Harleyford Golf Club

Set within the beautiful private Harleyford country estate, which dates back to the 12th century, Harleyford Golf Club enjoys a magnificent setting on the north bank of the River Thames, where the fairways nestle in a generous 160-acre tract, close to the impressive Grade 1 Listed Georgian Manor House and its riverside moorings.

It really is an idyllic spot for golf and it’s here in the mid-1990s that Donald Steel’s design company was tasked with laying out eighteen lightly bunkered fairways in a natural parkland setting that’s blessed with good drainage, allowing play to continue even after the most persistent spells of heavy rain.

The course measures a healthy 6,903 yards from the back tees, playing to a par of 72. With greens constructed to USGA specification, putting surfaces are generally in excellent shape and despite the tree-lined nature of many holes, playing corridors are wider than expected so it never feels overly restrictive at any point.

Notable holes include the toughest on the front nine, the right doglegged par four 7th which plays to every inch of its 467-yard measurement from the back markers, and back-to-back par fives around the turn at hole 9 and 10, where either hole is capable of yielding a welcome birdie.

The signature hole arrives at the 176-yard downhill par three 12th. A severely sloped green fronts a prominent chalk bank at this unique hole, with protecting bunkers positioned short right and left of the putting surface – avoid the sand off the tee and stay below the hole to have any chance of carding a par or better.

In the winter of 2022, the club employed Profusion Environmental to upgrade the course by rebuilding all the bunkers.