the heathland nature of the course—yet another testament to the club’s excellent negotiating skills.
Playing Whittington Heath recently with my three sons, we discussed the saga at length, thinking, as many still do following a recent government announcement, that the project had been scaled back, with the rail line only extending a few miles past the golf course!! Can you imagine our disbelief? Our putting may have suffered as we debated a campaign to publicise the madness of it all, only to find out later what most do not know—the line will in fact continue…thankfully.
For all the frustration HS2 has caused, it was, at least, an attempt at progress, however misguided. Whittington Heath, though, deserves great credit, a testament to resilience and a determination to remain one of the region’s top golf destinations.
A West Midlands Golf Tour includes some very fine golf courses, and despite all the upheaval and destruction the course has had to endure, I am delighted to confirm that Whittington Heath remains one of them.
For more information on great golf in the West Midlands, please read here.