England, United Kingdom
Located a mile or so to the northwest of Barnet, Dyrham Park Country Club is set majestically in a 200-acre Hertfordshire estate that dates back to Elizabethan times.
Located a mile or so to the northwest of Barnet, Dyrham Park Country Club is set majestically in a 200-acre Hertfordshire estate that dates back to Elizabethan times.
Dyrham Park Country Club
Located a mile or so to the northwest of Barnet, Dyrham Park Country Club is set majestically in a 200-acre Hertfordshire estate that dates back to Elizabethan times. The current listed 19th century manor house was restored in the 1960s and is now the grand centrepiece of a golf club that has serious aspirations.
C.K. Cotton laid out the golf course at Dyrham Park Country Club in 1963 and it stretches to 6,428 yards from the back tees. Accuracy rather than sheer length is required, but the gauntlet is thrown down right from the off where your driving will be tested while negotiating four holes that measure in excess of 400 yards – and only one of these is a par five, after the club changed the 4th to a two-shot hole. An interesting and rather unusual blind tee shot waits at the par four 3rd, requiring a solid strike over a series of sculpted hedges on line with a fairway marker post.
If your card is intact after the opening four holes, you can give yourself a pat on the back and settle into a thoroughly engaging parkland test that features a number of water holes. If your driving is on song, you’ll love the “signature” 7th hole at Dyrham Park. This old fashioned short par four asks serious questions and tempts the bigger hitters to take the direct line to the green… the risk is a 200-yard carry over the lake… the reward is a short pitch to a raised green that cants from front to back.
Recent renovations to the 11th and 13th holes have seen the introduction of two impressive new lakes that provide genuine and daunting challenges to golfers of all handicaps. These two new water hazards each measure 1,500 and 2,000 square metres respectively, creating a high degree of risk and reward as well as looking spectacular. The par three 11th also sports a new teeing area, complete with sleepered wall and a new green raised more than ten feet above its original level, making this one-shot hole one of the more daunting and exciting in the area. Greens at both the 3rd and 10th holes have also recently been rebuilt to USGA standards.
The aquatic hazard at 13 starts a sequence of three further water holes, which are considered to be Hertfordshire’s answer to Augusta’s Amen Corner.
“The Loop”, as it is known locally, is the original watery stretch of holes from 14 to 16, situated at the eastern extremity of the property. The back tee stretches the 14th to more than 200 yards and it must be a knee trembler for those playing in the monthly medal as golfers peer through a narrow chute of trees, across a lily pond to where the small green, ringed with bunkers, waits patiently – most golfers will not need their pitch mark repairer on this hole. Careful club selection is required on 15 as the doglegged fairway on this par four tips towards water. Accuracy is also the order of the day on the short par four 16th, as the fairway slopes down to trees on the left and a stream protects the green to the left and the back.
Dyrham Park Country Club may at first glance appear modern, but the club has strong tradition, a grand clubhouse and an underrated golf course at its heart.
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
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The purpose of the Review of The Month feature is twofold. Top100GolfCourses has always aimed to salute and encourage those who are putting admirable effort into reviewing the world’s great golf courses. Moving forward, we are also looking to learn from these experts! We’ll be chatting with the month’s star authors and discussing topics such as golf in their area, what they like to see in a strong course review, and of course dig a little deeper into their own winning review. December 2023’s Review of The Month comes from David Scoular, who traveled to the northernmost corners of Hertfordshire to play the chalk-soiled gem that is Royston Golf Club, which claims to be the oldest 18-hole golf course in England. You can read David’s winning review, and find other Royston writeups here. -- There is truly something special about traversing out and back across Therfield Heath. Although Royston Golf Club was founded in 1892, the course will be celebrating 400 years of Golf in 2024, providing justification to the note emblazed across the scorecard, "The Oldest 18 Hole Golf Course in England". The course features firm, fast fairways, playable all year round. This is thanks to its location, upon fast-draining chalk-based downland. Making the course a worthwhile pilgrimage for any golf starved individuals throughout the winter months. Royston is regarded as short by modern standards, measuring 5,910 yards. but due to its exposed position, perched high on common land. The varying wind direction and small green targets require well planned shots. None more so than the 8th, "Rand's Folly" . The hole stretches along an undulating fairway with a slight right-to-left slope from a blind tee location. requiring a drive to the left side of the fairway setting up a precise shot into the raised, fort like green. The par threes are all interesting. The two stand out holes, been the 5th & 10th. The fifth, requires a long iron across a broad valley, played predominately into the prevailing wind. The Tenth, a 221 yard valley hole, played from an elevated tee to a well guarded green, can be regarded as the courses hidden gem. Pars on either holes are well received. The stretch from the fifteenth to the eighteenth tee, offers wonderful variety, and excellent opportunities to improve a score. The climb up to Wee Knock, the short 16th will require a few moments to catch your breathe, in this moment make sure the correct club is selected. Anything short or left will be thrown off this blind raised green. The18th, played from a high tee with wind normally behind offers most golfers the opportunity to reach this Par 4 in one. I am pleased to see Royston feature in the county rankings. A county well regarded for its parkland golf. The Par 70 course has no two holes alike and should delight the enthusiastic golfer. I look forward to my next visit.
Bishop's Stortford Golf Club, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England Click any of the large images to return to the main Bishop's Stortford page All photographs courtesy of Bishop's Stortford Golf Club 2nd green 7th hole 3rd hole 12th green 17th tee 18th tee Aerial view Clubhouse
Hadley Wood Golf Club, Barnet, Hertfordshire, England Click any of the large images to return to the main Hadley Wood page All photographs courtesy of Hadley Wood Golf Club On the tee 7th hole 12th hole 13th hole 17th hole The clubhouse
