Dunstable Downs - Bedfordshire - England

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.