North Hants Golf Club

A James Braid design that was improved by the legendary Harry Colt in 1913, the course is a superb example of a mature heathland layout with a delightful mix of heather and tall trees bordering each impressively manicured fairway. This is club that is home to one of the biggest Amateur Tournaments in the game – The Hampshire Hog – an event won in the past by Sandy Lyle, Michael Bonallack and US Open Champion Justin Rose, amongst many others. Justin learned his golf here as a junior and still returns to play with his many friends. Measuring 6600 yards from the back tees, North Hants is a true test of every club in the bag and now enjoys the sort of greens and fairways that only a recently installed irrigation system can ensure. Just to get the heart racing, the course starts with a devilishly difficult 200 yard par three to a well bunkered green, a hole even the club’s star players are mostly happy to take a bogey on. A sweeping dog leg second hole from a raised tee provides another tricky par but this gives way to a much more comfortable and, for the low handicapper at least, a reachable par 5 third. This is a new hole, one of three designed by Donald Steel in 2001, and includes a spectacular approach over a lake to a raised and well contoured green. The rest of the front nine is classic heathland golfing fare, firm fairways giving way to well protected and fast greens. The short 8^th is a classic par 3 which, though only 130 yards, requires a precise shot over a steep bunker to a narrow two tier green. When the pin is on the bottom, this is a true challenge. A recently re-bunkered ninth hole brings you back towards the impressive clubhouse and one of the best halfway houses anywhere in the region. So take a breather and enjoy one of our locally sourced sausage or bacon rolls before heading back out onto the back nine. Now it gets tricky. Another challenging, long par 3 starts the back nine so even if you start your round at the 10^th it hardly breaks you in gently. The uphill 11^th requires an accurate drive to avoid a well placed bunker about 230 yards up the left and then needs a decent shot to assure you of a par. The 12^th is stroke 1 – a long sweeping dog leg to a two tier green with bunkers either side that tests even the finest strikers. The last 6 holes of the course are a delightfully varied mix; up and down, doglegs both ways, a great par 3 15^th and a long, challenging par 5 17^th that has a green reminiscent of the Road Hole at St Andrews. As you step onto the 18^th tee and face the imposing clubhouse once more, you will be 420 yards away from our final green, so enjoy a fantastic finishing hole. <h2>Signature Holes:</h2> 1^st an 10^th, two great par threes that start each half. The new 3^rd which requires a long, accurate drive down the left side of a sloping fairway to give you a shot of the green in two over a large lake.