Burnham Beeches - Buckinghamshire - England
Green Lane,
Burnham,
Slough,
Buckinghamshire,
SL1 8EG,
England
+44 (0) 1628 661448
2 miles NW of Slough
Welcome Monday – Friday only excluding bank Hols
Clive Bailey
Ronnie Bolton
Burnham Beeches is located in the Thames Valley to the south of the county of Buckinghamshire, some 25 miles to the west of London. The area, extending to 540 acres, is now a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and also a National Nature Reserve. Acquired by the City of London in 1880 as open space for Victorian Londoners to enjoy, Burnham Beeches has remained a veritable oasis ever since. Burnham Beeches Golf Club was founded in 1891 and Mike Berners Price fascinatingly describes its history in The Centurions of Golf. “In the early 1900s, more than a dozen teachers from Eaton College and a number of Dukes, Lords and Ladies helped to give the Club an exclusive air. In 1903, Raymond Hervey de Montmorency was elected Captain at the age of 28 playing off a handicap of plus-4. He later played golf for England and became President of the EGU in 1935. During a sporting weekend in 1904, he is said to have scored 72 for Oxford University against Rye at cricket on the Saturday with every run being a four and then repeated the score of 72 on the golf course the following day hitting eighteen fours! J.H. Taylor advised on changes to the Burnham Beeches course in 1902 and 1907, the club faced possible lease problems and Taylor was asked for his views on a move to Stoke Park. In a response which would have surprised Harry Colt who designed the famous course at Stoke Park the following year, Taylor thought: “it was not suitable for a golf course as there are too many trees and, even if these were cleared, owing to the nature of the ground the golf would be of an uninteresting character.” Burnham Beeches starts gently with a short par four that takes you away from the delightful old clubhouse with its cupola clock tower. But then the going gets tough at the 2nd with out of bounds all the down the right on this 424-yard hole which is one of six substantial par fours at Burnham Beeches. The par three 3rd is the easiest hole on the scorecard but such an apparently easy one-shot hole often results in a four on the card. The elevated tee shot on the 521-yard par five 4th is one of the most inviting in the county and it’s where even the most reserved golfer will be seriously tempted to grip it and rip it. We’ll let Mike Berners Price bring Burnham Beeches to a conclusion: “Luke Donald set a four round course record of 270 (67, 68, 66, 69) in a regional amateur event in June 1997, and an earlier Ryder Cup player, Ken Bousfield, shot 69 in 1938 whilst completing a round in 91 minutes as par of a commercial challenge. He played a total of six rounds in three minutes over twelve hours with an average score of 72.5 and was sponsored by the advertising agency J Walter Thompson to promote a brand of cocoa which he was required to drink between rounds to prove its assistance for stamina. Members enjoyed a more potent drink in 1984 when the Club hosted the White Horse Whisky Challenge as part of the women’s professional tour. Burnham Beeches is a well-wooded traditional parkland course providing one of the best tests of golf within easy reach of Central London.” |
Reviews for Burnham Beeches
Fond memories. I was a junior member here until I was no longer allowed to be. Over a decade was spent here. Learning the game. Getting a handicap. Captaining the Junior Team. Making friends.
It was time to move on when I did but I certainly would like to go back soon.
Burnham Beeches GC sits within a 540-acre Site of Specific Scientific Interest and also a National Nature Reserve. A great parkland course and the oldest in Buckinghamshire. The fairways here are generous although it does still require you to be accurate as trees are plenty.
I have a Hole-in-One here. My only Hole-in-One in fact. I was 12 years old and on the uphill par-3 6t hole. You can’t see the bottom half of the pin. Driver pulled – I was 12. Went up to the green and couldn’t see it. Bam! In the hole it was. I haven’t had another in the 12 years since. Well if I get another before August 2020 then I guess it will be a once-in-a-twelve-year-event. Hmmmm – A challenge set.
Burnham Beeches provides a challenging but hugely enjoyable golf course in a beautiful setting. The undulating layout based on gravel, drains particularly well and the full greens, tees and fairway irrigation ensures good summer playing conditions.
The course is regularly used for county and national events with the four-day men’s open record holder for the lowest score being none other than Luke Donald.
Everyone who I have ever spoken to about the course, holds it in very high regard and enjoys the test. A recommendation, absolutely.
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Designed almost 130 years ago this fine wooded parkland course didn't disappoint when I played there for the first time during July. I would describe Burnham Beeches as quintessential home counties golf. With a solid routing and a nice selection of interesting holes, J H Taylor's layout certainly has a classy feel to it and although not particularly long there are some challenging holes including five par 4's that stretch out over the 400 yard mark.
After a gentle downhill start the first real test arrives at the 2nd, an excellent long par 4 played along a ridge with out of bounds to the right . The short holes are all good at Burnham and the 3rd gets us off to a fine start playing downhill to a well protected green partially hidden by trees encroaching from the right. The 5th is another par 4 of real quality where a well placed drive will leave an enticing approach shot over a shallow valley and the 6th, possibly my favourite short hole, plays just under 200 yards back over the same valley. The green is well defended by three well placed bunkers and a craftily positioned swale to the left.
The back nine gets underway with another delightful par 3 protected by four bunkers including a rather impressive pit which dominates proceedings from the tee. Unusually located, well short of the green with a deep sleepered face, this is a feature straight from the golden age of golf design.
At 434 yards, the 12th is without doubt the toughest hole on the course. A solid tee shot over a valley and through a narrow gap in the trees is required to leave any chance of reaching a difficult sloping green in regulation.
The prize for the quirkiest hole of the round and the one most likely to split opinion has to be awarded to the 14th. Measuring a meaty 430 yards, another big drive is required if the green is to be reached in two. The blind approach is aimed at a distant marker post and must clear a down slope planted with square shaped shrubs to find a picturesque sunken green. This green has plenty of open ground on all sides to keep lost balls to a minimum and I for one really liked the hole.
The closing stretch has plenty of variety being made up of a driveable par 4, a par 5 that requires some strategic input, another strong par 3 and finally a testing par 4 to bring us back to the attractive old clubhouse.
There's no doubt that some bunkers would benefit from a renovation programme which would improve aesthetics from the tee but in reality there is very little to criticize at Burnham Beeches. Arguably, it could rank one or two places higher in the county.
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Nice course with a mix of good holes and some more boring ones. Condition has been good when I've played.
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So which ones did you think were boring? Not a great review very sparse with only two lines.
Course condition in September 2019 was ok with good greens. Fairways and green aprons were very lush and green, infact for me they were too soft and this contrasted with areas off the fairway which were in poor condition/barren; early on in my round I found myself on hardpan soil just off the green leaving an impossible shot and I must admit this did affect my enjoyment of the round. Fairly standard parkland but with enough variety of hole and undulations to make it interesting enough without ever offering any memorable holes (although we were off yellow tees). Thought the 14th would have been a good hole and much better par 4 if the tee was forward 50 yards. If I had to choose favourite holes it would be the par 3's, especially at 6 and 10.
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Played on a very pleasant September day. Great course, with several memorable long 4s and generous par 5s. Very few holes felt to be generous, but there were enough opportunities to score well. Very little rough or hazards so felt like a very good choice for society golfing. Will be back.
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If you’re in the Slough, Windsor area, this is a real MUST PLAY parkland golf course set in the middle of Burnham Beeches with many challenging par 4’s, 3 big par 5’s and 5 very scenic par 3’s. Burnham Beeches Golf Club is the oldest course in Buckinghamshire and a real traditional members golf club.At approx 6500 yards, it’s not massively long but a real challenge with many elevated tees and beautiful tree lined fairways. We considered the 2 signature holes to be the 10th ,a 175 yard par three with railway sleeper faced enormous bunker protecting a long slim green, and also the 14th a 430 yard par 4 which requires a well position drive in order to attack a hidden green set some 30 feet below the fairway.We found the course to be in excellent condition and beautifully to a very high standard.
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