“There is immense variety at Ross-on-Wye Golf Club,” wrote Frank Pennink, “and although it has more short par fours than most courses of its quality, they have exceptional features."
“There is immense variety at Ross-on-Wye Golf Club,” wrote Frank Pennink, “and although it has more short par fours than most courses of its quality, they have exceptional features."
The Ross-on-Wye Golf Club
Although The Ross-on-Wye Golf Club was founded in 1903, the club moved several times before a densely forested tract of land became available at Jays Green in the early 1960s.
C.K. Cotton, the chosen architect, was quick to pronounce that the site was too hilly and the forest would be supremely challenging to develop into a golf course. However, after much cajoling from committee members he relented and prepared several possible layouts.
In the summer of 1961 the lumberjacks came in and started carving their way through the forest. “My first memory was the sight of the head woodsman,” wrote Donald Steel, “then in his eighties, fuelling a woodland fire with fresh scrub and branches and cooking a lunch of bacon and eggs on the back of a carefully cleaned shovel.” A few months later, the bulldozers rolled in, clearing a path through the roots and tree stumps. After a Herculean effort, the first nine holes opened for play in 1964 and Frank Pennink officially opened the full 18-hole 6,451-yard layout in 1967 when he was the President of the English Golf Union.
It will therefore come as no surprise that the current Ross-on-Wye golf course has narrow fairways carved through chutes of trees where driving accuracy is far more important than length. Holes run in every conceivable compass direction and it is impossible to tell where you are in this maze-like, mature forest.
“There is immense variety at Ross,” wrote Frank Pennink, “and although it has more short par fours than most courses of its quality, they have exceptional features. The 2nd, 10th, 14th and 17th are really severe two-shotters, Peter Townsend once describing the 10th drive as more suited to a firing range. To make up for four short par fours, there are only three par threes, varying in length from 128, 143 and 212 yards. The 6th and 8th are genuine three-shotters. Altogether this is probably the finest new inland course constructed in these islands since the 1939–45 war and is a must for the connoisseur.”
Quality golf courses in this part of England are few and far between, but make no mistake Ross-on-Wye is special, very special, and it is well worth making the trip to play this unsung gem. Although Ross-on-Wye Golf Club has a Herefordshire postal code, the club is officially affiliated to the Gloucestershire Golf Union and is therefore listed in our Gloucestershire rankings.
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Top 10 Golf Courses in Gloucestershire 2015 Gloucestershire Best in County rankings updated Gloucestershire is perhaps best known in a sporting context for its professional rugby union team, Gloucester Rugby, or its horse racing track in Cheltenham, where the highlight of the Jump season takes place every March at the Cheltenham Festival. Even though golf isn’t that high on the list of sports you might associate with this county, the royal and ancient game is still the number one outdoor activity for thousands of local golfers who are affiliated through their clubs to the Gloucestershire Golf Union or Gloucestershire Ladies’ Golf Association. Having recently contacted all the clubs and professionals across the county and taken their responses into careful consideration, we’ve now updated our rankings for this region. Only one course remains in the same position and it’s Ross-on-Wye at number 1, which is the same spot this 18-hole layout has occupied since we first formulated our English county rankings in 2012. Founded in 1903, Ross-on-Wye Golf Club moved to its present location in the 1960s, when C.K. Cotton literally carved the fairways out of dense woodland. It’s a very tight track, requiring a number of blind shots to be played during a round, and one recent reviewer has described it as “a tough course where length and accuracy is key to playing to handicap”. The Hollows and Ruffet course at the 27-hole Kendleshire Golf Club moves significantly up the county listings, rising three places to number 2. Designed by Adrian Stiff and brought into play in 1997, the course features greens built to USGA specification, with many of the fairways routed around attractive water hazards. Also climbing up the chart, the Cherington course at Minchinhampton Golf Club rises an impressive five places to number 3. The club boasts three 18-hole courses, all of which are laid out on Cotswold Brash, a free-draining limestone type of soil. Opening in 1995, the Cherington is the youngest of the three layouts but it’s now regarded as the premier course at this wonderful 54-hole facility. The first of two new entries arrives at number 6 and it’s the course at Bristol & Clifton Golf Club. Established in 1891, the club celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2016 by hosting the English Women’s Open Stroke Play Championship. Stretching to 6,413 yards from the back markers, this mature parkland course is a challenging layout that will test the elite lady amateurs to the limit. The second newcomer to the Gloucestershire Top 10 chart is Chipping Sodbury at number 10. Host to the English County Finals in 2009, the course was laid out on the Mead Riding by Fred Hawtree in the early 1970s, with the Duke of Beaufort performing the opening ceremony. Today, the Beaufort course has matured into a top parkland track, with water coming into play at many of the holes. We’re grateful to those who helped with our re-ranking process for this region. To view details of all the courses in our Gloucestershire Top 10 rankings click this link. If you’ve played extensively across this region of England and would like to contribute to our next re-ranking exercise then please email Editor-in-Chief Keith Baxter at keith@top100golfcourses.com. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
The purpose of the Review of The Month feature is twofold. Top100GolfCourses has always aimed to salute and encourage those who are putting admirable effort into reviewing the world’s great golf courses. Moving forward, we are also looking to learn from these experts! We’ll be chatting with the month’s star authors and discussing topics such as golf in their area, what they like to see in a strong course review, and of course dig a little deeper into their own winning review. September 2023’s Review of The Month comes from Mariano Martinez de Azagra, who avoided the tourist trends and found thrills at Kington Golf Club in Herefordshire. There are some courses that are obvious locales for international golfers when visiting England. Kington isn't one of them! How/why did you and your pals end up in Herefordshire during your trip? One of the things I like most about golf trips is their preparation. That is, the design of the itinerary, something like the routing of the trip. Therefore, I have a lot of fun researching in advance and then deciding which courses to include. In this case, we traveled to South Wales, where we enjoyed courses such as Porthcawl, Pennard and Southerndown, among others. But, as our flight arrived in Bristol, I saw the opportunity to make a short detour and head to Kington on our way to our base in Wales. As for Kington, the first reference I had was through Tom Doak's Confidential Guide, whose short review really intrigued me. And, from there, I visited the Top100GolfCourses website, in order to corroborate that impression with user reviews, which led me to Sean Arble's extensive chronicle for GolfClubAtlas. From there, it was clear to me that Kington had to be one of the highlights of our trip to Wales. Kington has undeniable charm (as you mentioned, sheep as greenskeepers). How much of a boost does such charm give a course like Kington, versus the well-established fame of championship-caliber clubs? For me it is fundamental. I find that courses like Kington combine two of the parameters that I value most in golf: charm and sustainability. In this sense, it shares the same characteristics as other of my favorite places in golf, such as Brora, Boat of Garten and Fraserburgh in Scotland, or Ballycastle and Dooks in Ireland. All of them are clubs located in small towns, with very controlled maintenance costs, and where the green fee price has not skyrocketed, unlike the most distinguished clubs. And it's also much easier and more satisfying to be able to stop and chat with members, as I was lucky enough to do at Kington. Like any golfer, I also enjoy the experience of visiting the most renowned clubs, with first-rate facilities and top conditioning, but it is not my priority when it comes to visiting new courses. C.K. Hutchison has not had a hand in many course designs, but those that he did are well known, especially Turnberry's Ailsa, West Sussex, and Gleneagles. Have you had an opportunity to play any of these? If so, notice any trends in his designs? Unfortunately, I have not been able to play any of these courses; I tried to visit West Sussex in 2019 but it wasn't possible. Of course, I have been pleased to see that where he did have some intervention was at the West Links in North Berwick, my all-time favorite, although I imagine that his contribution must not have been particularly significant. Many golf groups traveling to Spain will also be inclined to visit the "big names" on the list. As a well-informed Spanish golfer, are there any off-the-beaten-path gems akin to Kington that you would recommend? In my experience, no. Let me explain myself: in Spain, golf is much more recent, and does not enjoy the tradition of Great Britain and Ireland. Consequently, it is almost unthinkable to find a course of Kington's quality in a secluded location, and bearing the signature of a famous and competent architect. In fact, and in general, we are decades behind Great Britain when it comes to many of the issues that I value most in golf, such as the preparation of the courses (it is not unusual to find overwatered fairways and greens) or the slow pace of play (no one has even imagined tee times for foursomes or two balls). It is a matter of golf culture in which we have a long way to go. Of course, if I had to recommend a course in my country, it would be El Saler, in Valencia. I know it's moderately famous, but it's often off the beaten path of golf, and it's really good. A side note: While they are not of the quality of the British, there are more than acceptable courses everywhere in Spain. And, of course, what I can assure you is that the offer in any area of Spain is superior to Britain in aspects such as gastronomy, and leisure in general. And the weather factor also helps... Now that you're a celebrated "Review of The Month" winner, let us know what factors you appreciate in a strong golf course review! Basically, two things: On the one hand, it must provide useful information about the experience, which may include aspects about the club's services, but mainly about the course, although I do not need it to go into an extensive description of each of the holes. Rather, I am inclined to value an overview of the entire experience of the round of golf; something that convinces me that I want to go there... or not. On the other hand, I also appreciate certain originality, or some type of uniqueness, that can come from anecdotes or the description of the feelings that the round of golf, or the atmosphere of the club aroused in the reviewer. What's one course that you're excited to write a review for in the upcoming year? I am already planning my trip for next year, most likely to the West coast of Scotland and, within it, the courses I would most like to play (and review) are Machrihanish, Prestwick and Shiskine.
Welcome to the third of our seven regional updates for England. Last time we featured three counties in the North West of the country and in this edition we head to the West Midlands to reappraise golfing layouts in the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. We have a new #1 in one of those counties and we’re adding a further fifteen layouts to the fifty that we already listed across the five counties. New members of our county panels have identified a few courses which have been overlooked in the past so we’re more than happy to include these additional tracks in our revised line-ups. Herefordshire Located only a mile from the border with Wales, the 18-hole layout at Kington Golf Club (pictured above) remains the #1 golf track in Herefordshire. Recognised as the highest course in England, it’s a Major C.K. Hutchison design that first opened for play in 1926. With holes set out in glorious National Trust property, Kington offers unrivalled panoramic views of The Brecon Beacons, The Black Mountains, The Shropshire Hills and the Malvern Hills. South Herefordshire The only new entry is South Herefordshire at #5, replacing the Rowan course at Sapey Golf and Country Club which recently changed its golf union affiliation. Situated close to the lovely little town of Ross-on-Wye, South Herefordshire occupies a rolling 135-acre property, operating an 18-hole layout, par three academy course and driving range since 1990. Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Herefordshire. Shropshire Rising two spots to #1 in Shropshire, Oswestry Golf Club (pictured above) was founded in 1903 but the course is a more recent development, designed by James Braid in the late 1920s when the club moved to the grounds of Aston Hall. Course improvements were made in the mid-1980s then a bunker upgrade was conducted in the late 1990s, with six hazards removed, one introduced, three repositioned and forty-nine others refurbished. The Astbury The course at The Astbury in Chelmarsh re-enters our county chart at #6. Unveiled in 2010, this 18-hole golf facility was created by former Judas Priest lead guitarist K.K. Downing. Unfortunately, the course closed five years ago when the business went into administration but it’s now back in business under new ownership, having re-opened in April 2021. Telford The only new entry for Shropshire arrives at #12 and it’s the course at Telford Hotel Spa & Golf Resort, which was originally established by Telford Development Corporation in the mid-1970s before it became a private enterprise in 1980. The property’s changed hands a few times since then, with Q Hotels as the latest owner. Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Shropshire. Staffordshire Retaining its position as #1 in Staffordshire, the 18-hole layout at JCB Golf and Country Club (pictured above) is one of only three in the West Midlands region to be included in our English national rankings (at #40) and it also makes the cut in our GB&I Top 100 at #93. Designed by Robin Hiseman of European Golf Design for tournament play, the course now hosts the annual JCB Tournament on the Legends Tour for senior professional male golfers. Penn The highest of four new entries on the new chart is the course at Penn Golf Club in Wolverhampton which debuts at #11. When South Staffordshire Golf Club relocated in 1908, some members remained behind to form a new golf club, inheriting a 9-hole course that was fifteen years old. The modern day layout extends to 6,457 yards and plays to a par of 70 (35 out then 35 in) on a property of no more than 100 acres. The other new Staffordshire entries are Leek [#12], Walsall [#13] and Bloxwich [#14]. Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Staffordshire. Warwickshire The Brabazon course at The Belfry Hotel & Resort (pictured above) holds on to its #1 status in Warwickshire. Four-time host venue for the Ryder Cup between 1985 and 2002), the Brabazon is a late 1970s design from PGA stalwarts Dave Thomas and Peter Alliss, who somehow managed to transform an undistinguished tract of farmland into one of England’s most remarkable golf courses at what has since become a 54-hole West Midlands golfing mecca. Walmley The highest climber in the updated Warwickshire chart is the course at Walmley Golf Club in Sutton Coldfield, rising four places to #11. The club started out with a 9-hole layout in 1902 but within six years this was doubled in size. Three new holes were developed in the early 1980s by Brian Huggett and David Williams to create the 6,603-yard course that’s still in play today. Stratford-on-Avon There are five newcomers to the listings and the most prominent of these is the course at Stratford-on-Avon at #13.The club moved a short distance to its current location in 1925, when J.H. Taylor designed a new course with James Carter & Co. of Reading building the holes. Jonathan Gaunt embarked on an ongoing bunker renovation project at the club in the winter of 2020, with contractor MJ Abbot carrying out the construction work. The other Warwickshire new entries are Warwickshire (Kings) [#17), Maxstoke Park [#18], Kenilworth [#19] and Shirley [#20]. Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Warwickshire. Worcestershire The Blackwell Golf Club course in Bromsgrove (pictured above) has been our county number one since we began ranking Worcestershire more than a decade ago and it’s still the #1 layout. The club was formed with a 9-hole course in 1893 and this layout was expanded to eighteen holes thirty years later by Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler. Currently, Frank Pont is working with the club on a 10-year restoration plan. Kings Norton (Red & Blue) Climbing four positions to #4, the Red and Blue nines at Kings Norton Golf Club comprise the 18-hole Weatheroak layout at this 27-hole facility. The club can trace its origins back to 1892 but it relocated to Alvechurch in the late 1960s, engaging Fred Hawtree to lay out three 9-hole circuits, any two of which provide an 18-hole golf course of high quality. Wharton Park The course at Wharton Park Golf & Country Club is our highest new entry, appearing at #10. Designed by Howard Swan, the 18-hole layout sits just outside the attractive Georgian town of Bewdley on the River Severn. Stretching to 6,402 yards, it plays to a par of 71, with holes arranged in two distinct compartments: holes 1-3 and 11-18 occupy ground closest to the clubhouse, with the remaining holes on the other side of a dense forest. The other new Worcestershire entries are Droitwich [#12], Kings Norton (Yellow) at #13 and Evesham [#14]. Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Worcestershire. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
