Frilford Heath Golf Club (Red)

“Frilford is only seven miles from Oxford,” said Bernard Darwin in his 1910 book, The Golf Courses of the British Isles, “but it might be a hundred miles from anywhere. It lies on a little unfrequented by-road, and is utterly rural and peaceful a spot as could be found anywhere. Here is sand enough and to spare – a wonderful oasis in the desert of mud.”

There’s a bit more traffic on the roads these days, but Frilford Golf Club is still tranquil and the club now boasts three courses, the Red, Green and Blue, 54 holes in total. The original course, the Red, was designed by J.H. Taylor in 1908 and was modified in the early 1920s by the Frilford club professional, J.H. Turner. The Red is still considered the best of the trio, even though the original opening holes were altered in the early 1990s to cater for the development of the new Blue course.

The Red course is a demanding par 72 layout, measuring more than 7,000 yards from the tips. The front nine is more challenging and balanced than the back nine, with two par threes and two par fives. But it’s the par fours, especially the 5th, 7th and 8th that stand out, all measuring well over 400 yards from the medal tees. The 9th hole is the signature hole, a pretty par three, measuring over 180 yards, where the tee shot must carry a pond and avoid the out-of-bounds behind the elevated green. The back nine opens up with the longest hole on the course and finishes with seven consecutive par fours.

Given the quality and quantity of courses at Frilford Heath, it is surprising that the club’s reputation is not more widely known and recognised. The land is delightfully undulating, perfect for golf, and the club is rightfully proud of the fact that the sandy soil allows all-year-round play. The greens at Frilford are amongst the very best in the land and they are also trying hard to encourage the regeneration of heathland indigenous flora. That has to be good news because Frilford Heath is a natural and traditional place.

“Taking it altogether the golf is both good and difficult,” wrote Darwin, “and besides that, Frilford is essentially one of those places where it is good to be alive with a golf club in one’s hand – even if one uses it indifferently – and whither one looks forward to returning with a very keen enjoyment.”