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Berkshire (Red), England |
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The Berkshire Golf Club
Swinley Road
Ascot
Berkshire
SL5 8AY
England |  | Herbert Fowler |  | P. Anderson |
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 | +44 (0) 1344 621495 |  | Between Bagshot and Ascot |
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Golf Club Website
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 | By prior arrangement |  | Lt Col J.C.F Hunt |
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Many people say that there is nothing better than a day’s golf amongst the forest, heather and springy turf of the Berkshire Golf Club. Both the Red and the Blue courses are charming. The Red course is considered to be the more senior of the two, but frankly there is little to choose between them. Indeed it is likely that they will both merge into one unless you have been sufficiently fortunate to play them more than once.
Herbert Fowler, who had a gift for blending golf courses into their natural surroundings, laid out both courses in 1928. Fowler clearly did a great job because only minor changes have since been made to his original design. The land was once the hunting forest of the royals and dates back to the reign of Queen Anne. Each hole is played in seclusion, the mature sycamore, birch, chestnut and pine trees providing majestic tunnels for the rippled fairways.
The Red acquired its name from a military analogy with the Blue taking the opposite side. The Red course is highly unusual in design. The configuration of six par threes, six par fives and six par fours provide for much interest, variety and entertainment.
You need a straight and steady game to score well here otherwise you can very quickly become accustomed to chipping sideways out of the trees or hacking out of the heather. Needless to say, accuracy rather than length is all-important. The Red, measuring 6,369 yards from the white tees (5,733 from the reds) is the longer of the Berkshire’s two courses and it plays over slightly higher ground than the Blue.
The Berkshire is closely linked with amateur golf; its own Berkshire Trophy has produced some famous winners, including Nick Faldo and Sandy Lyle. Numerous ladies amateur competitions have also been held at the Berkshire.
If there is a downside to the Red course, it would be the par fives – four of the six are too short by today’s standards. However, the par fours and threes more than make up for the minor criticism – after all, the short par fives might offer a birdie or two, or even an eagle.
There are many great holes on the Red course but the best is probably the 6th, a shortish par four measuring 360 yards from the white tees. This hole doglegs to the right and requires an accurate drive to the left hand side of the fairway in order to leave a short approach shot to a raised green.
The Red’s hallmark is most definitely the six par threes – they are all superb in their own right. Actually, we think that this a fantastic golf course and will provide a memorable day out for any serious golfer. | |
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If the above course review article is not accurate, let us know by clicking here |
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 |  | | Average Reviewers Score: |   | | | Just 30 minutes west of London lies the famous sand belt, covered with glorious heather, pine and rolling ancient heath land. It is home to some of England’s finest courses and to play them all you should give yourself at least an unforgettable fortnight. The red course here is the archetypal example of these fabled old courses. Fabled for good reason. Though ubiquitous they are a joy to play. Stately, elegant and grand. I played the red yesterday in a fifty yard fog so I can’t comment on the views but I am told it is very pretty here. I believe that! What I can say however is that as you drive through the gates and see the course before you, take the warm salutation from the long serving starter and stand in front of the understated clubhouse with the first to the blue on your left and the first to the red on your right, you know you are in for a good day. The course has fierce greens that are devilish to read and impossible to master, The course was in very good condition for November with fast true greens and grassy fairways. We liked the par 3's and fours. They play very well. So do the par 5's but frankly these days at least 3 of them should be re classified as long challenging par 4's. They are great holes, just too easy to reach for anyone under a ten handicap these days, even in November off of the whites. We had a great day. So if you are straight you can score well here. If you aren't you will become very familiar with heather and bare lies from the beneath the mature pines that flank this majestic course all the way around. Very enjoyabl e. A must play for any golfer; play both in one day if you can, for the full five star experience. JCB Lay |
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| 17 November 2012
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| | Played both the Red and Blue courses last week and what a treat. From the moment you drive through the gates you know that you are in for a superb day. The clubhouse is magnificent, old school in parts yet the club has moved with the times allowing you to enter parts of the clubhouse in your spikes. We played the blue course first are after probably one of the toughest opening holes in golf the course is wonderful, meandering its way through the trees and heathland. All the holes are individual and its feels like you have the course to yourself. The Red course is probably the stronger of the two courses and ever so slightly superior. I loved the variety of the 3 par 3's, 3 par 4's, 3 par 5's. Although the par 5's are short by modern standards it gives the average golfer chances for birdies. However this is offset by some very strong par 3' were par is a fantastic score as at least 3 of them are 180 yards plus off the white tees. Overall the 36 'holes' aren't as strong as Sunningdale's but I think that the setting, routing and condition of the course is superior. I was extremely impressed and would recommend any golfer to play the courses. Excellent. |
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| 18 August 2012
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| I had the pleasure of playing both the red & blue courses on the 28/03/12 & this is as good as golf gets, the holes run though a great piece of classic heath land. Yes a couple of the holes run near the main road & there is some noise from it, but you have to remember that 40 to 50 years ago it probably didn't have half as much traffic going past (that's progress for you!) But this in no way dampened my enjoyment of playing here. Both of the courses have changes in elevation and because of this your whole game will get a good work out. You must drive the ball in the fairways to allow yourself a good chance of hitting the tricky greens which are well protected by deep bunkers & clever run off areas, if you miss the greens you will have to have a sharp short game to make sure you don't drop too many shots.The greens were in tip top condition, true, smooth & quite large a real joy to putt on.
The club house is such a nice place to relax in with the large patio which overlooks the putting green & the first tee on the blue course. All of the staff from the guys in the pro shop to the one's working in the club house was a real credit to the place nothing was too much trouble & we were made to feel really welcome.If you want to play on a really top course then you must come & play here, a real joy from start to finish, can't wait to come back later in the year & enjoy a day's golf at a class golf course. (Handicap 3) |
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| 18 April 2012
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| | Amazing course! Played the Red and the Blue yesterday. The Red course is the better, but only just. The real difference for me and my playing partner was that the Red just seemed to be more natural, as if every hole has always been there. Greens were spectacular. Great day...Great Course. I would recommend to anyone to play here. Fantastic from tee to green and very undulating. Play the Red first if you can, as fatigue sets in around hole 28 as it is a long walk up and down. |
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| 10 August 2011
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| | A beautiful course, tree lined fairways meandering through into the natural contours of the land. Lots of long carries over heather, but often from elevated tees.
An interesting mix of holes - never a dull moment, good practice facilities, pleasant staff & one of the better carvery lunches I've had at a golf club.
Very enjoyable, would definitely play it again
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| 24 July 2011
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| | This is a really fine golf course. It may be a notch below the courses at Sunningdale, but still very good. The Red course is a lot of fun with its quite unique set up with six holes of each par. One minor negative note is that all par 5s played a little short which rendered them a feeling of sameness. But that is indeed meant to read minor. The courses also seemed to have coped better with the 'drought' this spring than its more famous neighbors. £150 for 36 holes isn't exactly cheap, but we thought we got plenty of bang for the buck at 'The Berk' (we're Swedish). |
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| 20 May 2011
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| | We played the course after a night's very heavy rain but it was still in good condition. Considering it was December the greens were superb. Winter golf at its best. Given the condition of our links and heathland courses in the winter i can't imagine who would want to play these ridiculous looking courses in the desert. As usual the Berkshire never disappoints. |
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| 10 December 2009
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| | What a beautiful course, all seems so natural and looks like its been here forever. A large amount of elevated tees with lovely views of what lies in wait for you. Huge amounts of heather and pine tree-lined fairways. Some magical par 3's of varying lengths and all difficult in there own way. Super bunkering just waiting to catch you out and greens which undulate in all directions, golf as it should be. This has the edge over the Blue for me, was more peaceful and has the better holes, just. |
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| 25 August 2009
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| | Played the red coure today and was really surpised by the elevation changes.The weather was pretty bad,rainy and misty.The property is really lovely and the course in very good conditon. Elevated tees were greatly appreciated, and fortunately more numerous than elevated greens. The green complexes are quite impressive and the bunkering around them well placed. But I just thought the course was too easy!! Too short and no danger from the tees (wide landing areas, almost no bunkers). You dont even need your driver on most of the holes and the majority of par 5 can easily be reached in 2. I thought it really lacked any challenge... On the other hand, it is a beatiful member`s club, with many pretty holes. Looking forward to Sunningdale tomorrow !!! Hopfully the weather will be better....Cedric |
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| 13 May 2009
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| | Brilliant. 36 holes of golf at the Berkshire, 18 on the Red, and 18 on the Blue is a day well spent.
Well worth a visit. |
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| 26 September 2008
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| | I can't imagine a finer day than playing the Red and Blue courses at the Berkshire with the carvery lunch between rounds. I enjoyed the Red more than the Blue, but several members of our group preferred the Blue. The Red has a unique layout, with 6 par 3's, 6 par 4's and 6 par 5's. Yet the routing is clearly very natural and unforced and quite frankly the holes are beautiful and flow through the terrain. I had the wonderful feeling that I was walking through a beautiful park, yet I happed to be hitting golf shots to challenging holes while I was taking my walk. Deep down I believe that is what golf is meant to be. If your idea of golf is grip it and rip it, then you have no business playing the Berkshire, or really any of the heathland courses I"ve played. These courses demand precision to avoid the horrific heather that literally seems to swallow your ball, but you are richly reward by accurate precise shots. The course was in magnificent shape and the staff was extremely courteous and helpful. Playing here was a great experience that I will cherish. Now I only need to figure out when I can come back. Richard Smith, Knoxville, Tennessee. |
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| 04 August 2008
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| One of the most pleasant golfing experiences I’ve had in the last 12 months has been found half an hour’s driving time (on a good day!) from Heathrow airport. Passing through on the way home from business, I’ve stopped off for an evening in order to play next day at Sunningdale, (March 2007) and The Berkshire, a couple of days ago.  I thought last year’s experience on the Old and the New at Sunningdale would be hard to match and so, sadly, it proved just along the road on Berkshire’s Red and the Blue courses – but not by very much, believe me! The Berkshire was a fantastic 36-hole day ticket (34 actually, as holes 1 and 2 of the Blue were not in play due to drainage work) that surpassed all my expectations. The configuration of 6/6/6 for the holes on the Red might seem on paper to be a little contrived but the routing does follow the natural lie of the land and seems the most appropriate for the terrain. The par three’s are all very impressive - averaging 185 yards in length! - so no flick with a wedge here off the tee and the 10th, like “Calamity” at Royal Portrush is a real do-or-die hole that will test your bravery off the tee. The par fives offer a breather, as I think they normally should do on a course – what amateur enjoys a long slog around a layout that is littered with long par 4 and 5’s? The much heralded, right doglegged 6th was a very pleasant hole indeed as was the short par four 11th, which is a fantastic driving hole. The only weak hole on the whole course I felt was at the par three 18th, but by then I’d just lost my match play game 2&1 so it mattered not a jot – I probably played the home hole through tears anyway at the thought of having to pay out the fiver wager on the match! The delightful elevation changes, the heather-bearded bunkers, the isolation of many tree-lined holes and the variety of shot on offer at most of these – they all combine to offer a really entertaining round of golf on a course that just oozes natural beauty and charm. Highly recommended. Jim McCann |
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| 03 April 2008
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| | Both courses at The Berkshire are quality with the Red being my favourite, but only just. It is well known that the area around Surrey/Berks has some of the very best heathland courses around and the Red in my opinion is towards the upper end of this list. A fairly friendly start in terms of difficult holes to score on and on a good day you can go close to par for the front nine. The Berkshire members stand for traditional golfing values and this is most noticeable around the clubhouse (which is under major surgery) – all very friendly and polite. The course is special and highly recommended – personally I enjoyed the Red more than the West at Wentworth. |
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| 31 October 2007
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| | Great club, much friendlier than 'stuffy' Sunningdale. The courses are both great value and no-one I know that has played there has been disappointed. Each hole is seperated from the rest by the Bracknell Forests and each and every one of them is stunning. The par 3's on the Red are phenominal and the closing five par 4's on the blue are a great finish to my favorite of the two courses. |
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| 25 February 2006
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| | The Red is definately the better of the two courses, which are tough to spilt after the first visit. The Red is tighter and more intimate, with each hole shielded from the next by the magnificent trees. Many people claim that the Red and the Blue make up the finest 36-hole heathland combination in the world - for me, the Old & New at Sunningdale is a far better bet. However, the combination of 6 3s, 4s, & 5s is entertaiment but it's the outstanding par 3s which will stick in the mind. If you only have time for one round - make sure you play the Red rather than the Blue. Wonderful course but it needs to be played more than once. After first time of playing (36 holes) couldn't tell the Red from the Blue. Nevertheless a classic. |
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| 13 November 2004
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