With two 18-hole championship golf courses, a charmingly positioned Clubhouse on the banks of the Broadwater lake and renowned coaching and practice facilities of the Palmerston Golf Academy, Brocket Hall Golf Club is one of the UK’s most exclusive golf venues.
Brocket Hall is home to The Faldo Golf Institute. This state-of-the-art golf instruction centre includes an indoor teaching school, a long game zone, a short game zone, a chipping and bunker zone, a putting zone and a par three, six-hole approach zone. If practice is your thing, then you cannot fail to be impressed.
The Melbourne Course at Brocket Hall Golf Club
The Melbourne course was the first course to be laid out in the grounds of Brocket Hall. The par 72 Melbourne Course was opened in June 1992 and is the handiwork of design duo and former Ryder Cup golfers Peter Alliss and Clive Clark. Both Alliss and Clark have spent many years excelling in various areas of the golf industry, and their encyclopaedic knowledge of the game shines through as soon as you set foot on the first tee of this beautiful golf course which follows the natural undulations and contours of the 18th century parkland.
Many people believe that this is one of the finest designs from BBC television’s voice of golf. The layout follows the natural contours of the undulating 18th century parkland and the course belies its tender age. Measuring 6,616 yards from the back tees, with par set at 72, the Melbourne course is not a slog. It represents an enjoyable but thoroughly challenging test. The holes are varied and interesting, with the River Lea providing a beautiful but daunting hazard. The river is in play right from the off, waiting to catch anything struck too far to the right. The par three 2nd requires a full 170-yard carry directly across the river to a green which is protected by trees on both sides.
As we plot our way round the Melbourne course, each hole continues to entertain and ask questions, but the most telling question is left until the last hole. The 18th is one of the finest closing holes in golf. This teasing downhill par five appears straightforward enough from the tee. A solid drive down the left and over the brow of the hill will leave a dilemma for all but the very best golfers.
The Palmerston Course
The par 73 Palmerston course offers a completely different challenge, as golfers navigate a meandering route through the woodlands. Created by the famed designer Donald Steel, it is one of the finest courses the revered English architect has ever created. Steel himself regards it as something rather special. The course winds its way through the undulating estate where majestic specimen trees, including hornbeam, beech and pines create a feeling of intimacy and pose as impressive hazards. Steel’s design philosophy was to provide a top quality course with the least possible intrusion on the site.
7080 yards in length, the course ambles its way through Brocket Hall’s ancient woodland and rare Hornbeam, Scots and Corsican Pine and 300 year old oak trees create some of the most spectacular hazards likely to be encountered on a golf course.
Note that a valid handicap certificate from player’s home club is required (Handicap limit: men 28, women 36). Visitors are welcome but you have to book in advance.