Rothley Park - Leicestershire & Rutland - England

Established in 1911, Rothley Park Golf Club had a full 18-hole layout in operation within a year of its formation, with James Braid and Harry Vardon playing an exhibition match to mark the opening of the new course.

A number of improvements to the original layout have obviously taken place during the following hundred years of play, all of which enabled the club to proudly co-host the England Senior Amateur championships in 2016.

In recent times, Tom Mackenzie from architects Mackenzie & Ebert has advised the club on a number of design concerns, primarily in relation to addressing issues with the penultimate and closing holes.

Today, this parkland beauty measures 6,501 yards from the back markers, with tree-lined fairways offering golfers almost total isolation from the outside world, except at the 2nd and 15th, where the Great Central railway line runs alongside both fairways.

Rothley Brook cuts across both the 2nd and 18th but these are the only two holes where water comes into play during a round here. Out of bounds restrictions on a number of the holes are far more likely to affect golfers who stray from the tightly mown grass.

Feature holes on the front nine include short par fours at the 5th and the 8th, which present good birdie opportunities. On the other hand, the 457-yard 9th is a monster, rated stroke index 1, playing downhill to a green that falls away on three sides.

On the inward half, the tough par four 13th hole is peculiar in that it shares a green with the par three 4th and the last of the three short holes on the card is played as early as the 12th hole, leaving a tough half dozen holes to finish the round.

The best hole on the layout is regarded by many as the 522-yard 15th, the first of two par fives in the closing four-hole sequence. Even though the hole plays downhill, there’s out of bounds to worry about on either side and a front-to-back sloped green to contend with.