Hartley Wintney

Situated midway between Camberley and Basingstoke, just off the historic A30 London to Land’s End coaching road, the golf course at Hartley Wintney Golf Club started out in 1891 as a 9-hole layout, serving the recreational needs of employees from the nearby Elvetham Estate.

The original course extended to 1,967 yards, playing to a bogey score of 38, with holes ranging in length from the 57-yard 7th “Wellingtonia” to the 358-yard 9th “Lake”. Lord Calthorpe of Elvetham acted as the club’s first president and Miss HB Jones was appointed its Honorary Secretary.

Hartley Wintney was wound up during World War I when the ravages of war took their toll on the club’s affairs but the club was revived again in 1920, with professional Billy Butt joining soon after and he remained in position for an astonishing forty-five years before finally retiring in 1969.

The dawn of a new millennium brought about a major refurbishment of the clubhouse and the expansion of the course to a full 18-hole configuration. Holes 3-7 and 13-16 were added and the outward half is regarded as the easier of the two nines – make your score on the way out then hang on to it as you head for home.

After a gentle start to the round with a couple of short par fours followed by a par three, the 410-yard 4th begins a little run of par fours, gently doglegging left to a large front to back sloping green. The front nine then concludes with a lovely downhill short hole, where a large protecting bunker sits in front of the green.

On the back nine, the 424-yard 13th is rated stroke index 1.Starting out from an elevated tee position, tee shots have to avoid a lake on the left side of the fairway and a ditch runs behind the green to punish stray approach shots – walk away with a four on the card at this hole and you’ve done really well.

Although just less than 6,300 yards in length, this parkland course is a solid golfing challenge and should be respected if you’re aiming to return a good score.