The Golf Courses of Berkshire

[Adrian_Stiff]

1   THE BERKSHIRE RED   6379   72   Berkshire   1928   Herbert Fowler
2   THE BERKSHIRE BLUE   6260   70   Berkshire   1928   Herbert Fowler
3   SWINLEY FOREST   6045   69   Berkshire   1909   Harry Colt
4   BEARWOOD LAKES   6800   72   Berkshire   1996   Martin Hawtree
5   DONNINGTON GROVE   7108   72   Berkshire      Dave Thomas
6   EAST BERKSHIRE   6345   70   Berkshire   1903   Peter Paxton re: Howard Swann
7   TEMPLE   6248   70   Berkshire   1909   Willie Park Jnr
8   DOWNSHIRE   6416   69   Berkshire   1973   Fred Hawtree
9   MILL RIDE   6752   72   Berkshire   1990   Donald Steele
10   CALCOT PARK   6216   70   Berkshire   1930   Harry Colt
11   CASTLE ROYLE   6828   72   Berkshire   1994   Neil Coles
12   WEST BERKSHIRE   7001   74   Berkshire   1975        <<<<maybe Fred Boobyer
13   NEWBURY & CROOKHAM   5918   69   Berkshire   1873   J H Turner
14   SONNING   6366   70   Berkshire   1911   
15   GORING & STREATLEY   6355   70   Berkshire   1895   Tom Dunn
16   READING   6251   70   Berkshire   1910   James Braid
17   MAIDENHEAD   6360   70   Berkshire   1896   
18   WINTER HILL   6408   71   Berkshire   1976   Charles Lawrie
19   WOKEFIELD PARK   6961   72   Berkshire   1998   Jonathon Gaunt
20   SAND MARTINS   6204   70   Berkshire   1993   E T Fox
21   ROYAL ASCOT   5716   68   Berkshire   1887   J H TayloNLE
22   MAPLEDURHAM   5625   69   Berkshire   1992   Bob Sandow
23   DONNINGTON VALLEY   6335   71   Berkshire   1985   
24   BLUE MOUNTAIN   6097   70   Berkshire   1993   
25   BIRD HILLS   6212   69   Berkshire   1985   Clive Smith
26   NEWBURY RACECOURSE   6311   70   Berkshire   1994   
27   SULHAM VALLEY   6121   71   Berkshire   1992   
28   THEALE   6392   72   Berkshire      M LOWE
29   THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD   4560   62   Berkshire   1901   MUIR FERGUSON
30   DATCHET   6087   69   Berkshire   1890   J H Taylor
31   HENNERTON   2730   34   Berkshire   1992   Dion Beard
32   BEARWOOD   5614   68   Berkshire   1986   
33   BILLINGBEAR PARK   5700   68   Berkshire      
34   DEANWOOD PARK   4230   64   Berkshire   1995   
35   HURST   3105   35   Berkshire   1979   
nle   BLACK SWAN         Berkshire      
nle   ETON COLLEGE   3560   58   Berkshire      
nle   LAVENDAR PARK      28   Berkshire      
IF ANYONE CAN FILL THE GAPS THAT ARE NOT ON GCA PLEASE EMAIL ME ON adrian@theplayersgolfclub.com

[Mark Pearce]

Adrian,

I believe that the Royal Ascot course designed by Taylor was within the racecourse and is NLE.  I think the club recently moved across the road to a newly built course.  Google Earth (or even the satellite view on Google Maps) shows what looks like the remnants of the original course within the racecourse, with a very new looking course over the road.  The club's website doesn't help, except that the course pictured does look very new.  Sorry not to have any further info, I used to play cricket there occasionally (also inside the racecourse and remember the golf holes around the cricket ground and vaguely recall reading that the golf club had moved.

[Adam Lawrence]

East Berkshire has been quite significantly renovated by Howard Swan's practice over the last few years.

[Tony_Muldoon]

I’m enjoying these threads I just wish I could help more.


Controversial rating for the GCA crowd  Adrian!   Although if you are going to base it on tournaments played on the course you have the right result. It’s a shame that The Berkshire can no longer draw talented amateurs to it’s tournament. Somewhere I have the photo of the board as you come in. Faldo, Lyle and many others won there.

Just to say the following moved from their old course this Century.  I have a feeling that Donald Steel did the new one but can’t prove it.
http://www.royalascotgolfclub.co.uk/the-club/
(Just seen Mark's post)

Would like to know who did The Downshire.  On a flat piece of land they created a really nice course and as you would expect from a council owned course, excellent value for money.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

I hadn't realised that there would be so few courses in Berkshire, given that it's to a large extent a continuation of the Surrey sandbelt. Thanks, Adrian, for a useful resource.

[Adrian_Stiff]

Mark it suprised me too. I am expecting big things from you when I post Cheshire :O)

[Martin Toal]

I live in Berkshire and I must admit I am also surprised by how few courses we have. I guess it is partly because we don't think in terms of county boundaries and there are loads of good courses around, but some of them are in Surrey, Oxfordshire or Bucks.

However, if you look on the Sunningdale website, the postal address is in Berkshire. I think those 2 courses would sneak into the top half of the ranking:

http://www.sunningdale-golfclub.co.uk/contact-us

There will be one fewer Berkshire course soon. Bearwood (the small 9 holed round the corner from my club Bearwood Lakes) has been bought by Reading FC and the property is to be converted into a training facility.

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/golfers-flattened-reading-fc-bid-6247656

As for the rankings, Sunningdale apart, it has all been said. I think the broad strokes are correct, but after the top 3, who knows really?

Bearwood Lakes may not be everyone's favourite, but I think it is a fine course and the head greenskeeper shares a lot of the sensibility of GCA members - firm and fast, clearing trees, nice natural features and varying the shape and distribution of the rough to keep it fresh.

 

[David_Tepper]

Downshire, F. Hawtree
Newbury & Crookham, J.H. Turner
Bird Hills, Clive D. Smith