Woburn (Marquess)

That in itself is just about unique but what impresses me the most whenever Woburn is debated is that if you ask three different people which course they prefer you are likely to receive three different responses.

All three courses, set in a stunning forest location, are cut from the same high quality piece of cloth but each also has its own individuality and character, albeit only slight. Many of the holes have a similar feel to them but collectively they work well together and this creates a consistent feel across the board.

Immaculately conditioned and carved through beautiful wooded areas there is also the natural challenges of heather, bracken and gorse that add to the charm of all the courses and magnify the need to find the fairways with your drives.

In my opinion the Marquess just takes the top honours as the best course on the Woburn Estate, but it's a points decision.

Designed by Peter Alliss and Clive Clark, European Golf Design (Ross McMurray) and Alex Hay it opened as recently as 2000 and overlaps the county boundary dividing Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Set within 200 acres of mixed woodland the predominant tree species are pine, spruce, sweet chestnut and oak, while there are also a number of rare specimens such as Corsican pine, yew, rowan and beech.

The demanding par 72 course, which can stretch to over 7,200 yards, has hosted the British Masters, the English Amateur Championship, Final Qualifying for The Open Championship and the Ricoh Women's British Open. It is a course that is well loved and respected by elite golfers.

The standout holes, arguably the best on the entire property, are the third, seventh, ninth and 13th. Each features a tantalising approach shot to superb green location. The par-five seventh also has the added factor that you can choose one of two fairways to drive down; one gives you a shot at the green in two but is riskier.

A word should also be given to the 12th with its island fairway which is not easy to find into a head-wind. Down the breeze bigger hitters will have the option of going for the green but with water edging up the right-hand-side this is a high tariff shot.

The main thing I didn't like about the course is that the undergrowth in the trees, mostly bracken and fern, is horrendous. A wayward drive is not only punished by being in the trees but you have virtually no way of hitting the ball should you even find it. Clearing this out would make it much more playable, encourage riskier tee-shots and speed up play.

That aside I enjoyed the course and particularly found the par-fives interesting, despite playing them all poorly! You have options to go for them in two if you get a good drive away but there are many complications around the greens and approaching from 100 yards is often the better policy.

The course certainly favours a draw ball from the tee. By my reckoning no less than seven holes are set up for a right-to-left ball right and only the fourth asks you to work the ball the other way.

As somebody who loves their links golf, and usually tends to shy away from heavily watered courses with pristine carpets for fairways, Woburn is the polar opposite of my preferred type of golf and isn’t somewhere I should logically enjoy. But I did and that speaks volumes for the place. To be critical, because of the softer nature of the course, you don’t quite have to use your imagination on shots around the green as much as you do at seaside and top heathland courses but this actually made a refreshing change for me.

As far as inland golf goes Woburn is very close to the pinnacle; a fine English venue and certainly a worthy match for the three courses at the more famous Wentworth. It's a shame there isn't more variance in the three courses at this impressive 54-hole facility but that is more to do with the similar terrain and setting than anything else.

Read the review of Woburn (Duke's) here.

Read the review of Woburn (Duchess') here.