Leading golf design firm Clayton, DeVries & Pont has been retained as consulting course architect to Cleeve Hill Golf Club in Gloucestershire.
Located on common land cleared of its trees 6,000 years ago, Cleeve Hill is the highest point in the Cotswolds, providing stunning views of Wales to the west, Cheltenham to the south, and Winchcombe to the north.
Originally designed in 1891 by Old Tom Morris, the course was subsequently revised by Dr Alister MacKenzie. In 2021, the club was rescued from the threat of closure by Cotswold Hub Co, an entity owned by Gloucestershire-raised Nick Hovey and Sam Foyle, who acquired a 125-year lease on the course.
In the first instance, CDP will create concept designs for the course’s long-term improvement. The project will be overseen by Sam Cooper, who will be assisted by Frank Pont and Joe McDonnell.
Simon Pope, General Manager at Cleeve Hill Golf Club, said: “Since taking on responsibility for ‘the hill’, we have focused on general improvements to the course’s condition and providing an open and inclusive atmosphere at the club that appeals to golfers and other visitors alike.
“The support we have received from the Cleeve Common Trust, which oversees the management and conservation of the land upon which the course sits, has been invaluable. We have been delighted by the responses received from golfers all over the world.
“We are excited to be moving on to the next phase. With plans for a new clubhouse and facilities well under way, we are now turning our attention to the course by exploring the
possibilities for long-term improvements to its architecture. We are delighted that CDP, a firm whose values and beliefs are ones we share, will be helping us. The passion and vision that Sam and the rest of the team have shown for our course is something we are very keen to harness.”
Sam Cooper of CDP said: “We spend a lot of time reflecting over what makes great golf. Cleeve Hill isn’t a resort with manicured fairways and championship design. It’s a golfing playground – one of the few places where one shares one’s round with sheep grazing over this expansive, rugged and breathtakingly beautiful site.
“Whether playing over old quarries of Cotswold Stone or to greens set in Iron Age forts, the holes are truly unique. This project isn’t an exercise in making Cleeve ‘conventional’ or in changing its character. Our intention is to help a singular course become even more so.”