The Berkshire gets overlooked a bit when the London heathland is discussed. Its geographical location might have a bit to do that: bordering Sunningdale, Wentworth and Swinley Forest in Ascot, Berkshire.
The club has two courses: Red and Blue - so named because the land was previously used for military manoeuvres by the British Army, with their training carried out between two rival groups named the Red Army and Blue Army.
The Red is the higher rated of the courses and if looking for differentiation between the two courses, I'd say the Red is more of a second shot course, with wider corridors that require more considered tee shot placement, while the Blue is a tighter driving course.
The Red also has the uncommon configuration of six holes of each par, making for a huge variety, though having said that most of the six "par fives" are reachable in two for a lot of golfers, but who cares what they call them, they are brilliant holes. The fives may be on the easy side, but the one-shotters make up for that. Anyone who plays those six in less than 20 shots is a real golfer.
The heather at The Berkshire is the most militant I have encountered and when combined with the tussocked rough that meanders through the seas of heather, makes for an easy lost ball.
By and large, the bunkering is masterful. No surprise: Fowler is the man responsible. But what would appear to be very new bunkers sully a few holes, standing out for their immense ugliness. The club has contracted Tim Lobb to work on the bunkering scheme, so hopefully these are the bunkers that will find themselves changed and not the brilliant heather-clad hazards that are a feature of most holes - both for their placement and beautiful shape.
The terrain is also wonderful for golf, never ceasing to flow, but rarely so steep that it becomes a challenge to walk.
The par, as you'd expect with six of each, is always changing, which makes for great variety. Only once do you play consecutive holes of the same par. The order is: 5 3 5 4 3 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 5 4 5 3 5 3.
1st - 517yds
What a view to welcome you as you start the round. Just screams "let's play golf!"
2nd - 147yds
Beautiful uphill par three over a cavern bunker with a tightly-mown slope behind the green should that front trap convince you to take too much club.
3rd - 480yds
There is benefit to taking on the challenge of the angled drive to get within striking distance of the green, guarded by bunkers short on both sides, the LHS about 30 yards short and the RHS tight against the green.
4th - 395yds
Climbing gently uphill, a tough shot to the green for a short iron, and the bunker short and left is further short than it might seem, playing with your distance perception.
5th - 178yds
The green is almost totally blind from the tee. Mercifully, so is this bunker, but that only makes it all the more jarring when you see it, sitting among the heather-lipped bunkers, their faces rolling over gently. Please Tim, fix it!
6th - 360yds
Less than 300yds as the crow flies, doglegging right, and offering the best angle on the approach from the left or centre, so challenging the RHS on the drive can leave a tough approach if you don't mint it off the tee (and that's after you call in the search and rescue team to help you find it in the heather!)
7th - 195yds
Massive rolling green that is far too easy to three putt. On slightly bland land, the green is a cool feature.
8th - 428yds
Tee shot doglegs right, rewarding a cut that hugs the corner, before this appealing approach.
9th - 488yds
Flattish green, but this scallop short is something to consider on the approach.
10th - 188yds
What a great hole, a steep slope cutting diagonally across the front of the green to kick anything short to the right and away from the putting surface. Simply a case of executing the shot. Or else.
11th - 350yds
Another short par four, the green surface blind and sloping quite a lot towards the tee. Like many at The Berkshire, the v iew from the slightly elevated tee is just beautiful.
12th - 328yds
Steeply uphill with the green set in behind trees to the left, the sensible play is a drive to the RHS near a lone fairway bunker, before a wedge up the hill to the green, protected short left by a deep trap.
13th - 486yds
The second half of the journey rolls down a cascading hill to a green at the foot of a gentle left-to-right slope. A drilled drive can catch the slope of the fairway and roll to within mid-iron range.
14th - 434yds
One of the lesser holes, for mine, but made more interesting by a creeek crossing the fairway around 260 from the tee.
15th - 477yds
A creek snakes dow n the right of the drive, before the hole climbs up a centle hill that also slopes right-to-left. The green is bunkered short right, meaking the ideal approach one that accounts for and perhaps utilises the land to find the green.
16th - 221yds
Up there with the best heathland par threes I have played. A brilliant false-fronted green, that bunker short appearing to be too short to be in play, but in reality just in that "oh crap, I didn't quite catch that" zone, and the shot from within it is one of those bunker shots you rightly fear.
17th - 532yds
Doglegs right after the drive, before heading through a slight valley.
18th - 175yds
Uphill for the last hole. Fierce bunkers short on both sides and a sloping green that kaes some taming.
