Berkshire (Red) - Berkshire - England

Berkshire has some fantastic courses and this is definitely one of them. From the very first hole you know you're in for a great round and one that you will enjoy regardless of how you play. As far as heathland courses go this is well up there as one of my favourites, absolutely no weak holes on this golf course and its simply fabulous. The condition of the course is amazing, fast greens, great looking fairways, fantastic bunkers, everything is perfect. Its a very interesting course with six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s which makes it very fun and not feel like too much of a slog.

The first is a fairly short par 5 with a ditch up slightly to the left and plenty of heather either side of the fairway. The green also has 2 tiers and is very undulated so important to get the right club with your approach shot. The 2nd is a short par 3 playing about 160 yards with bunkers short right and heather leading up to the green. When you get to the par 3 7th hole you are met with a fantastic view overlooking the blue course. This is a great par 3 playing about 210 yards over a lot of heather and has a very complex green, all of us managed to 3 putt on this one! The 9th is a beautiful finish to the front with a great looking drive and another good shot required to reach this green in 2 on the relatively short par 5.

The back nine I seemed to enjoy even more than the front and the 10th hole was a great way to start. A 200 yard par 3 with a big quarry filled with heather all the way short of the green. Go right and you'll be lucky to find your ball. The 11th is the best driving hole on the course, a 350 yard par 4 with an elevated tee providing you with a stunning view. The finish to the red course is a tough one as there are 2 par 3s in the last 3 holes. 16 is a 200 yard par 3 with a tough green, 17 is a long par 5 and 18 is a 170 yard par 3 surrounded by bunkers short, left and long.

One thing that I liked about the Berkshire is that every hole was stunning and you would be rewarded with straight drives as it wasn't crowded with fairway bunkers unlike other heathland courses such as Woodhall spa which has plenty of harsh fairway bunkers. The Berkshire is truly a great course and made better by how friendly and peaceful it is, a great experience and a real joy to play. Cannot give this course anything other than 6 balls.

The club itself remains entrenched in the mid fifties with a rather sniffy feel. The course on the other hand is every bit as good as the reviews suggest . The condition all round is top notch with some great holes. Avoid the heather and it's possible to score well here if you don't expect some big numbers

Some people are in fact split on which course they prefer but I thought the Red was a clear notch above its sibling; both created in 1928 by Herbert Fowler.

As you might expect on this superb piece of terrain the par threes, of which there are six, are all very high quality with the second, tenth and 16th the best.

Unusually there are also six par fours and six par fives. And it is this equal distribution of par that helps dictate an exciting tone throughout the round. None of the three-shotters are overly long and as a result even the modest player will be presented with some birdie opportunities. The par fours offer a good variety with a few medium length holes and a couple of longer ones. The sharp dog-legging sixth, the exacting eighth and the uphill curving 12th stood out for me.

The Red course is arguably more scoreable than the Blue and has slightly more width from the tee but this is negligible in the grand scheme of thing. The design and set-up of both courses add to the appeal for an enjoyable day out as opposed to a demanding and mentally draining slog over 36 holes.

Ed is the founder of Golf Empire – click the link to read his full review.

In many ways the Red benefits from the unusual configuration of holes with 6 par 3s, 4s and 5s as this quirk gives the course a natural variety and interest. Undoubtedly an excellent golf course and the equal to most. Holes 4, 7, 8, 12, 16 and 17 are of high quality. In terms of aesthetics, my personal preference is for less trees. I found the trees too close, too stifling on a number of holes which hugely detracted from the experience. It is appreciated that cutting trees is a big deal but trees grow ! and the nature of the course changes and evolves into more of a parkland feel (which is not what you want, in my view). The green fee is quite high.

A decade has passed since I last visited The Berkshire and I took great pleasure reacquainting myself with the Red course last Friday on a pleasantly warm and sunny mid February day. Despite the heather not being in flower and playing towards the end of a long winter, the experience was truly engaging.

Some will bemoan the fact that the Red course is too short to test the best golfers, but it was certainly long enough for me. The greens were running at a healthy pace and the condition was remarkable for February – most clubs would be thrilled with playing surfaces this good in mid summer.

Nobody could possibly accuse the Red course of being dull. Its exciting 6-6-6 configuration keeps you on your toes and there’s only one consecutive pair of holes with the same par values at the back-to-back short par fours (11 and 12) and both these holes are set magnificently on the higher ground.

Clearly the standout hole is the one-shot 10th which has many similarities to the legendary 14th on the Dunluce course at Royal Portrush. Sadly this hole was calamitous for me after I slapped my tee shot into the steep heather clad gully. Still, there’s usually an opportunity after you’ve taken yourself quickly out of a hole – I was able to catch this pretty image looking back down the 10th.

I honestly don’t think there is a single weak hole on the Red course. The green surrounds are wonderful, the layout has width and there’s a great mix of large greens on the longer par threes and fours coupled with smaller greens on the shorter holes and the three shotters (which are reachable for bigger and straighter hitters than me). Being picky, the closing par three is not in the same league as the preceding one-shot holes, but #18 is certainly not a bad hole.

The Berkshire is a wonderful club and surprisingly understated. Its more glamorous neighbours shadow it but beauty is only skin deep – there’s genuine character and quality here, even when being critical.

I'm fortunate to have played twice at the Berkshire, both times on the red course with it's 6-6-6 format. On both occasions, despite having pretty poor rounds both times I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The course is fabulous. The turf is springy and greens in superb condition. It's naturally a penal course if you stray from the fairway, and despite being quite generous in terms of fairway the margin for error is very small. Clubhouse, food and welcome from the club are all very class as you'd expect.

A delightful course with a lovely feel both on the course and in the clubhouse where we were warmly welcomed and well looked after. I look forward to returning to try and squeeze in 36 holes!

Just 30 minutes west of London lies the famous sand belt, covered with glorious heather, pine and rolling ancient heath land. It is home to some of England’s finest courses and to play them all you should give yourself at least an unforgettable fortnight. The red course here is the archetypal example of these fabled old courses. Fabled for good reason. Though ubiquitous they are a joy to play. Stately, elegant and grand. I played the red yesterday in a fifty yard fog so I can’t comment on the views but I am told it is very pretty here. I believe that! What I can say however is that as you drive through the gates and see the course before you, take the warm salutation from the long serving starter and stand in front of the understated clubhouse with the first to the blue on your left and the first to the red on your right, you know you are in for a good day. The course has fierce greens that are devilish to read and impossible to master, The course was in very good condition for November with fast true greens and grassy fairways. We liked the par 3's and fours. They play very well. So do the par 5's but frankly these days at least 3 of them should be re classified as long challenging par 4's. They are great holes, just too easy to reach for anyone under a ten handicap these days, even in November off of the whites. We had a great day. So if you are straight you can score well here. If you aren't you will become very familiar with heather and bare lies from the beneath the mature pines that flank this majestic course all the way around. Very enjoyabl e. A must play for any golfer; play both in one day if you can, for the full five star experience. JCB Lay

Played both the Red and Blue courses last week and what a treat. From the moment you drive through the gates you know that you are in for a superb day. The clubhouse is magnificent, old school in parts yet the club has moved with the times allowing you to enter parts of the clubhouse in your spikes. We played the blue course first are after probably one of the toughest opening holes in golf the course is wonderful, meandering its way through the trees and heathland. All the holes are individual and its feels like you have the course to yourself. The Red course is probably the stronger of the two courses and ever so slightly superior. I loved the variety of the 3 par 3's, 3 par 4's, 3 par 5's. Although the par 5's are short by modern standards it gives the average golfer chances for birdies. However this is offset by some very strong par 3' were par is a fantastic score as at least 3 of them are 180 yards plus off the white tees. Overall the 36 'holes' aren't as strong as Sunningdale's but I think that the setting, routing and condition of the course is superior. I was extremely impressed and would recommend any golfer to play the courses. Excellent.

I had the pleasure of playing both the red & blue courses on the 28/03/12 & this is as good as golf gets, the holes run though a great piece of classic heath land. Yes a couple of the holes run near the main road & there is some noise from it, but you have to remember that 40 to 50 years ago it probably didn't have half as much traffic going past (that's progress for you!) But this in no way dampened my enjoyment of playing here. Both of the courses have changes in elevation and because of this your whole game will get a good work out. You must drive the ball in the fairways to allow yourself a good chance of hitting the tricky greens which are well protected by deep bunkers & clever run off areas, if you miss the greens you will have to have a sharp short game to make sure you don't drop too many shots.The greens were in tip top condition, true, smooth & quite large a real joy to putt on.

The club house is such a nice place to relax in with the large patio which overlooks the putting green & the first tee on the blue course. All of the staff from the guys in the pro shop to the one's working in the club house was a real credit to the place nothing was too much trouble & we were made to feel really welcome.If you want to play on a really top course then you must come & play here, a real joy from start to finish, can't wait to come back later in the year & enjoy a day's golf at a class golf course. (Handicap 3)