Beau Desert
Prompted by Mark Ferguson's post, I looked out my few photos of Beau Desert. It's a Herbert Fowler heathland course on Cannock Chase, an upland area just north of the main West Midlands conurbation. I played the course a lot as a teenager, but never scored well. I understand why now. I've been back as an adult several times. These photos were taken in May 1995 - a very busy day on the course, so photo opportunities were strictly limited. I revisited in November 1999, playing the course with the club secretary, and many of the intrusive trees had been removed, yet those screening the course from unsightly mining and industry were still in place. From the very back the course measures 6310 yards with a par of 70. There are only two par 5s, 554-yard 15th and 480-yard 18th, which is said to have the largest putting green in England. It is well worth visiting and the new M6 Toll road has taken the worst of the local motorway hold-ups out of the equation, so 2 hours from London by car is feasible.
2nd, 458-yard par 4. A strong hole with a drive to an angled, sloping fairway. You need to hold the drive on the high ground to stand any chance of reaching the green with the second.
2nd.
3rd, 161-yard par 3. Slightly downhill to a green with a slope to the side. Very exposed to the wind.
4th, 352-yard par 4. Drive up to summit of hill where fairway turns to right and downhill to this green.
5th, 418-yard par 4. A star hole, with a drive across the rough to an angled fairway some way below. Then it is uphill over that big cross-bunker to a 3-level green, lowest at the back!
5th.
9th, 263-yard par 4. Of course you can drive it! The trouble is that the green is on a plateau and the ground in front slopes down to the left in a big way. There is no opt-out area on the high ground to the right. Either hit the green or find yourself in the bottom of a deep gully pitching uphill desperately.
10th, 142-yard par 3. Another all-or-nothing hole across a ravine.
10th. If I remember correctly, the man on the right is on the edge of the 9th green, showing what little margin for error there is if you miss the green.
17th, 429-yard par 4. A fine two-shot hole. I have a feeling that this used to have a big hump on the high side of the approach (tilting fairway) and someone mentioned that this might have been removed or lessened. Perhaps someone who has played it more recently could advise?