Biography

Henry "Harry" Colt, born in North London in 1869, abandoned a career in law at the age of 25 to help design the links course at Rye on the south coast of England. Initially an ardent supporter of links golf, Colt later found potential in developing exceptional inland courses, and soon after became a sought-after architect. Along with fellow designer Dr. Alister MacKenzie, Colt formed a partnership that evolved with the joining of Charles Allision and later, in 1923, John Morrison. Together, the team designed over 300 golf courses across 16 countries.

Colt and his team initially started with creating courses in the U.K but soon began expanding their designs into mainland Europe, the U.S., Australia and the Far East. Their renowned creations include the famous Pine Valley in New Jersey. Colt himself is recognised for his work on the U.K. courses such as Wentworth, the New Course at Sunningdale, Royal Worlington, and Royal Lytham and St Anne's.

The team incorporated a few simple rules in their design, the notable ones being; their opening holes should not be challenging, every club in the bag should be utilized during the course of a round, and the routing should be determined by the land and topography rather than being imposed on it. Whenever Colt was engaged to alter a course, he ensured that he created a seamless blend with the natural landscape.

Colt is best remembered for his unique style of design, particularly his fondness for pot bunkers, a frequent feature on his courses. His principal legacy lies in the mastery of scale he achieved; taking small greens at the end of narrow winding fairways, setting tees back behind modest stretches of rough, and making each hole a distinct entity in itself. Despite his courses being long enough, length was never his primary weapon to challenge the better player. Consequently, most of his creations have been stretched to remain competitive in today's world.