The Berkshire Golf Club, home to the Red and Blue courses designed by Herbert Fowler in 1928, offers a timeless golfing experience amidst forested heathland that once served as royal hunting grounds. Fowler’s genius in integrating the courses with the natural landscape has preserved their charm over the decades, with minimal alterations to his original layout.
The Red course, slightly longer at 6,369 yards from the white tees, features a unique configuration of six par threes, six par fours, and six par fives. This design provides ample variety and challenge, demanding accuracy over power due to narrow fairways lined by mature trees—sycamore, birch, chestnut, and pine. Each hole is a secluded journey through these majestic tree tunnels, requiring precise play to avoid the heather and trees that border the fairways.
Despite its shorter par fives, the Red course compensates with intriguing par fours and outstanding par threes, making every round memorable. It has hosted prestigious amateur events like the Berkshire Trophy, boasting winners like Nick Faldo and Sandy Lyle. The standout hole, the 6th, exemplifies the course’s character—a dogleg right par four that demands a strategic tee shot to set up a manageable approach.
Recent restoration efforts by Tim Lobb’s design firm have revitalised bunkers and enhanced the landscape, ensuring that Fowler’s vision and the Berkshire’s allure continue to captivate golfers seeking a classic, challenging, and picturesque round.
