Kingsthorpe

Kingsthorpe Golf Club was established in 1908, moving to its current location close to Northampton town centre six years later. C. H. Alison set out the initial course on a very compact property then his design associate Harry Colt made further modifications to the layout shortly after World War I ended. Not much has changed in over a hundred years since.

Today, the course measures just under 6,000 yards from the back markers, playing to a par of 69; 33 out and 36 back. Length off the tees isn’t an issue here but accuracy certainly is as the tree-lined fairways are rather tight on a property that extends to fewer than 75 acres. There’s only one par five on the card at the 549-yard 15th and four one-shotters, three of which are played on the front nine.

Highlight holes include the shortest of the par threes at the 117-yard 9th (where five bunkers guard the two-tiered green), the 408-yard 12th (with a deep swale in front of the green), and the 403-yard 18th, which is a tough par four to finish the round as out of bounds runs the length of the hole on the left until reaching the home green.