All Areas

Switzerland

Situated just a few miles from the 18 charming holes of Gerre Losone in the Swiss canton of Ticino, the course at Ascona occupies a wonderfully scenic Alpine position on the delta where the River Maggia flows into Lake Maggiore.

Golf Club Patriziale Ascona was founded in the late 1920s as Golf Club Ascona-Locarno and the course is owned and run by the local city fathers. As the layout enjoys the presentation and conditioning of a top private golf facility, unsuspecting golfers are hard pressed to guess that this is effectively the local municipal course.

Architect C.H.Alison of Colt and Alison planned a full 18-hole layout for the 125-acre property at the outset but the initial 9-hole track remained in play for thirty years until C.K. Cotton added another nine holes in 1957.

Despite the stunning lakeside setting, water rarely comes into play on the course (except for the small ponds at the 209-yard 2nd, 199-yard 17th and the par four 8th holes) as the tree-lined fairways wander back and forth on a relatively flat site beside the lake.

The Harradine golf design firm is credited with upgrading the course in recent years, installing an irrigation system at the end of the 1990s then rebuilding three holes (at 2, 8 and 10) a short time later.

Ascona

Continental Europe

Golf Club Patriziale Ascona was founded in the late 1920s as Golf Club Ascona-Locarno and the course is owned and run by the local city fathers.

West Wales

Wales

Ashburnham is one of the finest and oldest golf courses in Wales, founded in 1894. It’s located close to the Burry Estuary and Worm’s Head with fine views over Carmarthen Bay. A number of important events have been hosted at Ashburnham, including the PGA Championship. Bernard Gallacher picked up his first pay cheque here, when he won the 1969 Schweppes PGA Championship. Sam Torrance and Dai Rees were also victorious at Ashburnham.

“I played my last PGA Championship as a tournament regular at Ashburnham in 1969, and the club also hosted the event in 1959 – really hosted it, for this was the last occasion a club had to put up all the prize money.” Wrote Peter Alliss in his book – 

 featuring the 200 Best Courses in the British Isles. “It cost them £2,000. Although the course was a good deal shorter in those days, only five players in the field managed to break 70. The late Dai Rees was one of them, and his 70 and 69 on the last day saw him home by six strokes for his first win in Wales.”

Ashburnham originally started out in life as a nine-hole course and was extended in 1902 to 18 holes. Today’s course, which measures 6,630 yards from the back tees, is the result of alterations by J.H.Taylor in 1914, Fred G. Hawtree in 1923 and then Ken Cotton (himself a member at Ashburnham). These three great architects have created a classic out-and-back links course, rolling gently through the dunes.

Unusually, Ashburnham begins with a downhill par three, where out-of-bounds lurk menacingly at the right of the green. In fact, the course is a nightmare for the right-handed slice, as there is invariably trouble beckoning to the right on many holes. The first two holes and the closing two holes are somewhat out of character with the rest, having an inland, almost park-like feel. But the holes in between are the real thing – undiluted and undulating linksland. By the time we reach the 3rd hole, we’re running parallel to the sea and often into the teeth of the prevailing wind. At the turn, we head back, wind assisted but a little further inland.

According to local Ashburnham folklore, an extraordinary tee shot was struck on the 18th. During the Home Internationals, an amateur event, England’s John Davis struck his drive from the 18th tee directly onto the clubhouse roof. The ball ricocheted off and landed to the left of the green, pin high! Admittedly, the wind was from behind, but the ball must have travelled at least 400 yards.

After a game at Ashburnham, make sure to have a drink in the welcoming clubhouse. The members are friendly and often willing to tell a yarn or two. Above all, ensure that you don’t miss playing this historic links, it’s an absolute delight and it’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face, making you want to come back for more.

Ashburnham

Britain & Ireland

Bernhard Gallacher picked up his first pay cheque at Ashburnham Golf Club when he won the 1969 Schweppes PGA Championship.

Northern Italy

Italy

The original eighteen holes at Bergamo-L’Albenza Golf Club were formed by C. K. Cotton in the early 1960s and this course was just one of several Italian layouts that he designed or restyled around that time. Another 9-hole circuit was added in 1987 to give members a wonderful 27-hole complex that allows them to play three different 18-hole courses.

This is fine golfing country in the Orobic hills above the town of Bergamo as Milano and also Villa d’Este is located 35 kilometres to the west of here. The Blue and Yellow nines of the original 18 holes are laid out over challenging forested terrain that rises and falls with regularity over the course of the round.

Bergamo Golf Club L’Albenza has hosted many top competitions over the years and one of the most prestigious of these in recent times was the 53rd Italian Open in 1996 when Englishman Jim Payne claimed the trophy – one of two victories he managed to achieve in a 9-year career on the European Tour.

Another famous professional with fond memories of this course is local lad Costantino Rocca, a one-time caddie at L’Albenza, and he still pops in for a game from time to time.

Bergamo-L'Albenza (Blue and Yellow)

The original eighteen holes at Bergamo-L’Albenza Golf Club were formed by C K Cotton in the early 1960s and this course was just one of several Italian layouts that he designed or restyled around that time.

Founded in 1958, Golf Club Bologna was the first golf club to be established in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The course was designed by Ken Cotton and John Harris when they were in partnership and the layout was subsequently revised by Peter Alliss in the late 1990s.

It’s a classic parkland track, set out across a mildly undulating landscape, with enough elevation changes to keep things interesting without becoming too taxing. There’s also a great mix of open and tree-lined fairways and only one water hazard in play at the par four 8th, where the tee shot has to carry a small lake.

Another hole of note is the difficult par four 5th, doglegging ninety degrees to the right off the tee and uphill to a two-tier, semi-blind green that’s protected by a couple of bunkers. On the back nine, Bologna’s “Amen Corner” starts with another really tough hole at the par four 15th, playing straight uphill to another well-defended green that slopes from left to right.

Bologna

Founded in 1958, Golf Club Bologna was the first golf club to be established in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The course was designed by Ken Cotton and John Harris when they were in partnership...

Hertfordshire

England

Hertfordshire is blessed with a number of fine parkland golf courses and Brickendon Grange Golf Club sits comfortably within this group. The club was established in the 1960s and fifteen holes – designed by C.K. Cotton – opened for play in May 1967. The remaining three were ready for play in June 1968. A gentleman’s annual membership fee in those early days was twenty guineas... how times have changed!

The golf club is located in the parish of Brickendon, which is set to the south of Hertford, a mere thirty miles north of London. Brickendon Grange Golf Club has enjoyed a thriving membership since the outset and this continues to this day.

Brickendon Grange is set in 160 acres of undulating countryside, featuring a wide variety of trees and a number of hazards including no less than eight natural water hazards. At least five of these are well in play from either the tee or for approach shots to the greens. The first of the holes involving water is the hazardous 5th, measuring only 350 yards from the tee but doglegging right at 200 yards, with an approach over a recently extended pond 30 yards short of the green. With the course boundary just left of the green, a very precise shot is required.

The 12th hole is a firm favourite at Brickendon, named ‘Cottons Choice’ after the great man decided this was his pick of the holes. It’s a tight drive with strategically placed bunkers at the landing point, leaving another tough approach to a protected green where more bunkers and trees stand guard.

The signature hole is the 17th, named ‘Ace of Herts’, which is undisputedly one of the best holes in Hertfordshire. It’s a daunting hole, firstly off the tee where anything left or right is punished either by trees or fairway bunkers. Then the approach shot to the green is likely to be played from a downhill lie and over water to a raised green. In our opinion the stroke index of 7 does not do this hole justice in terms of degree of difficulty.

Visitors are more than welcome at Brickendon Grange Golf Club and are assured of a pleasurable time. Many remark on the quality of the course, especially the lightening-fast summer greens. The Brickendon setting is lush, wooded parkland and a favourite part of the experience for us is the walk from the 17th green to the 18th tee. It’s a beautiful wander through the woods where you may contemplate your round prior to your last tee shot to the uphill par three where the welcoming clubhouse waits behind the green.

Brickendon Grange hosted the English Girls U15 and U13 Championships in 2007. Suffolk’s Heidi Baek won the U15 event and Wiltshire’s Hannah Turland took the U13 title.

Brickendon Grange

Hertfordshire is blessed with a number of fine parkland golf courses and Brickendon Grange Golf Club sits comfortably within this group.

Gloucestershire

Situated only a couple of miles from the Clifton Suspension Bridge which spans the Avon Gorge, Bristol & Clifton Golf Club was formed in 1891, some twenty-seven years after the bridge first carried traffic across the River Avon. The company operating the iconic bridge was only too happy to assist early members of the club residing on the other side of the river by offering discounted season tickets costing five shillings.

It’s not known who set out the initial 9-hole course but it was quickly extended to an 18-hole layout by March of 1895, playing to an overall length of 5,831 yards and a par of 73, with a pair of par five holes completing the round. Members used this course until April 1948 when C.K. Cotton redesigned the layout (one of many that he reconstructed immediately after World War II) by introducing holes 2, 4 and 14, reversing the nines and reducing the par by three strokes.

An additional tract of almost fifty acres has since been purchased to allow for future course development, enabling the existing layout to be modified or additional holes to be added. The last major course alterations took place in 2004/5 when three holes were lengthened and almost two dozen fairway bunkers were installed around the course to tighten up the driving lines. A new irrigation system has also recently been put in place.

The course extends to 6,413 yards from the back tees, configured as two returning nines, each of which concludes with a doglegging par five. Accuracy is the watchword here, as trees bordering the fairways and bunkers protecting the greens will punish wayward play. Feature holes include the tricky short par fours at the 5th, 10th and 15th whilst the tightly bunkered back-to-back par threes at the 6th and 7th are delightful one-shot holes.

Bristol & Clifton proudly hosted the English Senior Men’s Amateur Championship in 2013. The 125th anniversary of the club was then marked three years later when it held the English Women’s Amateur Championship. England under-16 player and rising star Emily Price from Cleobury Golf Club in Worcestershire won this prestigious event by two strokes with a seven under par aggregate score of 285.

Bristol & Clifton

The parkland course at Bristol & Clifton Golf Club sits a couple of miles west of the Clifton suspension bridge and the free draining nature of the property means winter tees and greens are rarely in use.

South Wales

The course at Cardiff Golf Club was formerly a farm known as Ty-to-maen, belonging to a Mr Ewan G. Davies and when the land was first leased by the club in 1921, the holes were routed by its first professional, Robert Walker, and a small committee of members.

It would take until 1947 before the club was in a position to purchase the property outright and C.K.Cotton carried out modifications three years later, creating new 2nd and 3rd holes, lengthening the 4th hole and removing the old 15th and 16th holes.

With an overall length of just over 6,000 yards, there are six par threes on the card and two of the eight par fours are charmingly old-fashioned short holes (270 yards for the 7th and 290 yards for the 14th) but beware the other six two-shot holes as they are all in excess of 400 yards from the medal tees!

The modern day Cardiff golf course is located in the leafy suburb of Cyncoed – hemmed in on all sides by housing – but the undulating, lush, tree-lined fairways and meandering stream that crosses a number of holes combine to form a welcoming green oasis on the north side of the capital.

Cardiff

The modern day Cardiff is hemmed in on all sides by housing, but the undulating, lush, tree-lined fairways and meandering stream that crosses a number of holes combine to form a welcoming green oasis...

Wexford

Ireland

Courtown Golf Club is a lovely parkland course – measuring 6,466 yards from the medal tees – located on land that was once part of the Courtown Estate. The golf club was established in 1936 and the original 9-hole layout was extended to a full 18-hole course in 1974.

Although the course may come within 150 yards of the Irish Sea, it is exclusively parkland in nature, bounded on three sides by a heavily wooded area. Trees also line every fairway, giving real definition to the holes and providing punishment for wayward play.

The pick of the four par three holes is the 153-yard 18th called “The Pond” where, not surprisingly, a water hazard and out of bounds on the left must be negotiated. The 569-yard 9th named “Fisherman’s Lane” is the best of the three par fives – it has been redesigned, with a dogleg adding to the difficulty of getting near the green in three strokes.

The signature hole is the 339-yard par four 4th, entitled “Radharc” which enjoys panoramic views south to the Wexford coastline.

Courtown

Courtown Golf Club is a lovely parkland course – measuring 6,466 yards from the medal tees – located on land that was once part of the Courtown Estate.

Mid Wales

It was in 1967 that Brecon Golf Club captain, Leslie Watkins and vice-captain John Morrell, organized the purchase of Penoyre Park (along with its magnificent Bath stone Georgian mansion) to accommodate a new 18-hole golf course and clubhouse.

Unfortunately, the Penoyre Golf and Country Club, as it was called, ran into serious financial difficulties in the mid 1970s, resulting in the loss of the mansion but, thanks to a massive fund raising effort, the course was saved, a new clubhouse constructed and the club renamed.

Situated on the northern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park and famed for its stunning scenery, the course at Cradoc Golf Club can best be described, in the words of one golf commentator, as “an arboretum set down in scenery that can only be described as drop-dead gorgeous”.

One of the best holes on the estate is “Rorke’s Drift,” the par four 6th, which extends to 451 yards from the back tees and is rated stroke index 1 on the scorecard. The hole is played towards Penoyre House – now sub-divided into modern apartments – and the fairway slopes left to right, with out of bounds all the way down the left and behind the hole.

Cradoc

Cradoc Golf Club can best be described, in the words of one golf commentator, as “an arboretum set down in scenery that can only be described as drop-dead gorgeous”.

Angus & Dundee

Scotland

The inaugural Scottish Open, sponsored by Sunbeam Electric, was held at Downfield Golf Club in 1972. The event moved to St Andrews (Old) in 1973 and was then dropped from the European Tour calendar until 1986 when the tournament went to Haggs Castle under new sponsorship. 

On the outskirts of Dundee, lies Downfield Golf Club, a lovely parkland course little known outside Scotland. Paul Lawrie came through Open Qualifying here in 1999 and went on to win the Open at 

. Downfield also hosted the inaugural 1972 Scottish Open (sponsored by Sunbeam Electric), when England's Neil Coles won after a play-off with Wales’s Brian Huggett. Undoubtedly, Downfield is a gem and one of the most beautiful inland courses in Scotland, with more than 100 species of trees lining the manicured fairways.

A modest nine-hole course was laid out at Downfield at the turn of the century but the land was returned to agriculture during the First World War. The club was reformed in 1932 and the great James Braid laid out a new course. Houses now occupy most of the 1930s layout – only five original holes are incorporated into the course we play today, which was laid out by a Downfield Golf Club member with advice and guidance from C.K.Cotton.

Downfield represents a differing challenge, depending on which tees are used. From the back tees, the course measures more than 6,800 yards against a par of 73, but from the regular men’s tees, three par fives become testing, long par fours. There are six par fives for the ladies, against a par of 75. Water, in the shape of ditches and ponds, come into play on seven holes, adding to the obvious main hazard – the trees. The 11th though to the 13th are probably the best collection of holes. 11th and 13th are both tough par fours from the regular tees and the 12th is one of Gary Player’s favourite par threes, called “Davy Jones’s Locker”.

The 61st edition of the British PGA Matchplay was held here in 1974 then three years later the club hosted the Boys Amateur championship. More recently, the female golf teams from England won both the Women’s and Girls’ Home Internationals when the matches were staged at Downfield in 2019.

Downfield

On the outskirts of Dundee, lies Downfield Golf Club, a lovely James Braid-designed parkland course little known outside Scotland.

Located a mile or so to the northwest of Barnet, Dyrham Park Country Club is set majestically in a 200-acre Hertfordshire estate that dates back to Elizabethan times. The current listed 19th century manor house was restored in the 1960s and is now the grand centrepiece of a golf club that has serious aspirations.

C.K. Cotton laid out the golf course at Dyrham Park Country Club in 1963 and it stretches to 6,428 yards from the back tees. Accuracy rather than sheer length is required, but the gauntlet is thrown down right from the off where your driving will be tested while negotiating four holes that measure in excess of 400 yards – and only one of these is a par five, after the club changed the 4th to a two-shot hole. An interesting and rather unusual blind tee shot waits at the par four 3rd, requiring a solid strike over a series of sculpted hedges on line with a fairway marker post.

If your card is intact after the opening four holes, you can give yourself a pat on the back and settle into a thoroughly engaging parkland test that features a number of water holes. If your driving is on song, you’ll love the “signature” 7th hole at Dyrham Park. This old fashioned short par four asks serious questions and tempts the bigger hitters to take the direct line to the green… the risk is a 200-yard carry over the lake… the reward is a short pitch to a raised green that cants from front to back.

Recent renovations to the 11th and 13th holes have seen the introduction of two impressive new lakes that provide genuine and daunting challenges to golfers of all handicaps. These two new water hazards each measure 1,500 and 2,000 square metres respectively, creating a high degree of risk and reward as well as looking spectacular. The par three 11th also sports a new teeing area, complete with sleepered wall and a new green raised more than ten feet above its original level, making this one-shot hole one of the more daunting and exciting in the area. Greens at both the 3rd and 10th holes have also recently been rebuilt to USGA standards.

The aquatic hazard at 13 starts a sequence of three further water holes, which are considered to be Hertfordshire’s answer to Augusta’s Amen Corner.

“The Loop”, as it is known locally, is the original watery stretch of holes from 14 to 16, situated at the eastern extremity of the property. The back tee stretches the 14th to more than 200 yards and it must be a knee trembler for those playing in the monthly medal as golfers peer through a narrow chute of trees, across a lily pond to where the small green, ringed with bunkers, waits patiently – most golfers will not need their pitch mark repairer on this hole. Careful club selection is required on 15 as the doglegged fairway on this par four tips towards water. Accuracy is also the order of the day on the short par four 16th, as the fairway slopes down to trees on the left and a stream protects the green to the left and the back.

Dyrham Park Country Club may at first glance appear modern, but the club has strong tradition, a grand clubhouse and an underrated golf course at its heart.

Dyrham Park

Located a mile or so to the northwest of Barnet, Dyrham Park Country Club is set majestically in a 200-acre Hertfordshire estate that dates back to Elizabethan times.

Oxfordshire

The legendary J.H. Taylor designed the original course at Frilford Golf Club and this layout, the Red course, was subsequently modified by the club professional J.H. Turner. Not content with altering that course, Turner also established another 9-hole layout on an attractive tract of land nearby that was covered in gorse and heather. In the late 1960s, C. K. Cotton and associate Frank Pennink remodelled this nine and added another, forming the 18-hole Green course.

The modern day course extends to just over 6,000 yards, which is short by many standards. The only par five on the card is played at the right doglegged 495-yard 1st hole and there are four par threes, nicely spread out at holes 2, 6, 10 and 17, to give a par of 69. The loop from the 5th to the 13th occupies a separate part of the property, adding to the wonderful feeling of seclusion when playing those particular holes, in amongst the gorse and the birch trees.

Feature holes include a couple of short pars at the right dog legged 9th and the 291-yard closing hole, where a closing birdie might be possible. Indeed, such a boost at the end of the round might just be necessary as the preceding trio of par fours (stroke index 6, 8 and 2) measure in excess of 400 yards, providing something of a nasty “sting in the tail” for the unwary on the Green course.

Frilford Heath (Green)

The Green is the shortest of the three courses at Frilford Heath Golf Club but for what the course lacks in length it makes up for with sheer charm.

Yorkshire

Ganton Golf Club played host to the 1949 Ryder Cup matches between the USA and Great Britain. Team Captains were Ben Hogan (US) and Charles Whitcombe (GB). The U.S. Non-playing Captain Ben Hogan raised a concern about the grooves on the clubs of some British players. A meeting was called with R&A Rules Official Bernard Darwin, who concurred that the clubs should be repaired to meet conforming standards. Despite the USA team being without three key players, Hogan’s side claimed victory after dominating the singles, USA 7 - GB 5. The Ryder Cup was played at 

To classify Ganton as a heathland course is a misnomer – one could just as easily categorise it as an inland links, as it’s situated in the rural Vale of Pickering, nine miles from the sea. This sandy, gently undulating site was once a North Sea inlet. Consequently, it has all the characteristics of a links and a heathland course. Either way, Ganton Golf Club is a perfect place to play golf.

The Scarborough Golf Club (as it was originally called) opened for play in 1891, laid out by St Andrews’ Tom Chisholm. The great Harry Vardon became the club’s pro in 1896, the same year he won his first Open title at 

. This immediately put Ganton on the map.

In 1905, Ted Ray, along with James Braid, J.H. Taylor and Vardon implemented major alterations to the layout. Harry Colt, Alister MacKenzie, Tom Simpson and C.K. Cotton made further changes over the next 50 years.

Ganton is surely one of the few inland courses in the British Isles good enough to hold an Open Championship. It would make a pleasant change to break with tradition and hold an Open somewhere inland. After all, Ganton is used to holding important competitions – it hosted the 1949 Ryder Cup, the 2000 Curtis Cup and the 2003 Walker Cup.

The bunkering is quite extraordinary, a real feature of the course. With over 100 cunningly placed bunkers, some of which are simply huge, both in breadth and in depth, whilst others are small. Only lucky (or very good golfers) will avoid the sand traps at Ganton. Bernard Darwin wrote in 

, that Ganton “possesses by far the vastest and generally most gorgeous bunker that is to be found, as far as I know, on any inland course. It is a huge pit of sand, with just the depths and shallows, the bays and promontories of the genuine seaside article. It is so large that, by its unaided efforts, it provides highly effective bunkering for the tee shots to the last two holes; and as regards its dimensions, I shall not be flattering it very grossly if I compare it to the bunker in front of the fifth tee at 

 (without the sea), you’ve got Ganton. Nearly 100 years ago, Bernard Darwin compared Ganton to being “a little like 

; and, generally speaking, it is the type of course that one would expect to find in Surrey rather than in Yorkshire.” Occupying open, windswept heathland, it’s a supreme thinking man’s and woman’s test of golf; the fast greens and firm fairways test the very best players. Various types of thick gorse, heather and broom highlight the course during the spring and summer months.

Three short par fours provide the opportunity of a game of risk and reward for the big hitters. A minor downside is the fact that there are only three par threes but the strength of the par fours more than compensates for this. The 4th hole, a 406-yard par four, requires a solid drive to a wide fairway before an undulating green sited on a raised plateau is unveiled. The approach shot must carry across a gully and avoid a canny bunker on the right-hand side of the green. From the raised 5th tee, a short 157-yard par three, you have a great view of the well-protected green. Only an arrow-straight tee shot will suffice. Stray to the left and you will be swallowed up by one of two bunkers, stray to the right and you'll be trapped by a huge curved bunker, which wraps itself around the entire right-hand side of the green.

Ganton is a friendly club that opens its doors warmly to visitors (providing you have a handicap). If you are a serious golfer and have never played here, we strongly recommend it.

Ganton

This sandy, gently undulating site was once a North Sea inlet. Consequently, Ganton Golf Club has all the characteristics of a links and a heathland course.

Northumberland

Formed in 1892, when golfers first played on a 9-hole course within Tyne Green Country Park, Hexham Golf Club moved less than a mile west to its present location in 1907. Harry Vardon, one of the Great Triumvirate, had a hand in designing this new layout and the setting out of an 18-hole course within such a compact 80-acre property was quite an architectural accomplishment for the 6-time Open champion.

James Braid visited the club in April of 1921, tightening up a number of fairways by installing cross bunkers, repositioning a couple of greens and lengthening at least one of the holes. When more land on the Spital estate became available in the early 1950s, the club engaged Ken Cotton to remodel the layout and he reconfigured eleven holes on the existing site and added seven new ones on the newly acquired ground.

In the modern era, the course now extends to 6,294 yards from the back markers, playing to a par of 70. The opening three holes and closing four holes are routed around the ground that lies to the east of Spital Lane, with holes 4 to 14 occupying the terrain where Harry Vardon fashioned the club’s original 18-hole layout. Hexham enjoys a mature parkland setting on the south banks of the River Tyne, where a surprisingly undulating landscape adds greatly to the playing interest.

The first of the five par threes on the scorecard arrives early in the round at the 166-yard 2nd, named “Paddock”. Playing slightly uphill and into the prevailing wind, with out of bounds to the left, a sharp fall off to the right and a marked back to front sloping green, this is a crafty little hole that plays a lot harder than it looks from the tee.

The run of par four holes from the 393-yard 5th (“Lepers Oak”) to the 349-yard 9th (”St Andrews”) is particularly demanding, with the long, left doglegged 6th (”Tyne View”) rated stroke index 1. It’s vitally important for the tee shot to find the right hand side of the fairway on this hole as it slants from right to left, leaving a long approach into a narrow green that’s guarded on either side by a bunker.

On the back nine, the 10th, 13th and 16th are all terrific par threes, with the 146-yard 13th (“West Shaws”) perhaps the pick of these short holes, playing from an elevated tee box to a well-protected two-tiered putting surface. The round then concludes with the 344-yard 18th (“Spital Home”), a tight driving hole where the fairway crosses the opening hole as it rises steadily towards the home green next to the clubhouse.

Hexham

Additional land on the Spital estate in Hexham was acquired in the early 1950s, allowing C K Cotton to fashion a new course for Hexham Golf Club on 150 acres of prime parkland.

Wiltshire

Kingsdown Golf Club is one of the oldest clubs in England, with only 

 predating it in the West of England. The course last underwent a significant upgrade in 1967 so it has served the members for more than half a century now. Blessed with the free-draining qualities of its downland location, the layout remains in play all year round.

The club’s original course was laid out by John Allan, the professional at Royal North Devon, and club competitions were played on it during the week on a Thursday and Saturday. The first prize meeting was held on 12th and 13th May 1880, with a Silver Cup to be won on the first day and the Club Challenge Tankard on the second day.

A year after it was founded, the club opened another course at the Warren in Bath, where the current 18-hole 

 course is located. A name change to Bath & Kingsdown Golf Club followed shortly after but Kingsdown Club was re-established in 1890, a decade after it had first been formed.

Holes were prepared with tin linings and tee boxes were marked by thirty-six tin squares. Flags were used on competition days but members were asked to pay 6d if they were required on the other five days of the week. Notices were posted to warn equestrians off the greens and sheep, cattle and a few ponies maintained the fairways.

The course was extended to a 12-hole affair in the early 1920s then to a full 18-hole layout in 1931/2, when the club managed to lease additional land from the Neston Park Estate. During World War II, the six new holes reverted to agricultural land and it took until the late 1960s until eighteen holes were once again in play.

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C.K. Cotton’s design company was called in to set out the new 18-hole course and this resulted in the retention of four original holes and the addition of fourteen new ones. Simon Gidman has subsequently extended and upgraded the 18th hole and new greens have been constructed on holes 13 and 16 under the guidance of architects Mackenzie & Ebert.

There’s only one par three on the outward half, the 144-yard 4th, playing to a multi-tiered offset green that’s guarded by out of bounds to the left and old quarry workings to the right of the putting surface. The 412-yard 6th is rated stroke index 1 on the scorecard, with a lengthy carry off the tee before the hole doglegs left to the green.

The 364-yard 13th is another tough hole, requiring an accurate tee shot through a chute of trees before the sloping fairway bends left towards a green which is protected by a tree on the left and two bunkers on the right. The par three signature hole 17th is also very tight off the tee, played from elevated tees to a target flanked by bunkers on either side of the green.

Kingsdown

Established in 1880, Kingsdown is the oldest golf club in Wiltshire and the course is set on high downland where there are far-reaching views to the spa city of Bath.

Kent

Lamberhurst Golf Club dates back to 1890, when a 9-hole course was laid out within the Court Lodge estate, home to the Morland family since 1733. The Army requisitioned the fairways during World War I and World War II but they recovered to function as an operational golf course soon after both conflicts ended. When adjacent farmland became available for lease in the early 1970s, Ken Cotton and Frank Pennink extended the course to a full 18-hole layout.

Today, the course extends to just less than 6,500 yards from the medal tees, with more than half the holes doglegging one way or the other. There are only three par threes on the scorecard and these are played at the 140-yard 7th, the 217-yard 12th and 156-yard 17th. The most difficult hole comes early in the round, at the long par four 4th, where the River Teise cuts across the fairway half way to the green.

On the back nine, the river again plays a part in proceedings at the par five 13th as it slashes across the hole immediately in front of the green. Lamberhurst’s signature hole is played one hole earlier, at the aforementioned par three 12th (“Pond”), with the tee shot required to carry across an intimidating combination of water and rough to a small green protected by bunkers to the left, right and front of the putting surface.

Lamberhurst

Lamberhurst Golf Club dates back to 1890 and the members played on a 9-hole course until the 1970s when additional land was acquired and Frank Pennink was commissioned to extend the course to 18 holes.

Leicestershire & Rutland

The following edited extract is taken from 

James Braid and his Four Hundred Golf Courses

 by John E. Moreton and Iain Cumming: “Leicester Golf Club opened on the racecourse in 1890; two years later it moved to its present site in Evington fields and became The Leicestershire Golf Club in 1895. An extension of the club’s lease in 1910 led to an invitation to James Braid to improve the course.

Braid came to Leicester on 24th November and made several suggestions for alterations and the installation of a large number of new bunkers. This work was completed during the following two years. Braid returned in April 1912 to open the new course with Vardon, Ray and George Duncan. He was recalled in 1914 to review the position of the bunkers.”

The story of the course’s evolution continues in the following extracts from 

The Leicestershire Golf Club: A Centenary History 1890-1990

 by Derek Charman: “Criticism of the general state of the course had been voiced by a number of influential members in September 1920, including Philip Wykes. He said that he had never seen the course in worse order, the fairways being bad, and the greens even worse.

Suggestions were referred to the Committee, who called in H.S. Colt to advise on the course generally. His recommendations were adopted, and a programme of improvements was carried out between 1922 and 1926. The improvements recommended by H.S. Colt made the best use of the land available, and increased the length of the course from 5688 yards in 1911 to 5802 yards in 1927.

At a Special General Meeting in November 1934 it was agreed that three additional holes should be made upon the land on the extreme eastern boundary, which had, hitherto, been used for grazing. Major Charles MacKenzie had been asked to submit a plan for the new course, which was accepted by the members. There can be no doubt that the completion of this major reconstruction was due in large part to the drive and energy of [Secretary] Monty Whitehead.

The Green Committee decided at a meeting in August 1947 to embark on an extensive winter programme. C.K. Cotton was called in to advise on bunkering. He was invited to visit the course again in May 1948 to advise on a programme of tree and shrub planting, which was implemented in the Autumn. The new 12th and 13th greens which Cotton had pegged out were brought into play in 1948 and 1949 and the majority of his other recommendations with regard to bunkering and tree planting were implemented by the end of 1949.

The Secretary wrote to C.K. Cotton on 9 September 1960 asking for a preliminary consultation on the construction of new holes, the siting of the clubhouse and car park, and the provision of a practice pitch. After referring to his pleasant recollections of his previous visit in 1947, he expressed his willingness to advise the Committee. The reconstruction of the course encountered many problems. There were delays due to bad weather, and the new holes had to be seeded twice because the contractor had used the wrong seed. The new 9th green had to be moved because the new clubhouse was pegged out without reference to the new plan of the course.

It opened at the end of June 1966 [but] the new course was not entirely satisfactory and Frank [sic] Hawtree was called in to advise on further alterations to the 9th, 10th, 12th, 13th and 18th holes. He recommended that the 9th green should be rebuilt to the left, away from the clubhouse, which also involved re-siting the 1st tee. He criticised the blindness of the 12th hole, and recommended that it should be extended to the back by 15 yards to improve visibility. These recommendations were accepted and the work was put in hand in September 1967. The total cost of the course reconstruction, including Hawtree’s recommendations, amounted to £22,311 up to the end of November 1968.

The course has remained virtually unaltered since the reconstruction was completed in 1967. The general opinion amongst those who remember the course before it was reconstructed consider that the present one is no worse, and perhaps rather better in some respects. It is a good test of golf, but it cannot ever be extended to become a championship course, as it was for a short period before the Second World War, because there is insufficient room for expansion.”

Leicestershire

The tree-lined fairways of the Leicestershire Golf Club’s course were originally laid out in 1889. Since then, James Braid, Harry Colt, Charles Mackenzie, Ken Cotton and Fred Hawtree have all made modifications at various times down the years.

Rutland Water is the largest man-made lake in Western Europe, set in the middle of England's smallest county. Three miles south of Rutland Water, as the crow flies, is the Earl of Ancaster's Common with its peaceful and tranquil golf course. Luffenham Heath Golf Club is set on high ground in an area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest because it is home to some of the country's most important flora and fauna, and a feeling of calm washes over as soon as you drive into the car park.

The club was founded in 1911 and the course was originally laid out by the famous design partnership of Harry Colt and C.H. Alison. James Braid revised the layout between the wars and C K Cotton made further changes after the Second World War. Little changed until the new millennium when Martin Hawtree completed a renovation in 2004.

Luffenham Heath is laid out principally in an out-and-back fashion, but the holes are routed in every conceivable direction. When the wind blows – as it often does on this undulating and elevated common – it hits you from all directions. Despite the numerous trees and bushes which line many of the holes, you never feel hemmed in. Most tee shots are pleasantly inviting. Measuring 6,563 yards from the back tees against a par of 70, Luffenham is not long, but it's an intriguing test.

The golf is good and honest and there are some excellent holes. The 7th, a par four of medium length, requires a precision approach shot to an elevated green, which is fiercely guarded by five bunkers. The next hole is the easiest on the card (SI 18) and it's a fun, drivable par four. But our favourite hole is the 17th, a dramatic one-shotter, which measures 201 yards from the tips and usually plays directly into the prevailing wind. The elevated tee provides a fine vantage point... a par here is one to savour.

Luffenham Heath is a course to enjoy rather than to slog round. You will find the golf infinitely pleasant and, at times, rather exhilarating. The recently extended and upgraded course was awarded Open Championship Qualifying for the 2013 Open at Muirfield. Luffenham Heath awarded Open Qualifying

Despite the club's Lincolnshire postal address, Luffenham Heath is affiliated to the Leicestershire & Rutland Golf Union.

Luffenham Heath

The course at Luffenham Heath Golf Club is charming, adorned by oak, elm and ash. Set in an area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Middlesex

John Abercromby was asked to design the course for Mote Mount Golf Club in 1923 and it opened for play in 1927. For some reason the owner sold the club to the local council three years later then Harry Colt was called in to remodel the layout in 1931.

The club name was changed to Mill Hill Golf Club in 1939, before three holes were lost to the war effort and had to be replaced. Further alterations were made when the M1 motorway was constructed in the 1960s.

Today, this densely wooded course extends to 6,247 yards from the back tees, playing to a par of 70, with holes configured as two returning nines. Four short holes are arranged with two on the front nine and two on the back and the only two par fives on the card are played on the outward half (at the 5th and 9th).

Highlights here include the par three 2nd and par four 10th, where the greens sit close to each other on the other side of a lake. The long par four 6th is considered the toughest hole on the front nine, while the short par four 14th offers the best chance of a birdie on the back nine, provided the front right bunker at the green can be avoided.

Mill Hill

John Abercromby originally designed the course at Mill Hill Golf Club in 1923 and it’s set in 145 acres of the Mote Mount Estate which borders Hertfordshire.

The record books for North Wilts Golf Club have been lost but certain facts have been gleaned by the club from the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews whose records reveal its date of institution as 1st September 1890, with the thirty inaugural members paying an entrance fee (and annual subscription) of five shillings.

 refers to the club as being located at Chiseldon, with a founding date of 16th October 1907 so it appears that for a period of time there were actually two North Wilts Golf Clubs in operation. On 2nd March 1925, the “other” North Wilts club changed its name to Swindon Golf Club, ending the confusion.

In 1932, it was decided to engage an architect to survey the club’s 9-hole course and recommend improvements. Harry Colt was contacted and he spent a day on site, drawing up a report that was presented to the committee on 4th January 1933.

Colt’s survey ended: “I hope that with the plans enclosed and with this report, together with help from the accompanying photographs, you will be able to carry out the work satisfactorily. When it is done I feel confident that the golf will be more interesting and more exciting to the good player, without being impossible for the long handicap one.”

When additional land became available, Ken Cotton and Charles Lawrie attended the club’s AGM in 1969 to inform the members about the possibility of expanding the course to an 18-hole layout. Work began in earnest in the spring of 1970 and Cotton and/or Lawrie were regular visitors.

 by John Lumley, “Cotton was a sprightly octogenarian with very fixed opinions. However, the Committee decided some aspects of his layout could be improved but were uncertain as to how the great man might react.

Lunchtimes with Cotton and Lawrie always contained a lively liquid ingredient and this was specially so on his next visit when he accepted the club’s suggestions without demur! Work now continued apace as greens and tees were constructed, top-soil imported, bunkers and banks seeded.

The great day came in 1971 when the new holes were opened for limited play heralded by a gala day to mark the occasion in October 1972 when Wiltshire played the Western Counties. So many people had played their part in this huge step forward.”

North Wilts

The course at North Wilts Golf Club is a quintessential, lie-of-the land downland test that is regularly used for national and county matches. There’s even an ancient, deep cockfighting pit to negotiate as a rather unusual hazard.

Central Italy

C. K. Cotton with Frank Pennink laid out the original 18 holes at Olgiata Golf Club, one of several Italian courses that he designed or restyled in the 1960s. A second nine holes have since been incorporated into the same large estate that lies to the north of the capital.

"His [Ken Cotton] best course abroad was Olgiata in Rome," wrote Donald Steel in 

, "scene of Great Britain & Ireland's first victory in the 1964 World Amateur Team Championship."

In actual fact, the property was once a stud farm, producing world class thoroughbreds – like Nearco in the 1930s and Ribot in the 1950s – and a horse racing track still exists to the south of this massive golf and residential complex.

All 27 holes at Olgiata are set in sumptuous parkland surroundings where the terrain is mildly undulating and fairways are separated by avenues of magnificent mature trees. The two 9-hole loops of the West course fan out from the clubhouse in opposite directions with many of the well-bunkered holes gently doglegging left or right.

The club co-hosted the Italian Open with Roma Acquasanta in 1973. More recently, Ian Poulter claimed the Italian Open title here in 2002 and Bernd Wiesberger prevailed in 2019. The club has twice hosted the World Cup; the first time in 1968 when the Canadian two-man team of Al Balding and George Knudson lifted the trophy; and the second occasion in 1984, with the Spanish winners from two years previous, José Maria Cañizares and José Rivero, triumphing again.


In 2010 Jim Fazio performed an extensive renovation when fifteen holes were modified.

Olgiata (West)

All 27 holes at Olgiata are set in sumptuous parkland surroundings where the terrain is mildly undulating and fairways are separated by avenues of magnificent mature trees.

Although Pennard Golf Club is located only a few miles southwest of Swansea, it’s set on the rugged Gower Peninsula, amongst one of the most dramatic landscapes in Britain. Its cliff-top site provides an ideal vantage point – from the heights, the views across to the beautiful sandy beaches of Three Cliff and Oxwich Bays are simply arresting.

Pennard is one of the oldest golf courses in Wales. Reputedly, golf has been played here since 1896, although the Pennard Golf Club was not founded until 1908. It’s often called “the links in the sky”, because the holes play across links-like ground, full of dunes, humps and hollows but the land is 200 feet above sea level.

The great James Braid originally designed Pennard, and, some years later, he returned with Ken Cotton to implement certain revisions. For many years, the unusual Pennard course was relatively anonymous until the great American architect, Tom Doak, declared in 

, that Pennard is “One of my all-time favourites, but I hesitate to recommed it for gereral consumption; it's awfully quirky. The site, on a promontory of undulating ground between the sea and the 'Pill' (a deep stream valley), is one of the most spectacular I’ve ever seen.” Since Doak’s comments, the course has enjoyed a renaissance.

The ruins of a 12th century Norman Castle stand guard over the course, which measures a modest 6,329 yards from the back tees. It’s by no means a championship test, but there are 18 wonderful holes and Pennard has hosted a number of important amateur events. This is where the inspirational Curtis Cup player, Vicky Thomas, honed her game.

Pennard

“C.K. Cotton, a graduate of Cambridge University, took up the game of golf after college and quickly developed into a fine player. He was a scratch golfer for over thirty years. Cotton worked for nearly twenty years as a club secretary at a series of golf clubs. After WWII he decided to assist in reconstruction of the many war-torn layouts.” Geoff Cornish and Ron Whitten 