World-renowned architect who changed Kilkenny golf course in 1936

Now that a reconfiguration of the present layout of the Kilkenny course at Newtown/Glendine is being contemplated, it’s worth noting the very significant contribution of the world-renowned golf course architect and designer Tom Simpson to the present 18-hole layout.

Securing Tom Simpson’s professional services in 1936 was a masterstroke of the captain of the day, Richard Duggan, and the committee of Kilkenny Golf Club during the presidency of Rev G E Day.

Simpson has lent his name to over 20 golf courses in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland including the likes of Carnoustie. Lytham and St Annes, Aberdeen, Muirfield, Porthcawl as well as several in France and New Zealand amongst many others. Tom Simpson has written several books on the subject of good golf course design.

Molly Gourlay, a native of Kerry and twice English Ladies amateur champion also a course designer joined his newly formed course design business, Simpson and Company in 1931.

Thomas J Simpson (1877-1964) a scratch golfer was a wealthy Cambridge-educated lawyer and his assistant, Molly Gourlay, met the challenge of remodelling Kilkenny golf course in 1936 from one of nine holes to a new 18-hole layout. The original course was confined to the boundary of Newtown townland, but with the acquisition of land at Glendine, they were able to extend the course to 18 holes.

With the exception of reversing the current first and second holes, the course has mainly followed the Simpson design for the last 87 years.

The original 1923 nine-hole layout commenced from Fair Hill pavilion at what is today the 12th hole through to the 13th, fifth, sixth , seventh , eighth , ninth , 10th and 11th holes.

Simpson was also the architect designer commissioned by County Louth Golf Club at Baltray 1938, Ballybunion 1936 and Carlow Golf Course in 1937. A Thomas Regan, was the foreman over Simpson’s reconstruction plans and he was engaged to carry out the works at Kilkenny and Carlow golf clubs. Thomas Dowling was the professional and greenkeeper at Kilkenny Golf Club at this time and Miss Dowling was the stewardess.

TJ Simpson was considered an eccentric with an artistic flair by some of his contemporaries. He insisted on four essentials to good golf course design: One, cassicism — design should not depart from the Scottish model, intention and spirit of the game; two, cerebral — the golfer must use their head as much as their hands.

Mental agility must match physical ability; three, artistic —a golf course should decorate a landscape not disfigure it with the strictest economic means; four, vitality — the course should feel alive, not dead and insipid, lacking the energy of expression.

Simpson believed that out of bounds should be avoided on the slice side of a players normal swing, but which side was he talking about? But, perhaps that’s why the Kilkenny course is said to favour the left handed golfer more so than the right handed player.

He was a great fan of dog-legs and that there should be only one easy approach route to each green. Fairways should be irregular and devoid of straight lines and parallel fairways should be avoided.

My favourite of TJ Simpson’s essentials of good course design is that the course must be equally fair and interesting to both the scratch player and the high handicapper.

Sources: Irish Newspaper Archives. Centenary Book of Kilkenny Golf Club 1896-1996. Tom Simpson Evalu18.