The Berkshire Golf Club: Blue Course Review, Tee Times and Key Info

A superb heathland test that is both similar to and very different from The Red - The Blue currently sits at 57th in our Top 100 UK&I Course Rankings in association with Peter Millar

The Berkshire Blue - Hole 17
The seventeenth on the Blue Course at The Berkshire is a par 4 that dogs left to right
(Image credit: Kevin Murray)

Peter Millar 57

(Image credit: Future)

The Berkshire Golf Club Blue Course Key Information

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell - Column 0 Header Cell - Column 1

Address

Swinley Road, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 8AY

Phone

01344 621495

Website

theberkshire.co.uk

Email

golf@theberkshire.co.uk

Visitor Times

All week by prior arrangement

Par

Men 71, Women 72

Slope

White/M 131, Red/W 136

Opened

1928

Architect

Herbert Fowler

Golf Monthly Verdict

The Berkshire - Blue Course - Hole 9

(Image credit: Kevin Murray)

The Blue Course at The Berkshire is the Red Course’s tougher brother and serves as the perfect complement. It nonetheless still has oodles of charm and character, but matching par on many of the holes is unquestionably more difficult. With its closing quintet of varied and challenging two-shotters, there is also a very real sting in the tail.

Reasons To Play The Berkshire Blue

– A supreme heathland design whose difficulty is matched by its beauty

– One of the toughest opening holes - a par 3 - in the Top 100

– Half of one of the best 36-hole days in golf anywhere in the UK&I

Rankings

UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2025/26 - 57

For most golfers, including me, The Berkshire Golf Club Blue Course is the tougher of two excellent designs here, and certainly the harder on which to score well. This is especially so due to one of the sternest finishing five holes in the Top 100 Golf Courses UK&I. Both are among the very best heathland golf courses in the UK.

This picturesque and challenging Herbert Fowler design makes the very best use of the land’s natural slopes with the holes fitting perfectly into the rolling landscape. Unlike The Red Course, there is a more conventional layout here with three par 5s, two of which come early on, and four short holes including a stunning opener. Over 200 yards, it is both a gem and a brute of a long par 3, played over an ocean of heather and deep valley. Start with a par here, and I always feel I am one up on the card.

This is followed by a gentle but very pretty par 4 played from an elevated tee, and then a reachable par 5. If you have struggled at the opening hole, they each offer the chance for redemption.

From now until the turn is the time to score well if you can, as with the exception of the tough par-4 8th, this stretch is lovely but also a little more forgiving. Each hole has its challenges and there is a new and inviting vista on every tee. The 10th is another terrific short hole played from an elevated tee and with a very attractive pond waiting to gather anything short and right, while next is a short but almost double-dog leg par 5, the final such hole.

The 12th is a very distinctive par 4 played down to an unusual split-level green which falls away from you, and this is followed by the final par 3 which is once again played over a sea of heather.

The closing five holes are an excellent sequence of tough and varied par 4s. Each asks new and different questions, beginning with a blind drive from an elevated tee, where it’s important not to go too far right.

The 15th doglegs to the left and is lovely, and the 16th plays extremely long, again from right to left, and this time down over a ditch then up to a raised green. It is a super-tough hole where a par certainly feels like a birdie. Seventeen is another dogleg, this time from left to right, where it is all too easy to be blocked out, and the closing hole plays longer than you imagine as the approach is up the hill. This is quite simply one of the best golf courses in England and one of my personal favourites anywhere.

Work to clear many trees and open up the views is really paying dividends, and along with the Red Course, The Berkshire Blue is very clearly among the best golf courses in Berkshire as well as one of the best 36-hole venues in the UK&I. Together, they make for one of my perfect days out in golf.

The par-3 fourth

The par-3 fourth on the Blue Course

What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said...

Cathal Devlin 2025
Cathal Devlin

A spectacular club to visit and very accommodating. I would have loved nothing more than to jump straight onto the first tee of the Red upon finishing, which is a testament to the quality of the golf on offer. There’ll be no feeling blue after playing the Blue!

Russ Groombridge 2025
Russ Groombridge

The overall experience is a fantastic one. With the exception of Sunningdale, I can’t think of a better venue for 36 holes. I played on an overcast, drizzly and windy day and it didn’t detract from the experience, the visual appeal or enjoyment at all, which in my opinion is the sign of a great course. I didn’t want the round to end - another sign of a fantastic course.

The Berkshire Golf Club Location

The Berkshire Blue Course Scorecard

The Berkshire Blue Course scorecard

(Image credit: The Berkshire Golf Club)

Best Courses Near The Berkshire

SUNNINGDALE

SUNNINGDALE

Home to the two best inland courses in the Top 100, Sunningdale is quite simply one of the best 36-hole clubs in the world. Both the Old and the New are exceptionally pretty, beautifully contoured and an absolute joy. As close to perfection as you will find.

SWINLEY FOREST

SWINLEY FOREST

Swinley Forest is a shining diamond where you genuinely feel as though you are stepping back in time. The view from the clubhouse sets the scene perfectly with the opening and closing holes running down through the valley over a burn.

Best Places To Stay Near The Berkshire

Macdonald Berystede Hotel - Book now via Booking.com

Styled like a French chateau, this historical manor has a relaxing spa with swimming pool and gym, and boasts an AA Rosette-rated restaurant. It is set in peaceful gardens and woodland and has an indoor pool with views across the gardens. It also offers an outdoor hydrotherapy pool, thermal suites and beauty treatments.

The Talbot Inn, Woking - Book now via Booking.com

The Talbot Inn serves real ales and locally sourced, seasonal produce in its bar and restaurant. Dating from the 18th century, this 4-star hotel has modern, spacious rooms with plasma-screen TV, en suite bathroom and large rain shower.

The Berkshire Blue Course Gallery

Historical Top 100 Rankings UK&I

  • 2025/26 - 57
  • 2023/24 - 56
  • 2021/22 - 56
  • 2019/20 - 59
  • 2017/18 - 57
  • 2015/16 - 57
  • 2013/14 - 60
  • 2011/12 - 63
  • 2009/10 - 63

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the better course at The Berkshire?

Going purely by the Golf Monthly rankings, then you have to say it’s the Red! However, the Blue is the tougher on which to score, and so may well appeal more to the lower handicapper for whom challenge and strategy can be key. For anyone seeking adventure and variety, then it may well be the Red. The best suggestion is to play them both and then to try and make up your own mind. Both are exceptional, so you may struggle to do so!

How many clubs like The Berkshire have more than one course in the Top 100?

There is a surprising number that are lucky enough to have more than one Top 100 entry; St Andrews, Sunningdale, Walton Heath and Saunton each have two, while Gleneagles and Woburn are actually blessed with three.

Which is the best hole on the Berkshire Blue?

Most people will point to the par 3s that open each nine. The 1st is a daunting prospect to open your round, while the 10th is extremely pretty with a pond short and right to add to the beauty. Each requires a committed and solid blow.

Rob Smith
Contributing Editor

Rob has been playing golf for over 45 years and been a contributing editor for Golf Monthly since 2012. He specialises in course reviews and travel, and has played over 1,250 courses in almost 50 countries. In 2021, he played all 21 courses in East Lothian in 13 days. Last year, his tally was 78, exactly half of them for the first time. One of Rob's primary roles is helping to prepare the Top 100 Courses of the UK&I, of which he has played all, as well as the Next 100 where he is missing two in Scotland and two in Ireland. He has been a member of Tandridge for over 30 years where his handicap hovers around 15. You can contact him at r.smith896@btinternet.com.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.