After playing to the eye-catching par three 2nd, you arrive at its green to see this vista of the 3rd rolling out ahead of you
Course name: The Berkshire (Red)
Location: Ascot, Berkshire, England
Four Word Course Review: Never a dull moment
The more highly-regarded of The Berkshire's two courses, The Red is generally known for its uncommon combination of six holes of each par.
With the likes of Wentworth, Sunningdale and Swinley Forest within a mile or so, that combination of holes is what gives The Red a point of difference, but beyond their par they are worthy of attention for just how good they are.
Many of the par fives are reachable in two shots for most golfers. From the back tees they measure 517, 480, 488, 486, 477 and 532 yards and four of them play downhill, but they occupy some great land.
Most fascinating among them for me were the 3rd, which has a tee shot that just screams "let's play golf", and the 13th, cascading downhill over wild land at the far reaches of the driving zone.
The par threes are more varied, playing uphill and downhill and ranging from under 150 yards to more than 220. They also present two of the most appetising shots on the course at the 10th and 16th - the first a terrifying shot of almost 200 yards over a heather-filled valley and the latter a 221-yard journey to a fearsomely sloped (but amazingly beautiful) green slightly reminiscent of the 17th across the fence at Swinley.
The two-shotters are all played between the 4th and 14th (it's 5, 3, 5 to start and 5, 3, 5, 3 to finish) and perhaps wisely given a few of the par fives will play as long two-shot holes and the 8th and 14th measure 428 and 434 yards, there is some respite in length, but not challenge at the 6th, 11th and 12th, which are all driveable holes that can still extract their pound of flesh through a risky drive (the 6th and 12th) or a well-protected green (11th and 12th).
The Red is quite a wide course, with generous driving zones but distict angles from which the greens must be approached. But miss those fairways and the heather and rough are some of the most militant I have seen on the heathland.
The uphill approach shots might get slightly repetitive, particularly toward the end of the round, but several of those shots are among the ones that linger in the memory: the par three 2nd, the approach to the 8th, the short second shot to the 328-yard 12th and the sidehill second or third shot at the 15th.
Above the individual highlights, the lasting memory I have of The Red is the continuity of the holes, despite some significent variety. While many of the hole shapes are similar, the shots required from hole to hole differ greatly. It seems to me that ties the holes in together while avoiding much feeling of repetition.
It's a perfect piece of land for golf and, as he did at Walton Heath, Herbert Fowler used the best features of the ground in combination with some well-placed bunkers to make this a fascinating course to play.
A day at The Berkshire, especially if it includes their stunning lunch, is likely to be a highlight of any golfer's summer.
ReplyDeleteI believe you should be more accurate with your geography though. Better to describe the distance to the other greats a 'a few miles away', 'just down the road' or 'within 10 miles' and, close as it is, Swinley Forest (Golf Club) is certainly further away than 'over the fence'.
Cheers. The lunch truly is something to behold! Mine culminated with a piece of treacle pudding the size of my head. Try hitting the tee shot on #1 with that much pudding in your belly!
ReplyDeletePoint taken on the other courses nearby, though the 9th green of Swinley is only 450m from the 4th tee on The Blue at The Berkshire - not too much more than "over the fence"!