[John Morrissett]

David Tepper's recent mention of Little Aston inspired this: What does everyone think of Little Aston?

Before a couple of rounds there, I must admit I was not expecting that much -- now I wonder why! I liked the course quite a bit and scratch my head over the lack of attention it receives.  (Is it "just" another outstanding English inland course?)

The property is nice and rolling, the bunkering nicely old-fashioned, a great variety of holes (from the cute 14th to bruiser 10th), and much charm.  In some ways, the atmosphere reminds me of Somerset Hills.

Some do say that Little Aston is the finest parkland course in GB&I, but I feel that might be selling it a bit short (as perhaps it is implied that it does not stack up against the heathland courses).

I will say I find it odd that the 17th is the hole that seems to be singled out the most -- is it simply because there are so few ponds on UK courses (and this one is, I believe, off the course)??  I'm not sure it would make by favorite nine holes on the course.  Also, I'm not sure what the history is of the pond by the 12th green.

For those who have played Little Aston and Beau Desert, how do the two compare?

[TEPaul]

John:

You've just got to stop posting so much on Golfclubatlas!

Welcome back Cotter!

[David_Tepper]

I played Little Aston in 1985. I remember it as being a very pleasant course, bit not too much else. What I do remember about it is that they had an 18-hole putting course between the clubhouse and the 1st tee.

[Paul Turner]

John

I played it a long time ago (for me!) and it's a bit fuzzy in the memory banks.  I remember the bunkers being attractive and used quite heavily in places.  An good routing that meanders nicely through the birch trees with some good angles to the holes.  I remember a quirky shot dog leg par 4 near the end with a big cross bunkers eating in for the tee shot.  I don't remember much about the green surfaces.  I'll definitely go back one day.

I played Beau Desert just a few months ago.  The terrain is more dramatic in places than Little Aston.  A great set of greens, heavily sloped and contoured.  It plays very short and has a minimal amount of fairway bunkers.  If my scanner is ever revived I can post some pics.

Overall I think the courses would be of a similar quality.

[Slag_Bandoon]

 Could it move onto the NEXT FIFTY list?

   www.littleastongolf.co.uk     has a nice intro but limited and does not exactly give objective descriptions of the playing fields.

[Dan]

I am going out to San Diego in early May. Does anyone know what the procedure/difficulty is of getting on to Torrey Pines?

Can't wait to see Ernie go head to head w/ Tiger, because poor Phil is a pretender.  

[Chester]

Both Little Aston and Beau Desert are well worth the visit. I prefer the latter, which Links featured recently:

http://www.linksmagazine.com/main.cfm?include=detail&storyid=161439

Little Aston is more tony and stiff (the clubhouse features a side entrance for women who are restricted to their own locker room and dedicated lounge area), which appeals to some people, but I'd rank the course below Beau Desert. Little Aston is a heathland design overgrown and recast as a parkland. Too many trees. They've obscured peripheral features for long that some have just been abandoned. Shame. It was designed in 1908 by  Vardon who, were he alive today, would probably take a chainsaw to the encroaching forest. He'd be proud, though, that his cool cross-bunkering remains such a demanding, attractive presence.

[Sean_A]

John

It took me a while before I appreciated Little Aston.  The bunkering while overdone in places, is in general outstanding.  Water is used well and there is a good mix of difficulty spread well through the course.  The greens seem benign, but all are more tricky than they appear - many run away from the line of play.  Trees are not a serious issue, but there are some problems here and there.  There are tons of great specimen trees which could be much better showcased (and I suspect they originally were) if dopey trees were cut down.  I would also push the rough back toward the tree line, but this is fairly minor stuff. 

As much as I love Beau Desert and think it has the bones of an awesome course ready to be dug out, in their present condition, I believe Little Aston to be the better course.  In any case, both are worth significant overnight detours to play.  I noticed that on his latest English trip Ran skipped Beau in favour of traipsing around Suffolk - bad mistake, but he is a stubborn bugger.

Ciao

[Mark_Rowlinson]

I'm not sure you can or should compare BD and LA. They each have their merits, but they are so different that it would be like comparing Aldeburgh and Woodbridge to draw on Sean's Suffolk outburst. BD has more (in quantity) outstanding holes and there is more individuality to it, but LA adds up to much more than the whole. BD stands out brilliantly from its dismal surroundings of Cannock and Rugely, LA epitomises the up-market housing of which it is an adjunct.

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