Fulford Heath

According to the book James Braid and his Four Hundred Golf Courses by John F. Moreton and Iain Cumming, Braid, James Braid “designed Fulford Heath Golf Course, just south of Birmingham, on the GWR line to Stratford-upon-Avon. Wythall station was conveniently close, an important factor in those days.”

“Unfortunately, this club has no record of its formation, but one or two older members have vague recollections of Braid visiting the course. It was later remodelled by Fred Hawtree and club professional Eric Booy, the nines reversed and alterations made… Braid’s hand can be seen in the design of some of the greens and the bunkering.”

Today, the layout measures a shade over 6,000 yards from the back markers, playing to a par of 70. A couple of short par fours are worthy of mention on the front nine: the opening hole (”Captain’s Drive”) and the 4th (“Chestnut Way”) both measure less than 275 yards and are easily capable of yielding a birdie three to set golfers up for the rest of their round.

On the back nine, which starts and ends with the only par fives on the card, the River Cole comes into play at “Cole Crossing,” the 361-yard 12th, as the hole doglegs off the tee to the target. The river runs along the left side of the fairway then switches to right side before cutting across the fairway a second time in front of the sand-protected green.