No 63 - The Berkshire - Blue

One of the finest heathland layouts in the UK, The Berkshire Blue requires great accuracy and sound club selection. The visitor friendly club also serves up a fine carvery lunch

The Berkshire Blue
Jeremy Ellwood
By
published

63 THE BERKSHIRE – Blue

Architect: Fowler 2006 position: 86 Stats: 6,358 yds; par 71; SSS 71 GF: £90-£125 T: 01344 621495 W: theberkshire.co.uk

Both courses at The Berkshire, laid out by Herbert Fowler, rank among the finest heathland layouts in the UK.

The Blue starts fiercely with a long par 3 in front of staring clubhouse eyes, but settles down quickly into a challenge in which accuracy is a more pressing requirement than length, until you reach the 16th.

Heather and trees form the ever-present foes, but regular changes in elevation also form a more subtle, under-rated adversary, making confident club selection tricky.

When it’s all over, the clubhouse serves up one of the best carvery lunches around. JE

+ Wonderful old-school ambience; good variety, very visitor/society friendly - Road noise in places; parkland-style 11th hole a little out of keeping

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Jeremy Ellwood
Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf

Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Srixon ZX, EvenFlow Riptide 6.0 S 50g shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3- to 8-iron: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Irons 9-iron and PW: Honma TWorld TW747Vx, Nippon NS Pro regular shaft

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Kramski HPP 325

Ball: Any premium ball I can find in a charity shop or similar (or out on the course!)

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