The Berkshire Golf Club

Was priviledged enough to play on the Blue Course a few weeks back on a rare sunny day - what can I say, just superb! This is a proper heathland course with punishing bunkers and tough heather and rough. You simply can't be wayward here and the greens can also be very tricky. It isn't a long course but doesn't need to be - when a course begins with a 210 yard par 3 over heather, you know it's going to be a test - and believe me it is! There is a very traditional atmosphere there. The course is seldom busy and the locker rooms and general facilities are immaculatly kept, with good practice facilities to boot. The image of a stuffy old club wasn't in evidence. The people we spoke to were all very friendly, I suppose they are all a bit 'old-school' so from a personal point of view I suppose I'd prefer to be a member of a club with more younger members. But that doesn't detract from the place - if you get the chance to play, do so - you won't regret it!

I am a 17-handicapper and played The Berkshire on a summer Saturday (via a Society). Both courses are of excellent quality (played the Red in the morning, Blue after lunch). The Red is perhaps the better course given it has six par 3s, six 4s and six 5s (all courses should be made like this!), thus great variety. The first nine on the Blue for some reason felt quite short. This is a slightly random observation I admit, but the first nine on the Blue for some reason reminded me of Berkhamsted golf club - one of my favourite courses. The food in the friendly clubhouse was superb. Overall - brilliant!

To echo the last comment "Wow"!! Played both courses on a pretty wet and windy day and it was still a joy. Great greens, lovely fairways that feel like their laid on top of underlay! Had a 3 course lunch which was sumptuous, although I think the extra weight gained affected my afternoon performance... Shame about the insistance of jacket and tie for lunch, but a minor gripe given the overall enjoyment of the courses and club. Only one bland hole on either of the courses. The 11th on the Blue, which runs alongside the noisy A322. But even that had trouble all down the right handside, which gave food for thought. Overall, I can't wait to go back!

Wow! I knew it was going to be picturesque being set deep in the Bracknell Forest but pretty much every time you step on the tee it takes your breath away. It's a challenging test of golf too with long carries over thick gorse and deep rough botdering the fairways, although they are fairly wide so you can wind it up a bit. Par 3's are varied but on the whole the par 5's are generous with few over 500. I'd say the Red was the more enjoyable but the Blue the better course requiring more accuarate play. And as for the greens; I played after a week of snow and they were immaculate. Moving into the clubhouse, the lunch was gourmet and the treacle pudding top notch. All in all I'm just too embarassed about how much my society paid for the day but for 2 courses ranked 33 and 56 in the UK its a pleasure whatever the price. 10/10

Having lived in the area over 25 years this was my first visit and I was very impressed. Creative layout and variety of holes, testing fairways and rough, and greens of the highest order to compare with any championship course. Having played both Celtic Manor and Wentworth a few times recently this was superior in many respects. The Red Course is a real treat with 6 par 3's 4's and 5's so you never know what to expect when you reach the next tee. This is what golf is all about, go there and play it if you can. At £60 a round it is truly a bargain !! Al Murray

As usual I appear to be following Mr Young around to some of the UK's top venues. Actually I have played both courses at The Berkshire a few times over the years and of course, as has been stated by all before me, they can only ever be described as among the very best in the country. If one were to look at them from a purely objective point of veiw, one would have to conclude that they are out dated but in many ways that is their attraction. For example, look at the yardage of both courses. If they wanted something that would challenge the best they need about another 800 yards on both, but do they want that, no they do not and thank heavens for that. If you look at the record holders of the Berkshire trophy they are shortish but deadly accurate hitters of the ball (Van Phillips, Gary Wolsenholme), but why shouldn't accuracy be rewarded over pure length and why should par be so sacred. The courses challenge the thought processes as much as physical prowess but the real joy is the whole ambience and atmosphere of the place. Despite it's exclusivity, I have always felt welcome and at home there, a combination that other clubs are unable to achieve.

Two great courses. I think the Red edges it but there are plenty who would say they are firmly part of the Blue crew. Fantastic condition, immaculate greens, extremely varied (one hole: total isolation with trees on most sides, next hole: nice views over three holes from a good high vantage point). Very unforgiving heather (you may be surprised at the strange angles the ball can come out at) but surely the whole thing adds up to golf as it absolutely should be.

THE RED COURSE The Berkshire is simply a wonderful place to play golf. Of the two courses, the Red is the tougher and, in my opinion, marginally the better. Like the Blue Course, all the holes are beautifully laid out through the Berkshire forest south of Windsor. The tree-lined nature of virtually every hole means there is very little margin for error when it comes to wayward shots. Equally unforgiving is the heather that characterises similarly beautiful heathland courses such as Sunningdale and Ferndown. Unlike the Blue Course, though, the red is something of a golfing paradox: it comprises six Par 3s, six Par 4s and six Par 5s! Among the best holes are the Par 4 eighth, for which the second shot requires a long iron over a gentle valley to the green perched on the far side, the breathtaking 188-yard Par 3 tenth, which has a cavernous drop away to the right, the fun short-ish Par 4 eleventh, the astonishingly beautiful but equally challenging 221-yard Par 3 sixteenth, and the long, arcing Par 5 seventeenth. Each of these holes are truly great but, to be honest, the whole course is just fantastic. All in all, there is a compelling sense of illogicality about the Red Course. While it is often said that the mark of a great course is that you can instantly recall every hole afterwards, the forest and the layout makes the Red Course such a thrillingly disorientating experience that you finish overjoyed yet bewildered and dazed at what you’ve just experienced. Enough superlatives. The Red Course guide describes it as “a golfer’s delight” – take it from me, that’s an understatement. 9/10 Young P

THE BLUE COURSE Compared to the golfing paradox that is the Red Course, the Blue is much more of a conventional layout. Like the Red, it weaves through the stunning Berkshire forest and heathland, which immediately punishes any wayward shot. However, instead of six Par 3s, 4s and 5s, it comprises a more conventional 4 Par 3s, 11 Par 4s and 3 Par 5s. However, you definitely need to be in the zone right from the start! The Blue starts with a monster 217-yard Par 3, teeing off just yards away from the members’ bar and to a distant green that lies beyond a heather-covered valley. It’s a wonderful hole and one that you’re /very/ pleased to see the ball sailing anywhere towards the vague direction of the green! Pressure, what pressure?!? Other memorable holes include another long Par 3 at the tenth and the fiendishly demanding 452-yard Par 4 sixteenth. The latter is one of a very testing series of five consecutive Par 4s that finish the course. Unfortunately, the Blue doesn’t have quite the tranquillity of the Red as a road runs by holes 8, 9 and 10. However, it’s still a fantastic golfing experience. If you ever get the chance to play there, make sure you take it! 8.5/10 Young P

What a golf course. It was great. I played the Red and the Blue. Lost a number of balls, there is a lot of heather, but a great course, by far the best I have played in England. It would put a lot of courses in America to shame, I cannot understand why I had not heard of this course before. Play it, spend the day there, play the red in the morning and the blue in the Afternoon. I think I enjoyed the blue more, I played better but I had a great day. No golf trip to Europe is complete without playing this great course. Douglas

Tremendous golf course. Red was a little better than the blue. Spectacular par threes. The best set of par threes I have ever played. Excellent condition in a beautiful parkland setting. An absolute gem. A must for a golfing trip to England