Tidworth Garrison

The military installation of Tidworth Camp was created by the War Office in 1897 when it acquired Tedworth House and a substantial acreage of Salisbury Plain, to the north of this imposing property. The British Army’s Southern Command was established at Tidworth in 1905, with the golf club founded two years after this, when it was formed as a sporting facility for the officers.

Soldiers and locals constructed the original 9-hole layout, but when it was doubled in size to a full 18-hole course shortly after World War I, German Prisoner of War labour was used to construct the new holes. Harry Colt subsequently refashioned the layout to create the course that’s now in use then Donald Steel altered a couple of holes in the late 1990s.

As time’s gone by, the number of military club members has dwindled, allowing civilians to play an increasingly prominent role in running the club. Tidworth Garrison is now a private member’s club, leasing land from the Ministry of Defence for the sporting enjoyment of its members, guests and visitors.

As one might expect from a Colt design, the par threes are exceptionally good holes, with the 160-yard 5th and 174-yard 13th the best of the four short holes. Because there are only two par fives on the card - at the 6th and 14th - the par for this 6,320 yard downland layout is set at 70.