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Kington, England |
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Kington Golf Club
Bradnor Hill
Kington
Herefordshire
HR5 3RE
England |  | C.K. Hutchison |  | A. Gealy |
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 | +44 (0)1544 230340 |  | 10 miles W of Leominster |
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Golf Club Website
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 | Welcome - contact in advance |  | G.R. Wictome |
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Kington Golf Club – nominated by Sean Arble – added 21st March 2005 – words by Sean
At less than 6,000 yards, many will dismiss Kington as far too short and nothing but a bit of fun. Though fun Kington certainly is, the course should not be taken lightly. Hutchison's fondness for North Berwick, a links famous for its variety and quirkiness, taught him to value unusual concepts while embracing design ideals developed during the first decades of the 20th century. With Kington’s opening in 1926, Major C.K. Hutchison produced a remarkably crafty course which relies greatly on gaining the correct angles of approach, for the greens often fall heavily away from the front or a side making recovery from the wrong position terribly difficult despite appearances to the contrary. It should come as no surprise the Major could create such a gem. He was a well-known figure in the game as an amateur (he reached the final of the 1909 British Amateur) and as a serious student of architecture through his membership of Huntercombe, a ground breaking Willie Park Jr design. On a more practical level, James Braid relied heavily on Hutchison's knowledge during the design and construction of Gleneagles King’s and Queen’s Courses and for a brief period, starting in the late 20s, Hutchison was in partnership with Majors G.C. Campbell and S.V. Hotchkin. This "Trinity of Majors" is most famous for their creation of Pulborough, a course well known for its combination of beauty and fierce hazards.
 Kington can be described as an inland-super-mare. The sea is miles from Herefordshire, yet the golf at Kington is remarkably similar to seaside golf due to keen turf and rambunctious terrain. Like Royal Ashdown Forest, Kington has no bunkers and the course is generally wide with practically no shaping of the fairways. In fact, Kington is the epitome of why wide is good. Let the golfer open the shoulders, but if he places the ball in the wrong spot he can be left with a devil of a recovery, often times from quite close to the hole. Bradnor Hill is among the chief defenses with its slopes acting for and against play. The micro undulations (presumably caused by grazing sheep) can leave a player confounded on how to make solid contact with anything other than short irons, or indeed the putter. The course climbs the hill for much of the front nine and affords arresting views of the Brecon Beacons, Malverns and Black Mountains. The club claims that at 1,284 feet Kington is the highest course in England, but that isn't important other than to impart that wind is perhaps Kington's primary defense. The greens tend to be narrow and many are angled against fairways and/or over deep fall-aways. While there are plenty of unknowing breaks to be had, the greens could accurately be described as flat. Kington's turf has a springiness which encourages the player to be aggressive both on the fairways and greens. It must also be noted that the fairways are cut only once a year in mid-summer. Sheep graze the course freely, but even they won't eat some of the tough grasses on offer.
The first three holes make steady progress up the hill. All are good and require a deft touch rather than brute force. This abruptly changes on the 4th, still uphill, but a bully of a hole at 435 yards, usually into the prevailing breeze and ending in a sideways two tier green. The short 5th is a wonderful hole – as are all the 3 pars at Kington. It is here that the player should fully realize that he had better know how to flight his ball and control it once it lands or Kington will steal strokes with niggling regularity.
The course continues to wind its way around Bradnor Hill with blind drives, sloped fairways requiring shaped or very precise tee shots and skyline greens as particular features. Holes of particular merit in this stretch are the one-shotter 9th and the very drivable par 4, 10th. Throughout, the course there are awkward, sharpish mounds surrounding the greens which can be terribly frustrating unless one can find some of the available gateways or have great confidence with the wedge.
The 14th is a reachable par 5. More people than not tend to find the ferns when having a two shot bash at this green. Unusually for Kington, the green sports a false front which gives the impression of an uphill approach. In truth, the green runs away from the player. After two back and forth holes not without some merit, we reach the 18th, the author’s favourite finishing hole in golf. It isn't often that a significant percentage of handicap golfers can stand on the tee of a par 4 and aspire to achieve a two-putt birdie. However, on many days this is exactly the goal. Choose a club, take aim at the pro shop, fire away and let the fun unfold.
Without a doubt, Kington can yield a very low score to a good player on his day. However, regardless of scores earned, the course stands as testament to what good design is about; the opportunity to hit all manner of shots while providing fun for the short and long capper alike. For those willing to make the trek to this small corner of pastoral England, memories of Kington’s endearing qualities will stick with them uncommonly well. | |
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If the above course review article is not accurate, let us know by clicking here |
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In the section below, headed “Your Reviews”, are golf course reviews posted by visitors to the Top 100 website. There are no specific rules for reviewing a golf course except you MUST have played the golf course first. Merits of each course are left entirely to your discretion. Important factors, such as course location, condition (or presentation), course difficulty and historical importance are all left for you to judge and we have developed a simple rating system where you can allocate one score to each course. | |
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 |  | | Average Reviewers Score: |   | | We play this every year and I think this is one of the best courses in the UK. The greens are like snooker tables and very true and the course is a joy on a fine summers day. It is not very friendly when the wind and rain blows and we have played through all 4 seasons in one day. A bit hilly so a buggy is a good idea. Very nice club house and a pint on the decking on a fine day is recommended. | | 08 June 2010
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| | Played this course just last weekend in the heatwave. I must say it's one of the most interesting courses one could stumble across. Every hole provides it's own unique challenge and surprise! Great turf to hit from, greens only Wentworth can maatch and views which are worth the greenfee alone. I must admit, a windy day here may not be so easy, but great course a must play. | | 29 May 2010
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| | Kington is without doubt the finest hilltop course that I have played, but aren’t hilltops meant for sheep and fell walkers? Having said that I thoroughly enjoyed the round and thought the condition was good if a little au naturale on occasions and the design is very thoughtful. Definitely a gem and a course that you need to get to know to love. I played it on a calm sunny day and it was running hard and fast and therefore a little short but not that easy to score on. Enjoyed it but it is not in the premier league of British golf courses, more first division. | | 05 June 2009
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| | | Took my father-in-law to play here - the greens terrified him! So fast, but very true. Have played the course in snow and the condition was excellent the as well. Testing course in any conditions, but spectacular views of about 9 counties from the top. Very friendly club, incredible value-for-money. Controlled driving required on some of the back 9 par fours or you will never keep the ball on the fairway. But you can sit on the balcony after a tough but satisfying round and watch your fellow golfers struggle to hold their approach on the 18th green just as you were doing 15 minutes before. | | 19 December 2008
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| | | Glorious setting and a fantastic sequence of holes. Greens are superb - fast and true. What great value and a joy to play. | | 05 June 2008
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| Response: | | | John | 07 December 2008 | | A very natural course, with a special treat around every corner, I come back every year, for the last 15 years. The buggy is worthwhile. |
| | | We have played this course on several occasions - usually the Shropshire & Hereford Junior inter club championships are held here. Greens are always good, some spectacular holes especially the 14th running out along the ridge. I have never seen finer hilltop courses than here and Llanymynech. | | 22 March 2005
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