Bearsted

Bearsted Golf Club can trace its origins back to 1895, when a 9-hole course for Maidstone Golf Club was brought into play on 52 acres of land owned by Sir George Hampson. In 1914, a number of Maidstone members moved to a new site in Oakwood Park and the club lasted here until it closed in 1962.

Bearsted’s course was extended to an 18-hole layout in 1923, after additional land was leased to set out nine new holes. Harry Vardon and Mark Seymour, the Cobham professional, played an exhibition match to mark the occasion. In 1979, after acquiring the adjacent Seagar Farm, the course was redesigned by professional Bob Henderson.

Bounded by the Maidstone East railway line to the south and the M20 motorway to the north, the course extends to 6,476 yards from the back tees, with tree-lined fairways playing to USGA specification greens. Water hazards, in the form of ponds or ditches feature on several holes. Interestingly, the round starts and finishes with a par three hole.