Berkhamsted Golf Club’s claim to offer “golf as nature intended” is no empty slogan. It is set in an area of outstanding natural beauty, and its fairways flanked by gorse, heather and trees.
The only hazards are those created by nature, which provides a unique challenge. Don’t be fooled into thinking you’re off the hook though – it’s tough. Really tough. There are hollows, heather and gorse everywhere.
Berkhamsted forces players to plot their way around the course, so if you rely on distance, you’ll want to rethink your methods.
Most recently, Berkhamsted commissioned a new short game area by renowned specialist James Edwards, which includes the only two man-made bunkers on the property, and over the last three years the club has invested heavily in course conditioning. The playing surfaces are now up there with the best of any heathland course, especially the greens.
NOW READ: Have they gone bunkers at Berkhamsted?
History
A small band of pioneer golfers began to knock balls about over Berkhamsted Common in the 1880’s. The enthusiasm of those trailblazers led to them founding Berkhamsted Golf Club in 1890 and advised by former Open Champion, Willie Park Jnr, laying out a nine-hole course.
Harry Colt was instrumental in its expansion to 18-holes but today’s lay-out is very much the handiwork of James Braid who was commissioned in 1926 to make a few tweaks reminiscent of his designs of the King’s and Queen’s courses at Gleneagles.
He redesigned seven holes and apart from some being extended to combat modern day equipment, the lay-out is the same as when Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, played regularly. There aren’t many courses that can claim to have had these three giants of golf course architecture play their part in them.
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What makes Berkhamsted Golf Club special?
It is rare to find a true heathland outside of Surrey and Berkshire in the southeast of England. Despite no longer being bunkerless, Berkhamsted will always have that special feeling.
The grassy mounds where one would expect to find sand traps present a different and tricky set of challenges, all created by Mother Nature. Power hitters beware: Berkhamsted can hit back!
Where does it rank?
98th in England, 4th in Hertfordshire
Where is it?
Berkhamsted Golf Club is located just outside the M25 to the northwest of England’s capital city. It is just to the north of the town of Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, with Hemel Hempstead a few miles to the east. The centre of London is only 35 miles away from Berkhamsted, with the M1 and the A41 running close by the golf club.
Berkhamsted Station is a mile away from the venue, with trains running to and from London Euston. Trains run to Milton Keynes Central via Berkhamsted. London Luton is the closest international airport to the venue, located less than 15 miles away from Berkhamsted. For a wider array of flights, London Heathrow Airport – the country’s biggest and busiest airport, is only 30 miles south of the golf club.
Get in touch with Berkhamsted
For more information about the club and course, visit its website or call them on 01442 865832.
Now have your say
Have you ever had the pleasure of playing at Berkhamsted? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
