Basingstoke
With its roots dating back to 1907 and a rudimentary 9-hole course close to what is now the town centre, Basingstoke Golf Club had enjoyed a long evolution before settling in to its exciting new home less than two years ago. It is now situated on a gently undulating and, given its ease of access with the motorway, a surprisingly peaceful parcel of downland just south of the M3 in Hampshire, a county whose one Top 100 UK&I course is at the lovely Liphook Golf Club. And while from its nearest point the course is just a well-struck drive from its previous 15th green, in virtually every other aspect it’s now a million miles away.
A Happy Coincidence
During the Great War, the initial course was used as a training airfield which led to the need to find a new home in the 1920s. The great James Braid, winner of five Open Championships up to 1910, was enlisted to design a full 18-hole course at Kempshott Park. It opened in 1928 and the par-70 tree-lined course remained its home until the opportunity to sell the course for housing arose five years ago.
By happy coincidence, the proprietary club at Dummer whose course had been designed by Peter Alliss and Clive Clark in 1992, was looking for a new owner. The income from the sale meant that Basingstoke would be able to take over a pleasant but unremarkable layout and invest in an ambitious redesign as well as a beautifully-appointed clubhouse and all mod-cons.
Take Two
Architect Bruce Weller was engaged to create something new, modern and more challenging. The aim was to build a course for the 21st-century, and this he has achieved with greens constructed with creeping bent, rubber crumb bunkers, two new lagoons and the latest irrigation technology.
All of this has resulted in an extremely enjoyable course that can stretch to a testing 6,842 yards from the back tees. The first couple of holes take you gently up to the higher ground before the real drama begins at the par-5 4th with two lakes flanking the left-hand side.
This is followed by the beautiful short 5th which plays over a pond, and then the excellent 6th where the green again has water awaiting anything short and left. The 7th is a tempting short par 4 played alongside what looks like an old quarry, and you return to the dazzling new clubhouse via the very strong dogleg 9th. The back nine is even more fun and varied with highlights including the par 4s at 13 and 14, while the closing hole is a peach, a long par 4 with a lagoon lining the left-hand side.
Basingstoke Golf Club has also invested in a state-of-the-art driving range and a short-game area, all of which will soon be fully functional, and it is now very much a club of the times.
- Stats: par 72, 6,384 yards
- GF: Round: £95 Mon-Fri
