The Kigbeare course (named after the nearby farmstead) is the longest of four full-length 18-hole courses at the Manor House and Ashbury Hotels leisure complex outside Okehampton, on the northern edge of Dartmoor National Park. There’s also a 6-hole Academy course and a Par 3 track called Willows on site, making this the UK’s largest golf facility.
Kigbeare extends to 6,528 yards from the back markers, playing to a par of 72; 35 on the front nine and 37 on the back nine. There’s only one par five on the outward half (at the 9th) and three par fives in play on the inward half. Most of the fairways on this course are set out across the northern part of the property, with the opening three holes and closing two holes a little bit disconnected from the others.
The par three 3rd is regarded as the signature hole on the course, and for many golfers it’s the best on the whole complex. Dropping 50 feet from teebox to green, it requires a carry of around 180 yards to clear Hookmoor Brook which wanders across the front of a putting surface that’s surrounded by large mature trees.
The Kigbeare is not an easy course to walk, nor is it for the faint-hearted. You’ll also need nerves of steel and a driving licence to drive a buggy around this unconventional site, which traverses steep hills and valleys.
