The Woburn Experience

3 magnificent courses, all within the top 100 in the UK make Woburn one of the finest one stop destinations in the world.

Woburn Golf Club is one of the most prestigious golfing venues in England, so my expectations were high before setting off up the M40. That said, many such venues fail to live up to their billing, so I was careful to manage my own expectations whilst retaining a sense of quiet optimism. Five minutes after arriving, though, it became clear why Woburn had received such effusive praise from all corners of the golfing community. The three courses at this fine resort are wonderfully varied and immaculately maintained, and the clubhouse, pro shop, practice facilities and other amenities are equally as impressive.

Anyone that has played the Marquess course will know why the famed course held a european tour event, only after 2 years of opening. In 2001, the Victor Chandler British Masters was switched from the Duke’s to the Marquess’, causing some scepticism within the professional ranks. After one round on the new course, though, any controversy had been well and truly banished. Indeed, Colin Montgomerie, who finished 27th in 2001, said: “This is a great course and a fabulous venue. I have heard praise from caddies, players and spectators alike. It’s a very, very good golf course. I think it’s a real jewel, a real gem.”

The Duke’s boasts a very pretty start, a demanding middle section then a tricky run for home where accuracy is often of more use than distance as you seek to place your ball in the ideal spot over the closing three doglegs.

Perhaps the most majestic of the holes falls early on in the short-but-delightful downhill par-3 3rd, bathed in robes of purple glory when the rhododendrons are in bloom, and the magnificent par 4 that follows playing round and up to a challenging two-tier green sheltering in a secluded arbour. Precision is most definitely the name of the game on the Duke’s course.

On paper, The Duchess’ is the shortest of Woburn’s three superb layouts. But anyone who’s set foot on the course will know this doesn’t make it the easiest. Woburn is famed for its tree-lined fairways and these are at their narrowest here. There are few tracks in the UK that place such a premium on straight hitting. From the 1st onwards, the encroaching trees are an ominous threat and any tee shot drifting away from the centre can result in an impeded second. It’s not only for the drives that accuracy is demanded; on many approaches, trees guard sections of the small greens and a shot straying left, right or long could end stymied behind one of those majestic pines.