62 Abercromby, who was involved with the syndicate that owned the club. It is said that, when asked by a member where to find the suggestion box, Aber retorted ‘I am the suggestion box’. The most obvious answer to the conundrum would be that Colt routed the course and left Aber to handle the details of the holes, but architect Frank Pont, part of the team from the Clayton, DeVries & Pont firm that is leading the restoration, believes this is not so. His argument, which is compelling, is that Colt, who was known for using par-three holes to cross difficult or broken ground, would automatically have routed such a hole across the ravine that crosses the ninth, at the top of the site. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. The Addington is unusual among classic British courses in that it has always been privately owned. For many years, it was owned by Moira Fabes, an eccentric woman whose father had acquired all the shares in the original syndicate. She died in 2002, and in 2006 the course was bought by local businessman Ron Noades, famous as the chairman and owner of football clubs Wimbledon, Crystal Palace and Brentford (he also managed Brentford for a time, with some success). Noades, a self-made man and passionate golfer, also owned several other courses in the area, collectively known as the Altonwood Group; his youngest son Ryan, who now runs the course, says his father bought The Addington at least in part because he had been unable to play there as a young man, and it was to him a symbol of how far he had come. Ron died in 2013 and eventually Ryan took over as managing director of the club. As such, he closely approximates Don Harradine’s ideal. Doubtless he consults on important decisions with the other co-owners of the club in his family, but essentially, he is the committee! Like his father, Ryan is a passionate golfer. He is very well-travelled, has seen a lot of great golf, and is an Photo: David Cannon “ The most dramatic part of the restoration has already been carried out, in the form of massive tree clearance” THE ADD I NGTON The extent of clearance work can be clearly seen on the par-four fifteenth, pictured in October 2020 and, right, two years later
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