This is an interesting matchup because both courses have their following, but neither are thought highly enough of to give the top heathland courses plus a few others a run for their money. Both courses are lightly bunkered, enjoy some rambunctious greens and are overly hemmed in by trees. There are a few glimpses of wondeful views from each venue and both courses are fairly high for England. On the surface I have to say BD is the favourite, but I have proven myself wrong before.
BD HU
1. 9 9: Neither course has a stellar start. BD's is a driveable par 4 with a wicked left to right slope. Laying up is often the prudent play. HU starts off with a blind par 3 with a good green. Neither hole is too taxing.
2. 10 9: Both are good holes which open a views and they both turn right to left. BD's has another wicked slope to the right and a nasty cross bunker about 60 yards short of the green which is only in play if coming out of the rough. The approach is uphill and often requires a wood. HU's is a clever hole with a bi-level fairway. Depending on where the pin is on this very tricky green it is best to be either low or high.
3. 9 10: Both holes are good, but HU's shaves this one with its very unique green which is bi-level right to left slope. The drive is tricky as well because of the sloping fairway. BD's is quite a good par 3 with bunkering well ahead of the green giving the player the option to bounce one in.
4. 9 9: Both holes are driveable par 4s. BD's carries more risk in attempting to drive the green over trees and down a hill, but HU's green is unusual with a bi-level green going left to right. There are also some very cool hollows guarding the right side of the green.
5. 10 9: BD's 5th is one of the best par 4s I know of. It runs down then up and slings left around trees and a few bunkers. There is also a cross bunker about 60 yards short of the green to give pause to any player coming from the rough. HU's 5th is not with merit. It slides right around some trees and it is very easy to run out of room on the left. The approach is difficult to judge because the green blends into the fairway.
6. 9 9: Two very different holes! BD's is all downhill to a wildly sloping green. The fairway is quite narrow and it is a big advantage to utilize the slopes by approaching from the left. HU's is a reachable par 5, but with a devious and subtle front to back sloping green. There are also bunkers and hollows which are very strategically placed for the drive and approach.
7. 10 10: A matchup of par 3s Both are excellent. HU's is quite clever in how mound/bunkerss conceal the real distance to the green-artificially created dead ground -I like it! BD's requires a very precise tee shot to a sidehill green. Its also very tough to get up and down.
8. 9 10: Both are good 4s though HU's has a wild two tier green which makes this one of the toughest holes on either course. Some may think it unreasonable to be hittin a long iron/wood into this green, but I like this aspect of it.
9. 10 9: BD's is a lovely driveable par 4 to a green on a knob. It is well protected by slopes and bunkering and it is amazing how many 5s are recorded from guys in good position. HU's is a slippery par far bending harshly to the left - it is very easy to run out of room on the right. Its basically a layup hole, but I like that the option of shaping it around the bend is there.
So far a tight match indeed! There has not been an indifferent hole on either course thus far.
10: 9 10: Another matchup of par 3s. I like HU's because of the very difficult green that is completely astonishing to watch balls roll on. It seems flat, but it ain't! The hole is made more difficult by a front bunker. BD's is a straightforward uphill short par 3 - though almost everybody underestimates how uphill the hole is. HU shades this one because of the great green.
11. 9 8: BD's 11th is dead straight like HU's but it requires a bit more to secure a par. The green is more interesting as well - a huge thing with long and gentle sloping. HU's is a dead straight short par 4 that seems to narrow the further up the fairway one drives. In reality, there is nothing to be gained by hitting driver. Hit a 3 wood and 8 iron and the hole is fairly benign.
12. 10 9: I like how the pin dictates which side of the fairway to be for HU's 12th. The green slides left to right and there is a front bunker on the right side. For those bailing left they are left with a potentially very slippery putt. BD's is a mystery double dogleg par 4 that sees many people pick up in confusion. I give this one to BD on uniquemess alone.
13. 8 9: I don't like tee shot for BD's hole. It is set deep in the trees and anything not absolutely dead straight off the clubface is screwed. The rest of the hole is good, but not enough to make up for the tee shot. HU's is a solid hole with well placed holows - again. The green is quite good as well.
14. 10 9: Both holes are very good, though I give the edge to BD because of ther green. There is a large pimple in the front part and the green runs away from an uphill, blind approach - good stuff. HU's is a long par 4 which bends left. The player has the option of laying up or trying to turn the ball left.
15. 10 9: BD's is a classic par 5 with a bit of everything. The drive is wide open, but the hole narrows about where a layup for the 2nd may land. The green is long and narrow and slopes wildly left. This is a great short par 5. HU's par 3 is very good as well. There is a neat aspect to the green. Its difficult to explain, but the back rises above a bowl like area on the right side so going long there is a killer. The bowl also makes putts coming from the left very tricky.
16. 10 10: Tough to make a call here, the holes are so different. I am inclined give this one to BD, but the green for HU's short par 5 is another two tier gem - its a draw.
17. 9 9: Another tough call. Both are very different. HU's is a very short par 4, but very diffcult to hit the green because it is raised and has fronting bunkers. BD's is a bit downhill with a huge green sloping from right to left. The drive is tricky because of broken groun near the land area. Its a draw.
18. 10 9: BD's is a clear winner because it is another great reachable par 5. The drive is blind and there are 3 bunkers that can be skirted for the aggressive folks. If you do get past the bunkers a view of the HUGE green is earned. HU's is a straightforward medium length par 4, not a bad hole, but not in the class of BD's.
I get the totals to Beau Desert 170 Huntercombe 166. The back nine of BD is where the match turns heavily for a fairly comfortable victory for Beau. If the intangilbes were brought into play perhaps the match would be tighter. Still, both courses are well worth a play and I don't think they should be missed if folks are looking for lesser known clubs to visit while in England.
Ciao