Set on high ground amongst the Chiltern Hills, Ashridge exudes a tranquil timelessness that persuades you that golf should always be about more than just the score on your card. Guy Campbell and Major Hutchison built the bones of the golf course, but you could say that it was Tom Simpson’s finishing touches that elevated Ashridge from being a good course into being a great one. Some of the finest features were crafted by Simpson, but we will get into the details of that in due course.

Firstly, Ashridge resides high on my list of clubs I’d love to be a member of in England. The understated atmosphere, the sheer beauty of the surroundings and the quality of the facilities all combine to bring me to that conclusion. The rich history of the club in the professional game, with three time Open winner Henry Cotton basing himself here for many years adds depth to the story, and proves the old adage that great courses often produce and nurture great golfers. 

The course is arranged in three loops returning to the clubhouse; an opening nine, a three hole swing and then a closing six hole stretch. The holes are very spaced out and meander through the trees with a purposeful yet unpredictable nature, and the holes play across a number of different types of ground, all swept up into the parkland umbrella.

The first two holes play downhill through a valley and appear welcoming, but both are deceptively difficult with the ball often holding up on the valley sides, particularly on the 1st. The green site at the 2nd is defended by an unsighted swale on the left side, one of Simpson’s many additions, and this feature sucks balls off the putting surface as the contours encourage the ball from front right to back left.

The course progresses up out of the valley and into the trees, and that theme of swales and hollows defending green sites continues at the par-5 5th and the brilliant par-3 6th, where the dangerous green must be respected. The best is saved until last on the outward nine, where the truly remarkable short par-4 9th hole boasts one of Simpson’s best and most scary creations. The tee shot appears innocuous, seemingly requiring a clip down the hill to an unsighted fairway. However, the ball must favour the left side and ideally reach the flatter ground at the base of the slope to access the best angle and ground to play into this terrifying green. The green sits many feet above the fairway, leaning precariously from back right to front left. There is no real bail out here, with shots short and left sliding down the slope and misses to the right and long having to negotiate the glass like green on the subsequent shot. The drama and the fine line between good and great is reminiscent of what we saw recently at Pinehurst No.2 in the US Open, and I really loved how a hole that initially seems a soft touch, subsequently stands on its hind legs and bares its teeth.