Donald Steel
Encyclopedia
Donald Maclennan Arklay Steel (born 23 August 1937 in Hillingdon
, Middlesex
) is a former golf
er and is a noted golf course
designer, as well as being a writer and journalist. Educated at Fettes College
and Christ's College
, he has designed a large number of golf courses or modifications to existing courses, mostly in the United Kingdom
and Ireland
. He has also written a number of books about golf
. He was golf corresponent for the Sunday Telegraph
from its launch in 1961 until 1989, and has written for Country Life since 1983. In 1957, he played cricket
for Buckinghamshire
in the Minor Counties Championship, making six appearances. The highlight of his golfing career was qualifying for the 1970 Open Championship
at the Old Course at St Andrews
.
Hillingdon
Hillingdon is a suburban area within the London Borough of Hillingdon, situated 14.2 miles west of Charing Cross.Much of Hillingdon is represented as the Hillingdon East ward within the local authority, Hillingdon Council...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
) is a former golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er and is a noted golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
designer, as well as being a writer and journalist. Educated at Fettes College
Fettes College
Fettes College is an independent school for boarding and day pupils in Edinburgh, Scotland with over two thirds of its pupils in residence on campus...
and Christ's College
Christ's College
Christ's College is a name shared by several educational establishments. Among them are:* Christ's College, Aberdeen, in Scotland* Christ's College, Cambridge, one of the constituent Colleges of the University of Cambridge, England...
, he has designed a large number of golf courses or modifications to existing courses, mostly in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He has also written a number of books about golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. He was golf corresponent for the Sunday Telegraph
Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
from its launch in 1961 until 1989, and has written for Country Life since 1983. In 1957, he played cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Buckinghamshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play...
in the Minor Counties Championship, making six appearances. The highlight of his golfing career was qualifying for the 1970 Open Championship
1970 Open Championship
The 1970 Open Championship was a golf competition held at the Old Course at St Andrews. The competition was won by Jack Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff over Doug Sanders, 72 to 73...
at the Old Course at St Andrews
Old Course at St Andrews
The Old Course at St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world. The Old Course is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by The St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament...
.