Calcot Park

Situated four miles west of Reading, Calcot Park was first developed in the early 17th century by Sir Peter Vanlore, a Dutch-born merchant and jeweller who purchased the property from Thomas Crompton then built the existing mansion to replace the original manor house of Tilehurst on the same estate.

When the golf club was founded and the famous design firm of Colt, Alison & Morrison laid out the new course in the early 1930s, the magnificent mansion building was used as a clubhouse but it was sold off and converted into flats in 1960, allowing the club to construct a more utilitarian new building from the proceeds of the sale.

With only two par fives on the scorecard, the course extends to 6,300 yards from the back tees, playing to a par of 70. Feature holes include short par fours at the 2nd and 10th, with the 156-yard 7th, which plays across a small lake to a raised green, considered as the “signature hole” on the scorecard..

Clayton, DeVries & Pont were appointed to develop a master plan for the course in 2020 and Edward Cartwright, the firm’s head of operations in UK & Ireland, told us phase 1 of an intended four -phase restoration project was scheduled to begin in October 2021.