England’s South West Trail of Superb Harry Colt Designed Courses

This Trail takes you to five genuine Harry Colt courses in South West England. There is an interesting mix of five courses with one seaside links, two are heathland, and two are downland. For accommodation we have selected a hotel in the famous City of Bath and one in the splendid seaside resort Bournemouth.

Itinerary for International golfers

Day 1

Arrive at London drive MacDonald Bath Spa Hotel for three nights.

Day 2

 Play Bath, one England’s oldest courses, springy downland turf with excellent drainage for year round play.

Day 3

 Play Burham and Berrow a highly ranked Championship seaside links.

Day 4

 Play Tidworth, an undulating downland course formerly owned by the Army, drive to the Hallmark Hotel Bournemouth Carlton for three nights.

Day 5

 Play Broadstone, wonderful heathland, described by the golf writer Bernard Darwin as “the Gleneagles of the South”.

Day 6

Play Isle of Purbeck, a heathland course said to have the best views in the U.K.

Day 7

Depart from London Airport

Other selected Colt courses in or near this area are Radyr at Cardiff and Trevose near Padstow in Cornwall.

Bath Golf Club is high up on Bathampton Down with panoramic views over the Georgian City. The course is not long but some of the holes require careful thought and clubbing. Wind can be a factor and it's a real thinker's course. There are undulating but generous fairways, the greens present a challenge being quite small with tricky borrows. The course is full of variety with panoramic views. The Westbury White Horse is visible and an old quarry on the 14th has been cleverly incorporated it into the design of the hole.

Burnham and Berrow

The Burnham and Berrow championship golf course is a long-established seaside golf links course. It starts at a lively pace and scarcely lets up until you reach the historic old clubhouse where you are able to wind down and contemplate. The front nine follow the sand dunes and coastline to the north and then turn inland following the coast road through Berrow, past the Church and back into Burnham. As with all links golf, the difficulty is the wind and its fickleness, which means that the course can play in a different way day today. The greens are quick and true and the course is kept in good condition throughout the year. (6793 yard, par 71)

Blackmoor Golf Club

Blackmore is a heathland course with heather lined fairways intermingled with pine, birch and oak trees. There are many clever dog-legs and accuracy of the drive is important as each hole needs to be played strategically. The course is noted for the quality of its greens which are quick with many subtle borrows. It is short but a relentless test of golf maintaining your interest from start to finish. There are five par 3s with raised greens, all well-guarded by bunkers. The most testing is the 15th, a brutal hole at 200 yards. It is often into the wind and has an upturned saucer green. 6164 yards Par 69.

Tidworth Garrison Golf Club

Tidworth celebrated its centenary in 2008 and is often described as Wiltshire’s ‘Hidden Gem’. It is undulating downland with springy turf and mature trees lining the fairways. There are splendid views across Salisbury plain and Tedworth Vale. Colt was at his best with each hole different and a strategic challenge. As you would expect his four par threes are excellent particularly the 5th and 17th. The wind often blows creating variable conditions each time you play. There are only two par fives and the course is, therefore, Par 70 and 6320 yards.

Broadstone Golf Club

Broadstone is one of the best natural heathland golf courses in the South of England. There are 250 acres of rolling terrain where the fairways flow independently through exceptional natural heathland with plentiful heather, gorse, pine, birch and rhododendrons. The elevated homeward nine has wonderful views of Purbrook Hills and Poole Harbour. The club was founded in 1898 and the layout is quite challenging with great diversity, outstanding scenery and scarcely a weak hole. 6419 yards, Par 70.

Isle of Purbeck Golf Club

The club was founded in 1892 and modified by Harry Colt around 1900. It is positioned on a high plateau set in a heathland nature reserve. With 360 degrees of panoramic views, the scenery is often quoted as the best in the British Isles. The course is challenging with abundant heather and gorse to avoid, particularly as it is fully exposed to the winds. There are four thought-provoking par three’s and four long par fours. The views from the 5th tee which is elevated must make it one of the outstanding scenic tee-shots in the U.K.

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