Fulwell Golf Club

Fulwell Golf Club is set on Hampton Hill within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Five-time Open champion J.H. Taylor laid out the first course for the members in 1904, on land that was part of Hounslow Heath (which once extended to more than 4,000 acres). Taylor, who at that time was the pro at Royal Mid Surrey, laid out two 18-hole courses, routed in a similar manner to his home club – an outer course for the men and an inner layout for the ladies.

Dr Alister MacKenzie extended the men’s course in the early 1920s, but ten year’s later the local council placed a compulsory purchase order on the land and gave the club notice that the lease would be terminated in 1941. The outbreak of the Second World War was critical for the club. Part of the inner course was turned over to agriculture for the war effort and the remaining holes on the inner course were opened to the public. The council, however, promised to reinstate a golf course following the war and assigned John Morrison to the project.

In 1958, thirteen years after the war ended, a new course at Fulwell Golf Club opened for play, comprising of eight holes from the original outer layout and ten holes from the inner course. So it’s fair to say that three prominent golf course architects helped shape the 6,465-yard par 71 layout that’s in play today. However, the heritage of Fulwell’s course is firmly attributed to John Morrison, who was the Managing Director and last living member of Colt, Alison and Morrison Ltd. at the time the new course was unveiled.

Despite its heathland roots, Fulwell is a parkland course that’s laid out on well-drained ground. Mature trees flank the fairways, requiring accuracy from the tee and also length, especially at the 452-yard par four 8th, which calls for a solid drive and an accurate approach to a narrow green that’s protected by bunkers on each flank.

Hole 9, a 163-yard one-shotter, is the standout hole on the front nine. It’s a genuinely pretty par three over water to a false-fronted, kidney-shaped green.

The closing three home holes are also noteworthy, starting with the mid-length par three 16th which features a raised, almost pulpit-like green. The penultimate hole is a genuine three-shotter for most golfers. It measures 564 yards from the tips and is one of the longest in Middlesex, but perhaps Fulwell saves the best until last.

Slade Lodge (the Course Manager's residence) and the 17th century clubhouse (formerly a farmhouse) provide the backcloth to the home green, but the drive must first negotiate the large trees which guard the opening to the fairway. A serpentine ditch cuts diagonally in front of the green before winding its way up the left side of this challenging hole.

Mackenzie and Ebert completed a bunker renovation programme in 2019, which involved re-shaping traps based on old photographs of Morrison's originals.