Luffenham Heath - Leicestershire & Rutland - England

1st Leicestershire & Rutland - Best in Area
Luffenham Heath Golf Club,
Ketton,
Stamford,
Lincolnshire,
PE9 3UU,
England

  • +44 (0) 1780 720205

Rutland Water is the largest man-made lake in Western Europe, set in the middle of England's smallest county. Three miles south of Rutland Water, as the crow flies, is the Earl of Ancaster's Common with its peaceful and tranquil golf course. Luffenham Heath Golf Club is set on high ground in an area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest because it is home to some of the country's most important flora and fauna, and a feeling of calm washes over as soon as you drive into the car park.

The club was founded in 1911 and the course was originally laid out by the famous design partnership of Harry Colt and C.H. Alison. James Braid revised the layout between the wars and C K Cotton made further changes after the Second World War. Little changed until the new millennium when Martin Hawtree completed a renovation in 2004.

Luffenham Heath is laid out principally in an out-and-back fashion, but the holes are routed in every conceivable direction. When the wind blows – as it often does on this undulating and elevated common – it hits you from all directions. Despite the numerous trees and bushes which line many of the holes, you never feel hemmed in. Most tee shots are pleasantly inviting. Measuring 6,563 yards from the back tees against a par of 70, Luffenham is not long, but it's an intriguing test.

The golf is good and honest and there are some excellent holes. The 7th, a par four of medium length, requires a precision approach shot to an elevated green, which is fiercely guarded by five bunkers. The next hole is the easiest on the card (SI 18) and it's a fun, drivable par four. But our favourite hole is the 17th, a dramatic one-shotter, which measures 201 yards from the tips and usually plays directly into the prevailing wind. The elevated tee provides a fine vantage point... a par here is one to savour.

Luffenham Heath is a course to enjoy rather than to slog round. You will find the golf infinitely pleasant and, at times, rather exhilarating. The recently extended and upgraded course was awarded Open Championship Qualifying for the 2013 Open at Muirfield. Luffenham Heath awarded Open Qualifying

Despite the club's Lincolnshire postal address, Luffenham Heath is affiliated to the Leicestershire & Rutland Golf Union.

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Reviews for Luffenham Heath

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Description: The course at Luffenham Heath Golf Club is charming, adorned by oak, elm and ash. Set in an area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Rating: 6.4 out of 10 Reviews: 16
TaylorMade
steve
very disappointed with this course in as much as it is too highly rated,why.yes the course is nice and in good condition,but that doesnt mean its special.it is not what i would call special and to be up there surely it has to be.the course is flanked by trees in a lot of places but they are too far apart to give it real definition and character.it is not a classic heathland course and it is not what you would call tree lined,either.the seventeenth is a treat and the rest of the course is ok,not in the same league as Notts, Sherwood and Woodhall. i enjoyed abbotsley down the road in cambridgeshire better and its not rated.
September 01, 2009
4 / 10
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Carl Tushingham
When our group played here it was a lovely spring day yet the club seemed almost deserted and this was a Saturday, after reading past reviews on here we pre-ordered our food as we also had a long journey, glad we did as they must have no demand for it, but the staff and members we did meet were polite and helpful. Onto the course, it is a stern test with lots of well placed bunkers and is exposed to the elements. The tees and fairways were in excellent condition, but the greens were a bit bumpy, i'm sure these will improve as the weather gets better. It has a purposely rugged look to the course which makes it feel like you've steped back in time, this adds to its charm. Some fine holes here, but I think its placed too high in the rankings, there is no way this is better than Hindhead and Woking, to name just two. Don't let this put off though as it is a nice course in its own unique way.
March 25, 2009
6 / 10
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neil
March 01, 2012
you just seem to miss the whole point . this is a great test. and hard to play to handycap , it is a lovely walk with no traffic , down in surrey they all seem so loud and busy long may luffenham stay just as it is
Carl
January 07, 2015
I haven't missed the point at all, this course is simply nowhere near as good as Hindhead and Woking amongst others as the rankings now indicate too.
paul
Very dissapointed with Luffenham Heath, I expected much more of a course so far up the listings in England, the course needs some to bring itself into the 21st century, mole hills all over the course ( looks like neglect for a number of years) moss in the greens and the gorse being cut back and burned on some holes, dom't get me wrong the course is a good layout and there are some fine golf holes but the overall condition was poor, the club house too does'nt open untill 11 on a Saturday anf the offerings of food are well belo those expected of a quality golf club, this could be a wonderfull course if it only woke up and joined the rest of the modern world !
February 26, 2008
4 / 10
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Steve Addison
March 20, 2008
I think this is a bit unfair, nice course interesting layout, yes they are doing some cutting back but it will some green over in the summer, well worth a visit I think the 4 star average is a fair reflection for the course.
This is a very special golf club and I quite understand why it is so highly rated. We met several members during our visit all of whom were friendly and helpful as were the assistant professional and the bar staff. The character of the golf course is mixed but its predominant feel is one of heathland rather than parkland, and whilst the sub-soil may be largely clay, years of top dressing have resulted in excellent playing surfaces. The tees, fairways and greens were all superbly kept and a pleasure to play on in early October. The greens were particularly good for the time of year; both true and fast. It would be easy to underestimate the difficulty of the course for this reason alone; the pace and deceptive undulations make putting a real challenge. The recent encouragement of golfers to replace divots with a soil and seed mix seems to be working well and the Club’s heritage and attention to detail is apparent throughout in its use of high quality traditional materials both on and off the course.
October 04, 2005
10 / 10
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Keith Baxter

Luffenham Heath is a pretty course set on high ground and in many ways it is reminiscent of Gog Magog. The main difference is that Gog Magog plays on free-draining chalk and Luffenham is ostensibly clay. I couldn't see anything remotely heathland about Luffenham, perhaps for the sand in the bunkers and some gorse and the odd silver birch. Nevertheless, it's a pleasant place for golf and none too difficult...I certainly wasn't on form when I played here and managed to score very close to my handicap. As already mentioned, the 17th is a superb hole as is the 7th, where the green site is a masterpiece. When I played here, a pheasant shoot was going off and for the first hour it was as though we were playing in the midst of a firing range...not exactly tranquil. Anyway, it’s worth a trip as long as the shooting club is on holiday.

November 13, 2004
5 / 10
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Mark Jeffery
I visited Luffenham Heath recently on a Saturday and we teed off around 11am. On arrival the club house was locked unless you had a card entrance key for the changing rooms, thankfully one of the friendly pro shop staff let us in! Having driven up to the course for over an hour and a half we were hoping for a coffee and a bacon roll but the bar was shut, no food was on offer and the only coffee was from a machine. The place seemed deserted at a time of the morning when most clubs would be reasonably busy! The course itself was not as good as I had hoped really, this is not to say that it was poor, it certainly wasn't that, just that in my opinion it didn't live up to its billing or position within the Top 100. Describing it as a heathland course is unfair to those that are. Yes, there is gorse and mature woodland is all around but the soil is heavier 'clay'-like than the expected sandy, springy soils of, say, Walton Heath or West Hill. Having said that, the course was a good if somewhat forgiving test (bad tee shots had to be very bad to find real trouble) with some very nice holes, noteably the 7th, 17th and 18th. For the time of year the course was in good condition, the tees were firm and well mown and the greens were consistent and well maintained. Be warned though, they are large so you could still be faced with some long putts! Much work was being done on all of the bunkers on the course which is only to be expected at this time of the year and will obviously improve the course next year. All in all an enjoyable round but not as sparkling as some courses of a similar rating that I have played.
November 08, 2004
6 / 10
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