My final stop of the year took place on a chilly but clear winter’s day in the beautiful National Trust owned Ashridge Estate at Ashridge Golf Club.

The entrance takes you past beautiful mansions set in colourful woodland and past the 8th & 9th holes and whets the appetite for the round ahead.

Ashridge is a club that you’ll want to arrive early for. Not only do they offer excellent warm up facilities, but modern clubhouse offers panoramic views of 4 holes and is a wonderful coffee stop.

At less that 6,400y from the Whites, Ashridge is a short and scoreable course that offers a lot of variety. The opening couple of holes play through a valley, flanked by dense colourful trees, which makes for a beautiful setting in the late Autumn. The remainder of the front 9 gently rolls through thick woodland, except the 9th, which is the best hole on the course. Starting with a blind drive, the short Par 4 descends back into the valley with a plateau green guarded by bunkers and steep run offs on both sides. It’s a brilliant hole.

The back 9, I found less interesting, but there are enough good holes to keep you interested. The 12th is another good Par 4 with an angled drive and a narrowed plateaued green requiring an accurate approach to avoid the run offs and the 18th is a quality finishing hole. A long Par 4 descending back into the valley with the clubhouse watching your downhill approach to a two tiered green. Correct club selection is paramount if you want to end with an Par here. The course’s main defence throughout are their greensites, often with run offs and strong gradients. Your approach game is the key to scoring well at Ashridge.

On the day we played, we began on the 10th, playing the two 9s in reverse and on reflection I think Ashridge would be improved by reversing their 9s. Currently the better loop is the front 9 and the finishing stretch of 7-9 made for an excellent crescendo to our round. 7 being a risk/reward short Par 4, 8 is the best Par 3 on the course and 9th the best hole on the property with that fantastic final approach.

Ashridge deserves its spot in the Top 100 and I’d suggest its current ranking is accurate. It’s a pretty course that makes the most of its terrain, offers excellent facilities and a beautiful clubhouse. It’s well worth a visit if in the area.

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