The Oxfordshire

The traditionalist in me shouldn’t really warm to this big and modern, Rees Jones designed tournament-style course that is essentially a manufactured Americanised layout.

There are a handful of gigantic, man-made lakes and linear mounding to accommodate spectator viewing as well as the inevitable long walks from green-to-tee to make room for the five sets of tees and buggy paths. It’s a par 72, 36 each side, two loops of nine, with the obligatory four par-threes and four par-fives dah, di, dah, di dah…

However, I found enough engaging holes to come away quietly impressed with what The Oxfordshire offers. Sure, it isn’t to my personal taste but I can see why it is a popular venue, especially for professional golf competitions, and I have a lot of respect for the test it provides.

I think the main reason I enjoyed The Oxfordshire, unlike some other similar venues, is because the course does ask some fairly interesting questions. Admittedly there are no easy answers but you are presented with choices. Not always, but several times it gives you options as to how to play the hole and offers reward for those risking, and pulling off, the harder shots.

Water comes into play on almost half the holes. None-more-so dramatically than at the fifth, eighth, 10th, 11th, 13th and the 17th where you must cross (or at least flirt dangerously with) the hazards in order to get your ball onto the green. There are no shades of grey at The Oxfordshire; you’re either wet or dry.

There are perhaps a little too many forced carries (I’m particularly thinking of the fifth) but the water is used well at the other holes especially the par four eighth, where you can try and tip-toe round it but the safer you play the harder the next shot becomes. It’s a bit like walking along the beach with the tide coming in and trying to keep your feet dry – see how close you dare go without getting your shoes wet.

The heroic drive from the blue/black tee on the 11th is also special but the most outrageous of all the water holes is the 17th where you have two fairways to choose from in approaching this unique par-five. The group of lady members in front shuffled their way round to the right whilst I bravely took on the green down the left side; I suspect we may have written a similar number down on our scorecards.

The only thing I didn’t like about some of these holes is that most of them have a gathering effect with the fairways, or semi-rough, actually sloping towards the water which could harshly punish just a slightly wayward shot. I don’t mind this concept too much with sand traps, where there is a chance of recovery (and there are plenty of examples of this here too), but it seemed a tad unfair at times.

Speaking of bunkers, there is a mix of both large, shallow traps as well as small, deep pits. Most of the fairway ones give you a decent chance of escape whilst around the green you might need to work a bit harder to save par.

The trade-off for two exciting downhill drives at the first and tenth holes is a couple of climbs back up the hill to the clubhouse at the ninth and 18th where the two returning holes feature dramatic stadium-style, half-moon amphitheatres around the green complexes.

The remainder of the course is played mostly on the flat although there is a little bit of elevation change in the middle of the back-nine. The site is exposed to the wind and rarely do the scattering of trees come in to play which I think is a benefit because it adds extra width to attack the large, mildly undulating greens. Unquestionably wind will play a factor here too and I can imagine on a breezy day scores will skyrocket.

I thought the back-nine was slightly superior and varied but the pushed-up green on the sixth is a real highlight at this perfectly measured 340-yard two-shotter whilst the aforementioned eighth is very good too.

I think playing from the correct tee at The Oxfordshire is essential. From my handicap of two I played the 7,130 blue markers and this felt just about right. I think I would have struggled from the 7,409 tombstones whilst the 6,270 yellows would have diluted some of the strategy.

The condition of the course, which opened for play in the early 1990’s, was excellent on my visit in mid-May. The greens were very true and reasonably paced and I’m sure they could speed them up further at a drop of a hat. After a dry Spring the rough was pleasingly playable but I suspect it could get juicy after a prolonged spell of warm and wet weather; the fact that there were marker posts in the rough to help find your ball was an indication of that.

The Oxfordshire is a championship course in the modern day sense and has staged numerous events including the Benson & Hedges International, a European Tour event, for four years just prior to the turn of the millennium – winners include Montgomerie, Clarke and Langer. It has also staged the Andersen Consulting World Championships as well as the Ladies English Open. It was designed by Rees Jones, his first in the UK, who is also responsible for the redesign of the US Open courses of Torrey Pines and Bethpage. There is also a hotel, spa and conference facilities on site.

I’ve played half-a-dozen courses in this county now and the challenge and style of course at The Oxfordshire is unique to the area. You know exactly what you are getting here and it doesn’t pretend to be anything else, which is all credit to the venue.