South Beds (Galley Hill)

The Galley Hill course at South Beds Golf Club is an established County Championship layout which measures 6,401 yards from the back markers. Harry Vardon once described it as “Bedfordshire’s hidden gem”.

It's not known who originally designed the course when the club was founded in 1892, but Harry Vardon was influential during the club's early years and several holes in play today are the legacy of Vardon's advice and guidance.

Playing to a par of 71 (36 out and 35 back), the Galley Hill course starts in somewhat unconventional fashion with a short hole at the 1st, which is the first of five par threes on the card.

Back-to-back par fives at the 8th and 9th close out the outward half before the longer inward half gets under way with a left doglegging par four in the northwest corner of the property at the 10th.

On the back nine, there’s fine mix of holes from the 12th onwards, with no consecutive holes playing to the same par until the end of the round.

Three of these holes are par threes (at the 12th, 15th and 17th) and although the shortest of these is the 12th at only 96 yards, it’s the only one without any sand protection around the green.