Edgbaston: A Colt classic in the most picturesque of settings
Why we’d rather be playing this Harry Colt classic
Edgbaston Golf Club can be summed up in two words: pretty, and difficult.
If you find yourself at this course, just over a mile away from the centre of Birmingham but a lifetime away from the bustle of the metropolis, strap yourself in for a Harry Colt classic.
With its bunkers recently restored to the architect’s original intentions, Edgbaston’s raison d’etre is as it was nearly a century ago: challenge in the most picturesque of settings.
But the greens are the real stars here, punishingly fast and contoured, and, after a trademark gentle Colt opening hole, things heat up quickly.
History
Edgbaston started out in 1896 with a nine-hole course at Lightwood Park in Warley, before relocating to Ridgeacre Road in Harborne 14 years later.
When the golf club moved to Edgbaston Park in the 1930s, the great Harry Colt was brought in to design and construct the new course. It would be the last of his wonderful golfing creations.
The course and clubhouse were opened in 1937 by Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister at the time and Member of Parliament for the Edgbaston constituency. However, the club’s progress was temporarily halted by the onset of the Second World War. The course was not fully re-opened until 1950, because the Park suffered serious bomb damage.
In the last decade, work on the course saw the bunkers returned to their original design. The club span the negative of flooding into a positive to make this work happen.
What makes Edgbaston Golf Club special?
When it comes to golf, Birmingham provides plenty of options. However, Edgbaston Golf Club offers something different to most.
Despite being within three miles of downtown Birmingham, the club is located in a Conservation Area, part of which is an Area of Special Scientific Interest and a Nature Reserve.
Edgbaston is also one of the oldest golf clubs in the West Midlands. The club is fortunate that records from the date of its formation – January 16, 1896 – remain intact in the form of committee meeting minutes.
Where does it rank?
382nd in GB&I, 129th in England, 10th in West Midlands
Where is it?
Edgbaston Golf Club is in a prime location for golfers making the trip by almost every form of transport. It is just a few miles south of Birmingham.
Get in touch with Edgbaston Golf Club
For more information about the club and course, visit their website or call them on 0121 454 1736.
You can play at Edgbaston on the NCG Top 100s Tour this year!
- Register now to play in our 2024 Edgbaston event on May 22nd here.
Now have your say
Have you ever had the pleasure of playing at Edgbaston Golf Club? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
