We focus on the charming Burhill Golf Club in Surrey, with it's grand Georgian Mansion clubhouse and 36 holes of golf
Burhill: A Quintessentially British Golf Club
Many clubs in the stockbroker belt to the west of London are blessed with impressive clubhouses, but the grand white 18th-century mansion at Burhill Golf Club just off the A3 is arguably most impressive of all.
Both club and estate are rich in history, with Burhill coming into existence in 1907 when a group of local businessmen leased the mansion and sufficient land for two golf courses from the Guinness family.
Those who last played here more than 15 years ago may query the ‘two golf courses’ element of that previous sentence, as the New course only opened in 2001.
Related: Burhill Old Course Review
But until the second world war, Burhill also had a South course, with the land given up for arable use to help the war effort.
The Old course was created by two-time Open Champion, Willie Park Jr, and offers an extremely enjoyable mid-length stroll through the leafy Surrey countryside.
Burhill’s New Course has hosted the EuroPro Tour
Park, it would seem, had a slightly mischievous mind when it came to putting. When the greens on the Old are at peak summer pace, you can face some very testing putts, especially on the 4th, 6th and 7th.
The Old finishes strongly and a birdie on the par-5 14th will come in handy, for the final stretch offers up three stout par 4s and a well-bunkered short hole.
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As you might expect given it was created nearly 100 years after the Old, the New serves up a contrasting, and indeed longer, test, stretching to almost 7,000 yards off the tips.
The layout is well bunkered and there is water aplenty to contend with, sometimes in the form of the River Mole.
Half a dozen par 4s play over 400 yards, the pick of them perhaps the 15th, where accuracy is required off the tee and then length and courage on the long approach over water.
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Fittingly, the finale makes maximum visual use of the grand Georgian mansion. The very pretty par-3 18th plays directly back towards it over water, with tall trees standing guard short right.
There are many other prestigious clubs nearby in this part of Surrey, but Burhill more than holds its own in such exalted company.
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