Best West Midlands Golf Courses

Top 10 Golf Courses in Warwickshire 2015 Warwickshire Best in County rankings updated Think “Warwickshire” and you might also think “Castle” (as in Brinklow Castle, Kenilworth Castle or Warwick Castle) or maybe “Canal” (like the Coventry Canal, Grand Union Canal or Oxford Canal) but associating “Golf” with Shakespeare’s county is maybe stretching things a little too far for even the most committed of golfers. If you enquire about “Sports and Activities” on the official tourist website for the region it may well try to direct you towards a ten pin bowling centre, an ice skating rink or an indoor go-karting track but we think the sporting options within the region should stretch a little further than that. In fact, with more than fifty golf clubs spread out around the county, there’s quite a wide range of places where you can tee it up if you’re in the area and looking for a game. To that end, we’ve identified what we reckon are the best tracks in the vicinity, allowing us to maintain a list of the Top 10 courses in Warwickshire. The top three places in our recently updated county chart remain the same for the third edition in a row. Holding on to the number 1 slot is the Brabazon course at The Belfry, where the course is just one of three that are available to play at an impressive 54-hole resort. A four-time Ryder Cup venue, the layout certainly splits opinion with our reviewers - “a good challenge for all golfers” and “one of the great theatres of golf” versus “the condition was appalling” and “everything was tatty and tired” - but we think it’s worth playing for its historical golfing connotations alone. Close behind at number 2, the Arden course at Forest of Arden is another iconic track in the world of professional golf, hosting both the British Masters (five times between 1997 and 2005) and English Open (on seven occasions between 1993 and 2002) when it was at one time a regular European Tour stop. Designed by Donald Steel, the course is a modern layout that offers a significant challenge, even from the forward tees. Occupying 3rd position in our newly updated chart, the course at Copt Heath is a wonderful old track designed in 1907 by the two Harrys – Vardon and Colt – where the use of sand, water and trees as intimidating hazards makes this one of the most demanding courses in the region. Since 1981, honorary member Peter McEvoy has hosted a prestigious annual competition for elite under-18 junior male golfers and previous winners have included Lee Westwood and Justin Rose. At number 4, rising four places, we have Sutton Coldfield, an Alister MacKenzie-designed heathland track that’s unusually characterised by consecutive par fives at holes 5, 6 and 7. Immediately behind this course at number 5 (a climb of two places) comes Coventry, where the original 18-hole Harry Vardon layout was modified by Fred Hawtree in 1972 then by his son Martin Hawtree in the early 1990s, when he upgraded all the bunkers. A couple of Harry Colt-designed courses make first time appearances in our chart and they are Ladbrook Park at number 6 and Olton at number 8. The third and final new entry occupies the number 9 position and it’s Moor Hall, a J.H. Taylor and Fred Hawtree collaboration from 1932 which is laid out in mature parkland, with an especially testing final five-hole stretch. We’d like to thank everybody in this region who contributed to our re-ranking process. To view more details of the courses in our Warwickshire Top 10 rankings, click this link. If you’ve played extensively across this region and would like to help us with the next edition of the chart then please drop Editor-in-Chief Keith Baxter an email at keith@top100golfcourses.com. We don’t claim to publish definitive golf course rankings but we do think they’re the most informed. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

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

West Midlands of England – Best in County Rankings 2019 Hard on the heels of the last news item about our re-ranking of courses in the East Midlands region of England, we now publish our latest findings for the West Midlands, presenting fifty courses across the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Extending to five thousand square miles, with a population of six million people, the West Midlands region is anchored by the city of Birmingham, England's second largest city. Unfortunately, like the neighbouring East Midlands region, this area doesn’t attract too many visiting golfers. Currently, four tracks in the West Midlands occupy places in the Top 100 for England and one of them also makes it into the more prestigious Great Britain & Ireland listings. It’ll be interesting to see next month if that situation improves when we revise those other important standings. For now, we’re concentrating solely on manoeuvres within the above named county charts in this English heartland location, so let’s crack on and take a look at what we believe to be the best golf course offerings in the West Midlands. Herefordshire It’s a case of “as you were” for this county as all five courses remain in the same position, which means Kington holds on to the top spot in Herefordshire. The course was designed in the mid-1920s by Cecil Key Hutchison – who also had a hand in the development of highly regarded layouts at Gleneagles, North Berwick and Turnberry. Fairways are laid out at altitude on Bradnor Hill, affording sensational views of the surrounding Brecon Beacons, Malvern Hills and Black Mountains. Kington Golf Club Measuring less than 6,000 yards from the back tees, and with no sand or water in play, this short and quirky course features a set of unique and fascinating greensites the likes of which you will never come across elsewhere. In recent years, Kington has slowly but surely built up something of a cult following with well-travelled golfers. Herefordshire Top 5 Golf Courses 2019 Rank/ Shropshire Our No. 1 course in Shropshire, Llanymynech, enjoys something of a split personality because it straddles the border between two different countries. Most of the fairways of this tree-lined track lie within Wales but the club has always been affiliated through the local county golf union with England Golf. Extending to just over 6,000 yards and playing to a par of 70, it’s a terrific little hilltop layout that offers an engaging test of golf from start to finish. Llanymynech Golf Club Astbury, the course built a decade ago by K.K. Downing, the former band member of heavy metal group Judas Priest, has now closed and is due to re-open after refurbishment sometime next year. In the meantime, it’s dropped out of our Top 10 chart for Shropshire, replaced at number nine by the Championship course at Hawkstone Park, which Brian Hugget designed in the mid-1990s. Shropshire Top 10 Golf Courses 2019 Staffordshire With fifty golf clubs located inside its boundary lines, Staffordshire is the strongest of the five counties in the West Midlands, a fact underlined when we compiled a one-off Top 10 table for the region two years ago, discovering that half the chart was comprised of entries from this county. You might imagine any newcomer would struggle to get into the Staffordshire Top 10 but you’d be wrong. In fact, not only has a new design broken into the chart, it’s gone straight in at No. 1. JCB Golf & Country Club JCB Golf & Country Club in Rocester only opened last year but it’s already causing quite a stir in Midlands golfing circles and beyond. Laid out by Robin Hiseman from European Golf Design, it’s a big budget affair that has taken quite a few people by surprise, especially our editor-in-chief, Keith Baxter, who played there a few weeks ago. “Rarely do I describe five holes in any review,” wrote Keith in his post last week, “but at JCB virtually every hole is worthy of narration… I have not seen a better set of green complexes on any English course built after the Second World War… JCB is a fabulous course that’s primed for the Top 100. Which 100? We’ll simply have to wait and see.” All should be revealed in the next few weeks during our current re-ranking process, so standby for further announcements on that front. Whittington Heath was directly in the path of the new HS2 (High Speed Two) rail link, consequently the club is in the middle of a construction program which is expected to complete in April 2020. The course is currently in flux, so it remains to be seen whether or not the refashioned layout when fully open will receive more or less affection than the original. Staffordshire Top 10 Golf Courses 2019 Warwickshire There’s little movement in our Top 15 for Warwickshire, where eight of the Top 10 courses stay in exactly the same position, including the No. 1 layout, the Brabazon at The Belfry. Scene of four epic Ryder Cups between 1985 and 2002, The Belfry is an astonishing success story for the PGA, and for Peter Alliss, in particular. In the late 1970s, he convinced the professional golfers’ governing body to take over a struggling hotel business in Sutton Coldfield then transform the property into its headquarters – and the PGA has never looked back since. The Belfry Brabazon course Dave Thomas, in conjunction with Peter Alliss, designed the Brabazon course and Thomas returned for a multi-million pound makeover twenty years later, ensuring there was a strong level of aquatic challenge, especially on the closing stretch of holes. As modern parkland courses go, this one is right up there with the best and recent reviews on this site have been generally positive, even though one or two peripheral issues have been mentioned in passing. Warwickshire Top 15 Golf Courses 2019 Worcestershire The course at Blackwell is still the No. 1 course in Worcestershire. The club dates back to 1893 but the layout is thirty years younger, having been designed by Herbert Fowler and Tom Simpson in 1923. Frank Pont was appointed a few years ago to breathe new life into the layout, mainly by removing trees that were restricting lines of play and restoring bunkers that had become rather neglected. Blackwell Golf Club Frank told us the in-house team under Course Manager Rhys Thomas is methodically working through a ten-year program that will ultimately see every hole undergo some form of upgrade. When everything’s been done, this classic old track will then be in its best shape ever – and in good time for the club to celebrate the centenary of its design. Worcestershire Top 10 Golf Courses 2019 The next English region to be reappraised is the North West and the three counties to come under scrutiny in that edition are Cheshire, Cumbria and Lancashire. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses