Neil Hotchkin, son of Stafford Vere Hotchkin, facilitated the sale of Woodhall Spa to the English Golf Union in 1995. Soon after, Donald Steel was commissioned to design a new course adjacent to the Hotchkin, named the Bracken. Unlike its heathland counterpart, the Bracken course occupies a landscape of woodland and former farmland, offering more forgiving fairways and greenside bunkers.
Highlighted by the challenging par five 4th hole, rated as stroke index 1, the Bracken features a green guarded by a small pond. Adjacent to this is the par four 15th hole, which runs in the opposite direction with fairways separated by a tree-lined stream that stretches the length of both holes. These contrasting elements between water features and tree lines characterise the Bracken’s unique design and playability compared to the Hotchkin course.
