East Berkshire - Berkshire - England

I am a relatively recent new member at East Berkshire and cannot speak highly enough of the course and the membership.

The course makes the absolute most of the land available with a great mixture of long and short par fours, some brilliant par threes and one par five. The course flows through stately pines and mature trees but heather is in play on a number of the holes.

The conditioning is excellent, especially the greens which equal many of the higher ranked courses that I have played on this site.

Highlights include the stretch from the seventh to the ninth (the pine trees that frame the eighth green are particularly special), the long par three thirteenth and the tough dog-leg par four fourteenth and then the closing two holes which are real challenges.

The newly opened short game area is an excellent addition and although it faces stiff competition from other courses in the county rankings feel like it is pretty close (for different reasons) to Bearwood Lakes ranked at fourth. I’d highly recommend taking in a round at East Berkshire.

I selected East Berkshire to play my 650th golf course in a twoball with my wife on my birthday, and was thrilled by this charming and delightful place. Sure enough it was difficult to get a Visitor Tee Time in the year of covid, clearly the sign of a thriving Members’ Club, that my excitement to eventually get to play here knew no bounds.

The pretty parkland layout begins with two short and reassuring par 4s to get the juices flowing, before the real challenges start. The 3rd hole a long bunker less par 4 is a gem, and it just get better. There is only one par 5, but there is magnificent variety in the par 4s so this is not a problem, and all four par 3s (of which only one is over 160 yards) are special.

And just as you start to feel you are getting on top of the course, the final holes bite back. The demanding 14th where you aim for the left of the fairway from the tee so as to have room around the trees to go for the green is wonderful, as is the straight slightly uphill 15th back to the club house. And the last two holes are long and tough, if not quite as visually appealing.

The course layout and condition is excellent and the overall site is quite cramped even if you never get the feeling of being hemmed in. A bigger nuisance was the number of walkers around the course, for the gorgeous autumn colours on the trees lining most fairways made it easy to comprehend why the location appeals to people other than golfers.

Having played a lot of the top courses in Surrey/Berkshire over the past 12 years, booking East Berkshire based on the rankings meant I was not expecting anything exceptional in any way. It gets said a lot on this website but this course is definitely in the "Must be ranked higher bracket" The course has got great variety, the greens were immaculate and the whole Club and course had a good feel to it. When we visit Surrey/Berkshire we pick 3 courses and play morning and afternoon at each course which means we get a proper look at the venue as as a whole. East Berkshire may not be at the level of Swinley Forest, St Georges Hill or Sunningdale but at a third of the green fee it is still a course that is totally underrated and well worth a visit... you won't be disappointed

East Berkshire is a lovely track. It's short, but is only par 69 (or 68 - i forget). Don't be fooled by the yardage, as only 1 par 5 is there to be taken advantage of. There is a great mix of par 4s and par 3s, all varying lengths.

Can't recommend enough for a pleasant walk round a very nice golf course

Not a long course by current standards but it is protected by bunkering and it feels quite tight off the tee. The holes cover all points of the compass and as they are all tree lined it can be difficult to read the wind. Measuring at just around 6000 yards off the yellow tees it is a good test of golf and requires you to go through the bag with club selection. Only one par 5 so the yardage is in the par 4' and the par 3 thirteenth which is over 200 yards. The greens putted very well and had subtle borrows which can be difficult to read. The presentation of the course was very tidy. Good value for the green fee. In the club house the staff and members were friendly and welcoming and the menu seemed to be varied and fairly priced.

East Berks is an excellent course hidden away in Crowthorne (It has almost as small a sign at the end of the road as Swinley Forest). Once you get to the end of the drive, things become a lot more obvious and welcoming. I have played here for a number of years in a society and the course is an excellent challenge and is in excellent condition. The first couple of holes are pretty gentle, but then it seems to get harder and harder as the round progresses. It is only a par 69 and has one par 5, so whilst it looks short on the card, the shots soon seem to run out!

Favourite holes for me are the short 5th, 9th and 13th, as well as the tough par four 8th, 14th and 18th. With better practice facilities and some fine tuning this course could be higher up the rankings.

The staff in both the pro shop and in the club house were friendly and helpful and the food was also excellent. The atmosphere around the club also has really good vibe, with the members happy to chat and offer advice/condolences on your round.

A friendly club with some excellent parkland holes, very good value for the area. A little hard to find by postcode, use a map !

Highly recommended.

I think East Berks is one of the best value courses in England, always in great condition and when the greens are good they are the best in England. I noticed they have upgraded the bunkers and done a great job, they have taken the one away in front of the stream on the second. Shame, this was one of the best positioned bunkers I've ever seen, it was genius at it's best and I think the club should consider taking the one on the right out and replace with the old one. Still a great days golf, brilliant design.

I played East Berks in glourious sunny conditions, and the golf course fully lived up to expectations. A very short course by modern standards, it still played very tough, most holes have fairway bunkers at about 230yds meaning you have a decision, try and carry it, or lay up and have a longer approach. If you found the rough, you were left with tough shots into very small and quick greens. Miss the green and you were left with extremly hard chip shots due to the gradiation in cuts. my opinion on a course is always knocked slightly when there is only one par 5, and a bit like West Sussex, it was only a long par4 by modern standards. I also didnt like the SI1 10th as i i dont like holes that require you to hit a really short club off the tee only to leave you a mile in for your approach. This course is very very good, and is comparable to the East course at Wentworth. Despite the 18holes fitting into a fairly small area of land, it felt like you had walked a long way. I would suggest everyone tries to play here, especially for the value it offers!

For a very reasonable green fee, East Berkshire offers what one might consider a ‘mini Wentworth’ golfing experience. Based on my experience of other similarly-ranked courses East Berkshire’s ranking is just about spot on. Even in October, the conditioning of the course exceeded my expectations. Clearly the greenkeeping staff and the members make great efforts to look after it, with unrepaired pitchmarks a rare sight. The greens had been hollow tined recently and I imagine their speed was down on their peak condition. Nevertheless, the only problem I experienced with the greens was the vandalized trio of 8-10 that were replaced with temporaries (as advised in pro shop before paying a reasonable, reduced green fee). The holes play to a variety of directions (to varying lengths) which coupled with a swirling breeze can challenge even the best golfer. The short but narrow 1st is an early risk/reward tempter which if it appeared later in the round would incite more risk taking. For me the pick of the holes was the 3rd. Devoid of a single bunker or serious water hazard, the only way to reach the green in regulation is to take driver and hug the left hand side with its OOB, trees and railway line (a plus point in my book) to avoid being blocked out by tall trees on the right. The need to shape the ball (both ways) or hit precise lines off the tee on the 3rd and many other holes means that the course is not overpowered by modern equipment, despite only just surpassing 6,000 yards from the yellows. The concerned ‘pro tips’ advice on the course planner suggests the course becomes more challenging in hard-running conditions. I hope to try it out again some time to see how it plays in summer.