Edgbaston Golf Club Course Review

Edgbaston Golf Club Course Review
GF Round: £80 Mon-Fri
Par 69, 6,128 yards
Slope 132
GM Verdict A relatively narrow, surprisingly rural and peaceful golfing oasis in the suburbs
Favourite Hole The par-4 13th, a strong right-to-left dogleg that skirts water left before crossing it to a tricky green

In golfing terms, the West Midlands is best-known for The Belfry and its dramatic history with the Ryder Cup. Happily, the nation’s second city has plenty of strength in depth, and Edgbaston is a fine and very enjoyable Harry Colt design.

The course dates back to the 1936 when the club re-located from Harborne. It opens with a medium and then a very strong par 4 before the first short hole at the 3rd - 171 yards from the back tee.

The next is another strong par 4 while the 5th is a very attractive and quite demanding short hole where the water shouldn’t come into play but bunkers just short of the green most definitely will.

The 6th is a tough par 4 which plays very long as it is uphill all the way, and the 7th an extremely pretty par 3 over a valley to a beautifully-framed plateau green with the Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower beyond.

You head back to the clubhouse via two fine par 4s, both played up to shelf-like greens that can be hard to find.

On the back nine, the 12th and 13th skirt Edgbaston Pool, a lovely lake, and although the course is relatively short, its greens are small and it certainly plays longer than you would expect.

The 14th is the final par 3, and this is followed by two short par 4s with the 15th played up the slope and the 16th a real temptation for longer hitters. A genuine 3-shotter and another very strong par 4 finish the round in style.

Accuracy from the tee throughout the round is vital, as it is all too easy to leak the ball into the trees or find yourself blocked out. The course at Edgbaston Golf Club is kept in excellent condition and deserves to be far better known.

The elegant Georgian hall that serves as the clubhouse is actually the club’s third home, and with the exception of Martin Ebert’s expert bunker renovations, the lush, tree-lined course is little changed from the ‘30s, still bearing many of Colt’s trademarks.

While golf in the Midlands is not so well known, there are Top 100 courses and Next 100 courses that make it an appealing destination for a golfing trip. Edgbaston is undoubtedly one of the best courses in Warwickshire and will be enjoyed by all who visit.