Dunstable Downs - Bedfordshire - England

A really challenging course especially off the tips. The location almost guarantees wind which plays a big factor to the challenge of this interesting course.

I do rather like Dunstable Downs, though it does definitely have some quirks. It’s a course of two parts; 1 to 9 are down in the valley, 10 works it’s way to the top and then 11 to 18 are played around the clubhouse. The last 8 holes will generally be windier than the front 10, though anything from the west south west will be a test all over the course. The key quirks relate to the routing - two par fives in the first three holes, and then none from 4 onwards.

Played on a breezy day at the end of a dry May the challenge downwind was to stop the ball, the challenge upwind was to get there at all, and the challenge crosswind was to work out how far left or right to aim.

1 is an inviting downhill par five; there’s plenty of room left, but that leaves a harder approach over a bunker and downhill; stopping the ball on the green required a better player than me. Take risks of the tee to go right and you have a better approach. 2 is an uphill par three, with club selection key as it’s often also into the wind. 3 is a very long par 5, but probably reachable in two for better players as it’s all downhill, including the green. Our morning and afternoon groups found the back quite easily in three; which was not so good with a pin at the front. 4 is a dog left left; a good drawn drive will leave a short approach; go out right for safety but longer second which can get dragged downwind to the left bunkers and hedge. 5 takes you away from the lowest point on the course, so is an uphill par three, followed by an uphill and often into the wind par 4 6th. The latter is a pretty straight hole, with not much excitement.

It’s back downhill on 7 after which you are greeted with 8. It’s uphill, dog leg left and 450 yards. The green is a small tear drop, widest at the front. It’s in a bowl so shots should gather if hit high enough up the banks, but if bouncing onto the banks they can stay up there. It’s a great long and tough par 4 and actually somewhat out of keeping with most of the rest of the course as it’s only challenge for difficulty is the much plainer 11th.

9 follows, as a very short par three to another small green, but this time it’s surrounded by thick grass and bunkers. In reality one should be able to hit a target from 120 yards, but I suspect many don’t. 10 takes you up to the high ground; blind tee shot and don’t go right off the tee or with your second.

11 is uphill, long, but in my view lacking character. The trouble seems to be off the tee and with your second ( in both cases avoid the fairway bunkers), but not really around the green. 12 comes back in the opposite direction with a nice pearl of bunkers which tempt you to cut the corner and wait for the sliced tee shot. As you are often now downwind the key here will be to work out where to land your second, when we played quite a long way short was the right answer. I feel that 8 to 12 are the heart of the course; four quite tough par 4s and one stroke index 18 par three which will catch out many. If you’ve got a score by the 13th tee you should be able to keep it; if you haven’t there is opportunity to get a bit back. So none of 13 to 18 are really challenging, though like anywhere mistakes can be made. 13 is on the same line as 12, though rather shorter and less protected off the tea and on the green.

14 is a nice challenge which could be made a lot nastier by keeping the grass on the left side bailout short enough to let the ball run out and then long enough to make the second a tough ask. I can understand why it isn’t: blind tee shots which require very precise drives are rarely appreciated, but the hole could be made harder if needed. The green itself is one of the tougher as it’s a big front to back slope.

There’s lots of room off the tee on 15 as in 16. Both are played over the same gully, and both reward a shot struck to the higher end of the fairway, be that the right on 15 or left on 16. 17 and 18 head back past the clubhouse on the same broad line, with 18 being the nicer hole and a reasonably tough finish to a green firmly surrounded by bunkers.

As I said earlier the source was running quite fast. The greens were true and of a decent pace. Some fairways clearly has suffered with last year’s drought and like most green keepers in the south east my guess is that Dunstable’s are praying for rain.

Of the clubhouse the visitors’ locker room was poor: too hot, no towels and rather weak showers. The bar facilities are all upstairs: the food was decent, but I must question the committee’s decision to up the price of drinks and then increase the members’ discount. £5 for a pint of beer is a London price, not a Bedfordshire one. Charging shandy as beer invites the rather perverse decision to buy a pint of each and come away with a third glass to do one’s own mixing so saving over £1.50.

I don’t know Bedfordshire’s golf courses, so can’t compare in County. For me if you are heading down or up the M1 it’s worth a diversion; if you’re heading down the A1 or M40 it isn’t.

A game at Dunstable is really enjoyable and although both the front and the back nine are par-35, there is a clear distinction between them. On the front, it is not until the 7th hole that you play a hole with the same par as the previous hole, this does wonders for variety and keeping interest levels very high. The course is way above sea level, so expect a blustery day most times, especially on the back-9 which has the highest ground. A gentle par-5 opens the course up and the 3rd another par-5, at 593 yards and SI-3 is anything but gentle. A couple of mid length par-3’s at the 2nd and 5th are great fun but it is the 8th and 9th that are the stand-out holes on the front. The 8th is a big par-4 at 452 yards that runs along the south of the course, turns a little left and has an uphill approach to a very small green – the obvious SI-1 hole where a bogey is very good score. After the beating that you take on the 8th, the par-3 9th is SI-18 and only 122 yards and is a delightful short hole with great green-side bunkering all around. The back nine starts with three par-4’s all 400 yards+ which is tough for most but the biggest observation is that these three are the start of a run of eight par-4’s. I would like to see one of these lengthened to a par-5, with the 11th, 12th or the 16th the obvious possibilities. Although the run of all of these par-4’s may not be that common, these is a decent mix of short and long holes. The 14th, named ‘California’ the best of the short style; slightly dog-legging to the right and at 317 yards needs a very accurate tee shot, anything less will leave a blind approach to the green. The round ends with a 170 yard 1-shotter but with ten bunkers protecting, where the green needs to be hit rather than ran up to. A decent course towards the top end of the Bedfordshire rankings and a friendly club too.

This is a decent course and deserves a review. There are many plus points: hard fast greens, good layout, natural undulation and views in some places of most of the rest of the country. The Eighth green is exceptional. Sightly surprised that the standard scratch gave me a shot back because the fairways seemed fairly wide and open. But I won't complain at that. It's not an exaggeration to say certain aspects and holes, the second, fourth, eighth in particular wouldn't be out of place on a top 100 course.