Broadstone

Traversing some superb golfing terrain it is an idyllic place to play golf with a spaciousness that few other courses can boast.

Broadstone is generally regarded as the best in Dorset and is ensuring that it stays ahead of the competition with a bunker restoration programme currently in progress to rediscover some of the Harry Colt design features that have become neutralised over time.

On my visit in July 2014 I was very impressed with the work carried out recently, specifically the dramatic visual impact that the new bunkering has created.

After an impressive opening hole, a par five that requires you to be on your toes from the off, with bunkers, a mass of heather and a stream to avoid the course enjoys a run of scenic par fours that decrease in length from the 400 yard uphill second through to the driveable fifth.

The next three holes are all truly excellent. The sixth and eighth are both par three’s that look stunning thanks in part to the new bunkering whilst the hole in between them must rank as one of the finest par fours in golf.

As you walk onto the tee at the seventh you are stopped dead in your tracks with the beauty and breadth of the hole. Before you even strike a ball you wonder in amazement at just how you are to reach the green some 422 yards away that glimmers in the distance on the other side of a huge ravine. It’s a true jaw-dropping moment. The first time visitor may not initially know where the fairway begins or ends but as it turns out you can aim a lot further right than you think and a longer drive to the top of a steep incline will give you a much easier second shot. It’s a hole of epic proportions and typifies the superb elevation changes throughout the entire round at Broadstone.

Many of the holes at Broadstone are played through swathes of heather, pine and gorse as the routing of the course takes you on a memorable journey over a rolling landscape. The scale and grandeur of the property is fully appreciated from the 13th hole where a distant glimpse of the seventh makes you realise the acreage of the estate and the ground you have covered over the previous holes to reach this point.

The 13th itself is one of the best on the course with a brilliant approach to an angled green that appears much narrower than it actually is, however, it also falls away from you making this one of the toughest shots on the course. Potentially, from what may well be an awkward stance due to the contours of the fairway, one can try and work the ball in from the right if desired or take aim straight at the flag, but be warned… short and left is dead.

The next is perhaps the most spectacular on the course with a plethora of impressive bunkers glaring at you when stood on the elevated tee. The position of the imposing hazards makes this an engrossing hole for players of all abilities and the taxing green is a fitting end to this fabulous par four of medium length.

The 196 yard 15th also boasts a high tee with a quartet of bunkers that will capture a wayward shot whilst the 16th is yet another fine par four at Broadstone. This time a draw is required from the tee to hug the left side of the fairway which will give you the best angle of approach into a magnificent green setting. The final two holes return to similar land that the opening few holes occupy and these enjoy a more parkland feel.

More work on this stimulating course will be carried out in the near future on the par three 11th and 15th holes. This will likely elevate what is already an excellent set of short holes to something quite sensational.

I look forward to seeing these changes, and others, in the future as Broadstone continues to improve from its existing very high standard.