early days and golfing success ÒapperlyÕ s game looked...

6
Early days and golfing success Eric’s father Henry Wellstead Apperly, was born in Melbourne and his mother was Alice Langton Apperly. Henry became the Secretary of the AMP Society - one of the largest insurance companies in the country. Born on 16th September 1889 in Sydney, Eric Langton Apperly was known as the ‘boy champion’ in his early golfing years. He reportedly took up the game to improve his delicate health, and at the age of 16, the young fellow described as “a sickly boy”, made the final of the 1907 NSW Amateur Championship, only to lose on the 37th. A tall and gangly individual, he went on to win five NSW Amateur Championships whilst a member of Killara Golf Club and later Manly Golf Club, the first in 1912 and the last in 1930. Apperly’s most famous victory came in 1920 as the first New South Welshman to win the Australian Amateur Championship, defeating Tommy Howard 4 and 3 at The Australian. Apperly also won the 1921 Australian Foursomes Championship. He was selected in the NSW state team in 1906 - and was still there over 20 years later - a remarkable feat of longevity. The Sydney Mail described Apperly’s technique as “unorthodox, looking at times almost clumsy”, but added “He gets results and as a fighter he knows no equal.” Jack Pollard wrote in his book Australian Golf - the Game and the Players that: “Apperly’s game looked undistinguished but he hit most of his shots straight, if not in copybook fashion, and he was a relentless fighter. He was chosen to play for Australia against Great Britain in 1934 at the age of 45, but it will be for his work as a golf course architect that he will be remembered…” Eric married Marjorie Audet in 1923 and they had one child, a son Richard Eric Apperly, who was born in Sydney in 1925. He too became an architect. Richard married Myrna Hirsch in 1957 and they had three sons - all born in Sydney. Writings and opinions In October 1933, Apperly wrote extensively on golf course architecture in Golf Australia magazine: “My Conception of a Good Golf Hole. In my opinion, a hole is a good one if it calls for nicety of judgement, careful thought as to the direction and placing of the strokes or particular skill and variety of their execution, no matter what the length or the par may be.” He went on to say: “In this short article on Golf Architecture I had intended to pick out one or two of my favourite holes on our Sydney courses and to say why I considered them good. It struck me however, that before being so it might be as well to try and get a clear view of what constitutes a good hole. It is certainly a subject on which there is much room for difference of opinion, as one will not infrequently hear the favourite of one good player roundly condemned by another, and each will advance arguments in favour of his view. A good deal depends on the player’s attitude of mind to the game itself; some would have it a game of strict justice, where punishment is meted out to the erring strictly according to the extent of their sin, whilst the good are never troubled. To such I would say, why not decide your competitions by competitive examination, awarding marks for length and accuracy over a series of tests with the various clubs? Such a method should undoubtedly be more successful in unearthing the best stroke maker, but golf would assuredly cease to be a game. Son of the AMP Society’s Secretary, Eric Apperly grew up in what could only be considered affluent circumstances in Sydney society. Educated at the University of Sydney, obtaining an Architecture degree, he not only designed buildings, but also golf courses. As such, he was likely the first trained design professional in Australia to engage in golf course design. Others, such as civil engineer Alex Russell, soon followed in his footsteps. 1 8 8 9 - 1 9 5 1 A young and gangly Eric Apperly at front left in this photo of the NSW Amateur team of 1906 Courtesy of Royal Sydney Golf Club

Upload: others

Post on 05-Oct-2020

1 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Early days and golfing success ÒApperlyÕ s game looked ...persimmongolftoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Apperly-GA8.pdf · and they had one child, a son Richar d Eric Apperly

Early days and golfing successEric’s father Henry Wellstead Apperly,was born in Melbourne and his motherwas Alice Langton Apperly. Henrybecame the Secretary of the AMPSociety - one of the largest insurancecompanies in the country. Born on16th September 1889 in Sydney,Eric Langton Apperly was known asthe ‘boy champion’ in his early golfingyears. He reportedly took up thegame to improve his delicate health,and at the age of 16, the young fellowdescribed as “a sickly boy”, madethe final of the 1907 NSW AmateurChampionship, only to lose on the37th. A tall and gangly individual, hewent on to win five NSW AmateurChampionships whilst a member ofKillara Golf Club and later ManlyGolf Club, the first in 1912 andthe last in 1930.

Apperly’s most famous victorycame in 1920 as the first New SouthWelshman to win the AustralianAmateur Championship, defeatingTommy Howard 4 and 3 at TheAustralian. Apperly also won the 1921Australian Foursomes Championship.He was selected in the NSW stateteam in 1906 - and was still thereover 20 years later - a remarkablefeat of longevity.

The Sydney Mail described Apperly’stechnique as “unorthodox, lookingat times almost clumsy”, but added

“He gets results and as a fighterhe knows no equal.” Jack Pollardwrote in his book Australian Golf -the Game and the Players that:

“Apperly’s game looked undistinguishedbut he hit most of his shots straight, ifnot in copybook fashion, and he was arelentless fighter. He was chosen toplay for Australia against Great Britainin 1934 at the age of 45, but it will befor his work as a golf course architectthat he will be remembered…”

Eric married Marjorie Audet in 1923and they had one child, a son RichardEric Apperly, who was born in Sydneyin 1925. He too became an architect.Richard married Myrna Hirsch in 1957and they had three sons - all bornin Sydney.

Writings and opinionsIn October 1933, Apperlywrote extensively on golf coursearchitecture in Golf Australia magazine:

“My Conception of a Good Golf Hole.In my opinion, a hole is a good one ifit calls for nicety of judgement, carefulthought as to the direction and placingof the strokes or particular skill andvariety of their execution, no matterwhat the length or the par may be.”

He went on to say:“In this short article on Golf ArchitectureI had intended to pick out one or twoof my favourite holes on our Sydneycourses and to say why I consideredthem good. It struck me however,that before being so it might be aswell to try and get a clear view of whatconstitutes a good hole. It is certainly asubject on which there is much roomfor difference of opinion, as one willnot infrequently hear the favourite ofone good player roundly condemnedby another, and each will advancearguments in favour of his view.

A good deal depends on the player’sattitude of mind to the game itself;some would have it a game of strictjustice, where punishment is metedout to the erring strictly according tothe extent of their sin, whilst thegood are never troubled.

To such I would say, why not decideyour competitions by competitiveexamination, awarding marks for lengthand accuracy over a series of testswith the various clubs? Such amethod should undoubtedly be moresuccessful in unearthing the beststroke maker, but golf would assuredlycease to be a game.

Son of the AMP Society’s

Secretary, Eric Apperly

grew up in what could only

be considered affluent

circumstances in Sydney

society. Educated at the

University of Sydney,

obtaining an Architecture

degree, he not only

designed buildings, but also

golf courses. As such, he

was likely the first trained

design professional in

Australia to engage in golf

course design. Others,

such as civil engineer Alex

Russell, soon followed

in his footsteps.

1 8 8 9 - 1 9 5 1

A young and gangly Eric Apperly

at front left in this photo of the

NSW Amateur team of 1906

Cou

rtesy

of R

oyal

Syd

ney

Gol

f Clu

b

Page 2: Early days and golfing success ÒApperlyÕ s game looked ...persimmongolftoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Apperly-GA8.pdf · and they had one child, a son Richar d Eric Apperly

In order to retain its fascination, golfmust ask for something more thanmere mechanical accuracy in strokeproduction, the spirit of adventure mustbe fostered; the player’s characterand judgement should be tested;he should be required to know himselfand play accordingly.

In these days, too, when many playersare so mechanically accurate in theordinary straight-ahead shots, it seemsto me quite fair that some special strokeshould occasionally be called for, andthat the player capable of producing itshould have some advantage.

For instance, a fairway sloping sideways,where only a slice or draw can expectto hold it, is quite a legitimate test forplayers who aspire to championships,and in addition it adds variety andmakes for greater interest.

The best holes, however, whilstproviding plenty of thrills and interestfor the expert, should not be madeimpossible of accomplishment inreasonable figures by the shorter hitterwho can command reasonable accuracy.A way round, or a shorter carry, shouldbe provided for him, provided of coursethat he must be reconciled to takingone stroke more to reach the green.

Finally, I would ask players, whenestimating the quality of a hole, tobanish par from their minds. In myopinion, a hole is a good one if it callsfor nicety of judgement, careful thoughtas to the direction and placing of thestrokes, or particular skill and varietyin their execution, no matter whatthe length or the par may be.

To say that a hole of 248 yards inlength is bad because it is too easy fora par 4, is surely absurd, if the tee isput forward five yards does it thereforebecome a good hole because it isnow a difficult par 3? The addition orsubtraction of a yard or two cannothave much effect on the merits of thehole as a test of golf, surely!

Players who argue on the par basisforget that it is only an arbitrary methodof estimating the playing value of thecourse as a whole, and that everyround of eighteen holes is bound tocontain some easy and some difficultpars. And it is not always the difficultpars that are the best golfing holes!

A hole should never be lengthenedor shortened with the sole objectof altering the par; the testing qualitiesor interest of the hole should alonebe considered.

Many of the most exacting holesfor class players nowadays are from450 to 480 yards in length. Easy parfigures they may be, but they are theholes where long and accurate playerslook to gain a stroke on less skilful orpowerful opponents by getting fours.

Holes of less length rarely require anapproach with the brassie or spoon(amongst the prettiest strokes ofthe game) from such long hitters asHattersley, Williams or Ferrier, who aresurely entitled to some advantagefor their long hitting.”

Apperly also eagerly described inSeptember 1933 the new course ofthe Royal Melbourne Golf Club for theNew South Wales readers of Golf inAustralia. Some extracts from thisarticle are enlightening as to Apperly’sown design philosophy:

“The design of this course was the workof Dr. Mackenzie and Mr Alec Russell,and I may say at once that I consider iteasily the best piece of golf architectureyet achieved in Australia.

A few words about its difficulties, andthe methods of bunkering, comparedwith our own courses, may perhapsbe of general interest to golfers.

The country on which it is laid outis excellent for golf, nicely undulatingand with sandy soil of a rather heavierquality than ours. It was originallycovered with ti-tree, so that a bad pullor slice (or even a slight one in someplaces) will not infrequently land inthe scrub, whilst the rough is tougherand more difficult to recover fromthan ours.

To my mind, some of our own golfingcountry, such as is seen at La Perouse,Kensington, or The Lakes, is reallysuperior: it is more like the windsweptsand dunes over which the best Britishchampionship courses are laid out,and which have always been lookedon, rightly, I think, as the truehome of golf.”

Three of Australia’s early

golf course architects in a

rare photograph together -

Eric Apperly plays at Concord

Golf Course in 1919, watched

by Tom Howard (centre) and

Dan Soutar (left).

Plan of Royal Melbourne’s 2nd

West that accompanied Eric

Apperly’s article in ‘Golf in

Australia’ of 1933 - most likely

sketched by Apperly himself.

Below centre: Wright and

Apperly Architects original

elevations of the clubhouse

at Avondale Golf Club in

Sydney. Eric Apperly also

designed the Avondale

course in 1926.

59G O L F A R C H I T E C T U R E

Cou

rtesy

of A

vond

ale

Gol

f Clu

b

Page 3: Early days and golfing success ÒApperlyÕ s game looked ...persimmongolftoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Apperly-GA8.pdf · and they had one child, a son Richar d Eric Apperly

He goes on to discuss thegreens and the bunkering:

“The formation of the greens, theircontours and the surroundingdepressions and low hills - nearly allartificially created - are very skillfullyconceived, and have been carried outin a thoroughgoing manner by movinglarge masses of sand without toomuch thought for expense. In thisrespect I think they had an advantageover us in NSW, in that there appearsto be a great depth of sand and notendency for water to accumulate;it was therefore possible to dig deepdepressions and use material soexcavated for mounds, etc, in thevicinity. As nature always createsvalleys and hollows where there arehills, it was therefore much easier togive a natural appearance than onsome of our flatter courses, where allartificial work has had to be abovethe level of the natural flat surface.

The bunkering is more up-to-datethan ours and much more difficultthan ours; yet the local longer markersseem proud of the course. Perhapsthey have never been spoiled byhaving courses left too easy, asours have been.

I do not mean by this that super-humanfeats should be demanded of allplayers. The short hitter should alwaysbe provided with a way around thedifficulties (as is done at Cheltenham[Royal Melbourne]) and should be ableto get round in a fair figure if he isaccurate. Reasonable accuracy shouldbe demanded of all players short orlong, but something more than this(viz. judgement and a variety of strokes)should be asked of the champion whowants to get round in the low seventies.

At Cheltenham they have not beenafraid to put bunkers in positions whichcreate really difficult shots for first classplayers. Probably this is due to the factthat the design was left to an expert,and was not watered down by a greencommittee too fearful of its popularity.Many of the bunkers demand attentioneven by the expert who is playingperfect golf.

With us if the drive has been placedanywhere on the fairwayit is usually a question of taking theright club for strength and playing areasonably accurate shot with it.Bunkers can be neglected in the sureknowledge that they will not interfereunless the stroke is faulty.

Over there the player has often todecide whether to try to get close tothe pin is worth the risk, and if hedecides to do so has frequently to playsomething more than the ordinarystraight ahead stroke.”

60 G O L F A R C H I T E C T U R E

Architecture and golf architectureA qualified architect, Eric Apperlywas a partner in the architecturalpractice of Wright and Apperly, BondStreet, Sydney. They designed theManly Golf Club’s clubhouse in 1924,Eric having been a member of that clubsince 1911. They later designed theclubhouses for Pymble, Avondale andCromer and undertook alterations tothe clubhouse at New South Wales.Due to his outstanding golfing prowess,Apperly was also commissioned by anumber of clubs to design, redesignor advise on their layouts.

Eric Apperly’s first course designproject was the Avondale Golf Club’slayout in 1926, and this was followedin the same year by the design ofnine holes at the Studley Park estatein Camden, which later becamethe Camden Golf Club.

The Lakes Golf Club was designedjointly by Apperly and Tommy Howardin 1928 - sadly this course is no longerin existence. Eastlakes Golf Club wasdesigned by the pair in 1929-31 andKiama Golf Club’s first 9 holes was alsodesigned by Apperly and Howard in1932. Orange Golf Club (Duntryleague)saw Apperly combine with professionalgolfer JA Irving to design this coursein 1935, while Newcastle Golf Club’ssecond 9 holes were added in1936 to a design by Apperly.

He redesigned New South Wales GolfClub’s course at La Perouse in 1936-7and he redesigned the course of thePennant Hills Golf Club in 1946, afterit had been occupied by the militaryduring the Second World War.

The 1926 course of the PymbleGolf Cub in Sydney, was originallydesigned by Dan Soutar and CarnegieClark. After the Second World Warthe Club purchased 20 acres of landknown as "Britton's Orchard" for thesum of £7000. It was then possibleto redesign the course to eliminatethe three holes in the 10 acre

"Paddock" on the southern side ofPentecost Avenue. In 1949 EricApperly's plan for the new layoutwas adopted and the work wascompleted in 1953.

Cromer Golf Club was also remodeledby Apperly in 1949 and he thendesigned Castle Hill Country Club’sfirst 9 holes in 1951. There are also anumber of other clubs that Apperlyadvised over the course of his career.

As a trained and practicing architect,it could be expected that Apperlywould have translated his profession’spassion for thorough documentationinto his new endeavour as a golfcourse architect. Al Howard, sonof Tommy Howard, recalls that:

Representing NSW against

New Zealand in 1934.

Eric Apperly playing from one of his own

bunkers at The Lakes Golf Club, c.1934

Eric Apperly (right) photographed with

a young Jim Ferrier at Manly, c. 1929.

Cou

rtesy

the

Hoo

d C

olle

ctio

n, S

tate

Lib

arar

y of

New

Sou

th W

ales

Cou

rtesy

the

Hoo

d C

olle

ctio

n, S

tate

Lib

arar

y of

New

Sou

th W

ales

Page 4: Early days and golfing success ÒApperlyÕ s game looked ...persimmongolftoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Apperly-GA8.pdf · and they had one child, a son Richar d Eric Apperly

“One time NSW Amateur ChampionEric Apperly was our first golf coursearchitect in that he practiced theprofession of architect in both theoffice and on the golf course. His plandrawings of green reconstructionswere works of art…”

The Lakes Golf ClubEric Apperly and his friend (and longtime adversary on the links) TommyHoward, at this time a professional,had formed an association as golfcourse planners and constructors.According to Tommy’s son AlHoward: “Eric Apperly contributed hisarchitectural ability and his experienceas a championship golfer while TommyHoward was becoming increasinglyinvolved in planning, plus thedevelopment of putting green turfand insect and weed control.”

A group of enthusiasts weredetermined to turn barren sandhillsin the Sydney suburb of Kingsfordinto a golf course. The fledgling outfitof Apperly and Howard were entrustedwith this task and prepared their plansin 1928. We are fortunate that AlHoward was there and recorded hisobservations of the construction ofThe Lakes course. Al observed:

“And so it happened that as Apperlyand Howard Snr. inspected futuregolf course sites such as the Lakes,along would tag Howard Jnr. in hisrole of observant but silent go-pher.

My part in their golf courseprogramme was restricted to ‘boilingthe billy’, hiking miles to the nearestshop for sandwiches and smokesand as a reward for such services waspermitted to drag the wire chain intoreptile infested ravines or crawl throughovergrown lantana and blackberryscrub. Ah - the youth of my day knewtheir place in the scheme of things!

However, there were somecompensations - at the Lakes thethird of the major dams, now the waterhazard left of the existing first hole wasin 1930 ringed by small sandy shoresshelving down to cool clear water.Under favourable conditions todaythe first is sometimes a drive and achip - to me in 1930 it meant anoccasional dip!

Worthy of mention is the fact thatthe present Lakes was the first golfcourse in Sydney to be landscapedby massive earthworks. The 1930golf course of the Lakes was alsolandscaped into massive earthformsby The Almighty no less, and apartfrom the leveling of the tees and thebuilding of greens from the nearbyexcavated bunkers, followed thenatural ground contours - which tostate quite mildly led to someunnatural bloody stances on andoff the fairways.”

The Lakes was ready for play in 1930and developed into one of the premiertests of golf in New South Wales, andindeed the country, holding manychampionships, including the 1964Australian Open won by Jack Nicklausand the 1950 Australian PGA securedby Norman von Nida. Al Howardsuggests that the Lakes course ofthat period was “without doubt thetoughest course in Australia…”

The 16th was one of the mostfamous holes in Australia - a doublewater carry unless you were brave(or silly) enough to try for the green inone on this 320 metre par 4. Nicklausmanaged to carry the water twice,once in the 1963 Wills Masters andagain in the 1965 Open. Al Howarddescribes it: “It was a crash or carryhole and the scene of contemplated suicides. Most favoured method was to heave yourself and sticks into the nearby Styx. Into a nor- easter it was a nightmare and nines were not unknown. The over water carry to the championship green was about 300 yds. and seldom attempted except in wind assisting conditions and only a handful of gorillas made the distant shore.”

Sadly, the course had to be closed in1968 as the new Mascot Expresswaywas planned to run through the course.Sydney’s Bruce Devlin, in partnershipwith American architect Robert vonHagge remodeled the course sosignificantly that barely a trace remainsof the original Apperly and Howardlayout. The revamped Lakes courseopened again in 1970.

New South Wales Golf ClubPerhaps Eric Apperly’s greatestenduring legacy was his redesign ofthe New South Wales Golf Club’scourse at La Perouse, located on theheadlands overlooking Botany Bay.The common perception today isthat the course is a purebred AlisterMackenzie design - although that mayhave been true at one time, the realityis that today’s course owes its staturepredominantly to Eric Apperly.

A company was formed to developthis new course at La Perouse andinitially commissioned Dan Soutar toprovide a report and a design.In 1925 the site location moved slightlyand they required another design, andas Soutar was unavailable, his oldpartner Carnegie Clark, assisted byJames Herd Scott, prepared the layoutthat was included in the prospectus.Whilst clearing was being undertaken,the Club learned from Royal Melbournethat Alister Mackenzie was available forconsultation and in 1926 Dr Mackenziewas engaged by the Club to reviewtheir plans for the new course. Apublication prepared by the Club fortheir golden anniversary in 1978 quotedthe recollections of Brigadier-GeneralSydney Herring who was involved inthe Club’s formative years and actedas its Secretary for some time.

These recollections are of interest:“ …Dr. Mackenzie, a world-famed golfarchitect, was being brought out fromScotland to alter the layouts of severalMelbourne golf clubs. As well he wasto report on the Royal Sydney GolfCourse. Mr. Magney suggested weget hold of him to give us a report onwhether our suggested Course wasas good as we thought it was. Hisfavourable report would be a wonderfulboost for the Company. We got intouch with the doctor in Melbourne andhe agreed to make the report for thesum of £250; his offer was accepted.”

61G O L F A R C H I T E C T U R E

Eric Apperly’s trophy for

the 1920 Australian Amateur

is still in his family today -

grandson Richard Apperly is

the current custodian, The

inscription on the base says

“Amateur Golf Championship

of Australia. July 21 1920.

Won by EL Apperly”.

The water carry short par 4 16th at Howard & Apperly’s The Lakes, as seen in this

newspaper photograph from 1964. This hole now forms part of the current 17th at

The Lakes, but is played in the opposite direction.

Photograph by Richard Apperly

Page 5: Early days and golfing success ÒApperlyÕ s game looked ...persimmongolftoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Apperly-GA8.pdf · and they had one child, a son Richar d Eric Apperly

62 G O L F A R C H I T E C T U R E

Apperly’s masterwork is

undoubtedly his remodelling at

La Perouse - here is the downhill

approach to the par five 5th with

the mighty Pacific as a backdrop.

“When Dr. Mackenzie came to Sydneyhe stayed at the Royal Sydney GolfClub, and he got the then Secretary,Colonel Bertram, interested in the newcourse. The Colonel used to drive theDoctor out to La Perouse and veryoften spent most of the day helpinghim decide on the best layout for oneor two difficult holes. Dr. Mackenziegave a wonderful report and a splendidlayout. He also recommended thatColonel Bertram be retained at anominal fee to keep an eye on theformation of the course; this with theconsent of his committee he undertookto do. He had discussed every holewith the Doctor and his advice to theClub in its early days was mostvaluable. Work then started in earnestand contracts let for the clearingof the scrub.”

Mackenzie’s plans, although conceptual,showed an 18 hole championshiplength course, together with a ninehole Short Course. In 1928 the coursewas finally completed, althoughunbunkered, and ready for play.In the following few years the Clubstruggled to ride out the effects of theDepression and during the years 1929and 1930 the committee sought anyplans and sketches that Mackenziemight have left.

It was resolved that his bunkering plansbe tabled at a meeting in May 1931,however, as finances could not beallocated for their construction,they were not built.

It is understood that Alex Russell,Mackenzie’s Australian partner, wascalled in by the Club in 1931 to inspectthe course, still unbunkered andcritique the bunkering plan and primarilydispense with the Short Course. He didthis when he came to Sydney later thatyear to play the Australian Open andAustralian Amateur Championships.Russell presented a detailed report thathighlighted the fact that the golf coursewas too short - he also made somesuggestions about remodeling someof the greens, but these were nevertaken up by the Club.

In November 1932 the Club felt in aposition to undertake some remodelingand Eric Apperly was engaged by theClub to finally implement Mackenzie’sbunkering scheme - how much of thiswas to Mackenzie’s design and howmuch was Apperly’s own ideas willmost likely never be known. AlexRussell’s suggestions from his 1931report were also in the mix. At this time,Apperly was also asked to suggestmeans of toughening the layout, whichhe achieved by extending some holesand converting the 3rd from a par 5back to a par 4. One of Apperly’s mostsignificant changes came at the 5th.

In April 1933 the Sydney MorningHerald advised its readers that “thecrown of the hill has been cut down,and a plateau formed”, explaining that

“the new tee is 40 yards further back.Previously, with a following wind, anaverage drive finished within 100 yardsof the green, owing to the steepnessof the hill. This made the par fiveridiculously easy. The new tee andplateau have had the effect of makingit more difficult as two exceptionallylong woods are now required toreach the green.”

Eric Apperly was listed in the Club’sAnnual report as its “Hon. Architect”every year from 1933 until his deathin 1951. It is interesting to speculatewhether the ‘Honorary’ title meant thatApperly did not charge the Club for hisservices. In 1933 the Club awardedhim Honorary Membership as a markof appreciation of his service to theClub and to golf in general.

By 1935 the Club’s newly modifiedlayout was settling in well, but the Armyhad its sights set on some of the landthat the Club leased from theGovernment for its fortifications.Herring recalls:

Colonel Bertram, the secretary of

Royal Sydney Golf Club, was entrusted

by Dr. Mackenzie to implement his

remodelling plans at Royal Sydney

and his new course scheme at

New South Wales Golf Club.

Cou

rtesy

of R

oyal

Syd

ney

Gol

f Clu

b

Page 6: Early days and golfing success ÒApperlyÕ s game looked ...persimmongolftoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Apperly-GA8.pdf · and they had one child, a son Richar d Eric Apperly

Perhaps Apperly’s greatest creation

at La Perouse is his par three 6th hole -

the tee on the island can be seen

immediately to the right of the crashing

wave, however, this was not part of the

original hole and was added in 1972.

References and sources:Killara Golf Club Inc: Information to the authors 2002.Golf Australia: October 1933.Royal Sydney Golf Club: Information supplied to the authors by Archivist, 2001.The Royal Sydney Golf Club – The First Hundred Years, Colin Tatz and Brian Stoddart, 1993.Australian Golf Union Handbook: for records and details on Eric Apperly.Al Howard: unpublished articles provided to the authors.In Celebration of the Golden Anniversary of the New South Wales Golf Club: pamphlet, September 1978.Golf at La Perouse, Geoff Armstrong, 2003.Gary Dempsey Golf Course Superintendent NSWGC.The Complete Book of Australian Golf, Terry Smith, 1975.One Hundred Years of Golf at Manly, Jeannie Walker, Manly Golf Club, 2003.The Story of Golf in New South Wales, by David Innes, 1988.

“…I heard a rumour that the Armyintended to put some guns on thehill (Cape Banks) and as well, weregoing to run a road through a coupleof the fairways. I made some enquiriesbut found it was a very hush hushaffair; officially I was told there wasnothing to it. However, I had a friendat court who told me that plans hadactually been drawn up and that wehad better get in early before they werefinally approved….... after a good dealof negotiation a new agreement wasdrawn up in which the Army moderatedits demands as far as the roadway wasconcerned. We were given some moreland and a rebate of rent to offset thecost of altering the layout. The GreensCommittee was then given the job ofaltering the course, under the adviceof the Golf Architect, Mr EL Apperly….After a lot of hard work andconsiderable delay the new layoutwas finally put into play and the Clubcontinued to increase in popularity.”

The land changes forced substantialmodifications to the north-east cornerof the course. The short fourth, a ‘dropdown’ one shot hole playing towardsthe cliffs, was lost, along with the tee atthe fifth. Apperly moved the tee backup and across into its current positionand most inspirationally, replaced thelost par three with a new hole, the sixth,playing along the clifftops. Later in1972 the famous island tee wasadded to this hole.

It is recorded that Apperly implementedsome of the suggestions made inAlex Russell’s 1931 report, but mostlythe ideas were his own. Apperly’srevised layout then opened for play inMay 1937. From 1942 to 1946 thecourse was surrendered to the Armyand when handed back it wascompletely overgrown and bore littleresemblance to a golf course. Apperlyadvised the Club on the restorationrequired to bring the course back toits former condition and in the summerof 1948-49 he proposed some furthermodifications to lengthen some holesand reposition some of the greensand tees on the outward nine.

So what remains of Mackenzie’srouting at La Perouse, and what didApperly remodel? Given that someland was lost and new land acquired,Apperly had to design a number ofnew holes as well as modify someexisting ones to fit into the new layout.According to Gary Dempsey, the golfcourse superintendent at La Perouse,only nine holes of the current NewSouth Wales course bear anysimilarity to Mackenzie’s layout.

These holes are:Hole 3 - tee position similar and green moved to increase doglegHole 4 - tee position altered, otherwise hole is the sameHole 7 - virtually unchangedHole 9 - tee position alteredHole 10 - tee position alteredHole 12 - similar to originalHole 13 - virtually unchangedHole 14 - new tee, new green moved 60 metres backHole 18 - tee position altered.

The remainder of the holes werenew or substantially modified holesto Apperley’s design. As the coursestands at present, there is not onegreen or tee that has not beenchanged.

It is interesting to note that twoof the most renowned holes on thecourse, the tumbling par 5 fifth thatruns towards the Pacific Ocean andthe heroic par 3 sixth across aninlet are both Eric Apperly holes.

In fact all of the par 3’s are Apperly’sand these play to all points of thecompass, as do all the par fives -an important consideration given thewindswept nature of La Perouse.

PassingEric Apperly sadly passed away on26 May 1951, aged 61, after collapsingin the Clubhouse of the Manly GolfClub, having just completed his finalround. An apt end for a man whogave his heart to the game he loved.

by John Scarth and Neil Crafter

Pho

togr

aph

by D

avid

Sca

letti

Pho

togr

aph

byG

ary

Lisb

on G

olf P

hoto

grap

hy