In this piece we take a look at the best golf courses the county of Wiltshire has to offer.
The Best Golf Courses In Wiltshire
Set in the hills of the beautiful rolling countryside of England, Wiltshire golf courses are some of the most peaceful and pretty you could ask for. It may not be the largest golfing county, but there are still plenty of courses that deliver on spectacle and thorough examinations of your golf game.
From Bowood to North Wilts, below we have taken a look at six of the best the county has to offer
Related: Golf Monthly UK&I Top 100 Courses
Bowood
This Dave Thomas layout is less than 20 years old but feels a lot more established. The natural design over undulating parkland was landscaped by the famed Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown in the latter part of the 18th century.
From the tips it’s only for the bombers – European Tour pro Jordan Smith plays here – but further forward it’s playable for all, with course management the key. There’s an eclectic mix of holes to examine all parts of your game, from the sprawling opening par 5 – a true three-shotter – to shorter par 4s like the 14th that require careful strategy and precision.
Salisbury and South Wilts
Another course that delivers with some spectacular landscapes, Salisbury and South Wilts is a stern test of your golf. You start with two par-4s measuring over 430 yards and you end the front nine with a brute of a 473 yard par-4 too. That being said, you will have good opportunities to get any lost shots back at the three par-5s however be wary at the 10th. Playing at 519-yards uphill, out of bounds lurks all the way up the right.
Manor House
Set in the Cotswolds on the outskirts of Bath, the Manor House Hotel is a stunning 14th Century manor bursting with history and character yet finished with a contemporary edge.
Shifting to the course, it was designed by Peter Alliss and Clive Clark and opened in 1992. The course is a high-quality parkland layout set over undulating terrain and through woodland that teems with wildlife including Muntjac deer and Sparrowhawk. From the start, you are presented with some truly stunning golf. The first is a fairly easy par-4 with club selection being of particular importance, and you then fully emerge yourself in the woodland of Wiltshire at the par-3 second. Trees surround you on this 151 yard hole that has a small target due to the overhanging trees.
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Kingsdown
One of the oldest clubs in England, this downland course is famous for its scenery and rapid greens. Founded in 1880, the course is the oldest in Wiltshire and the newest design was created by C.K. Cotton's design company.
The most memorable hole is arguably the par-3 4th hole. Measuring only 144 yards you could be forgiven for thinking it was a birdie opportunity, however out of bounds lurks left and the bunker right create a narrow target.
Tidworth Garrison
Founded in 1908, Tidworth Garrison golf club was originally built as a nine-hole course by soldiers and local labour. Then it is also believed the course was extended to 18 holes after the First World War thanks to German prisoner of war labour. A tree-lined, downland course, Tidworth was designed by Harry Colt and used to be exclusively played by members of the service. However nowadays the number of service members has dropped considerably.
In terms of the course design, it has largely remained the same for decades with the only artificially introduced aspect being the bunkers themselves. The front nine finishes with an attractive approach to a raised green, and the halfway house here is well worth a visit. Probably the hole that golfers remember the most easily is the 13th, the final par 3. There are a couple of tees offering different angles in, and its bunkering and natural green site are very attractive.
North Wilts
If you look for scenery and variety in your golfing escapades then look no further than North Wilts. Both are on offer in abundance at a lovely course which offers a hugely enjoyable game of two halves.
Holes one to ten are across the road from the clubhouse, and these run gently up and down the slopes offering terrific views of the rolling hills all around. There are plenty of highlights starting with the green site at the short par-4 2nd.
The closing stretch is challenging indeed. The fourteenth is played up through a lush, narrow valley to a plateau green. Unusually for a short par 4 with no bunkers, it is stoke index 3. Fifteen continues up the same valley and is a testing short hole, and the last three offer a suitably tough challenge at the end of the round.
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