Top 10 Golf Courses in Staffordshire 2015
Staffordshire Best in County rankings updated
If you’re planning a visit to Staffordshire, then the more adventurous among you will no doubt be seeking the thrills and spills of Alton Towers or Drayton Manor, though The National Forest or Cannock Chase may be more the cup of tea of those who appreciate more peaceful outdoor pursuits. Anyone who might be looking for a local course to play when in the area has around fifty 18-hole layouts to choose from and we feature the best ten in the county.
At the top of our updated Staffordshire rankings, and easily retaining its number 1 position, is Little Aston, a course that has appeared in many golf magazine Top 100 charts for Great Britain & Ireland down the years. Designed by Harry Vardon in 1908 and later modified by Harry Colt, this parkland track has now been stretched to just over 6,800 yards to cater for modern golf equipment but no fewer than fourteen of the original holes remain largely as they were originally designed.
The number 2 slot in our county standings is taken by another centurion course, Beau Desert, which Herbert Fowler set out, starting in 1912. Comfortably ensconced in our Top 100 chart for England, this course lies within what was once the Sixth Marquess of Anglesey’s estate, and it has developed over time into a fabulous heathland layout, where heather and gorse-fringed fairways weave effortlessly through stands of mature fir and spruce trees.
Enville Golf Club was founded in 1935 and an 18-hole layout was brought into play three years after its formation. In 1973, another nine holes were added and this 27-hole setup lasted for decade until an additional nine was built, allowing the club to configure two 18-hole courses. The original 18-hole layout, now called Highgate, moves up one position in our chart to number 3 whilst the newer course, the Lodge, also moves up one place to number 7.
The only new entry in our Staffordshire listings is Trentham Park at number 10. This course is set in the old estate of Trentham Hall, former residence of the Duke of Sutherland, and it’s a lovely woodland track where a number of holes are challenged by additional water features. Architect Steve Marnoch has recently upgraded putting surfaces, green surrounds and bunkers, all of which has helped propel the course into our new chart.
We’re very grateful to everybody in this region who contributed to our re-ranking process. To view more details of the courses in our Staffordshire Top 10 rankings, click this link. If you’ve played extensively across this region and would like to help shape the next edition of the chart then please drop Editor-in-Chief Keith Baxter an email at keith@top100golfcourses.com. We’ve never claimed to publish definitive golf course rankings but we do think they’re the most informed.
Jim McCann
Editor
Top 100 Golf Courses
