English golf – the home of heathland
Scotland may consider itself the ‘home of links golf’, but England can lay claim to another proud title that often goes unrecognised on the world stage; the home of heathland golf.
For hundreds of years, golf in England has been played among the heather, gorse and fescue. There are classic hidden gems with rolling, fast-draining fairways. Lightning-quick greens harbour subtle breaks to flummox even the most accomplished of putters.
Famous course architects have put their names to many of these great venues. Alister MacKenzie, Harry Colt, James Braid, and Herbert Fowler are synonymous with the quality heathland courses that run the full length and breadth of our often-overlooked golfing destination.
In 2020 alone, England Golf Championships are taking hundreds of competitors to no fewer than 11 heathland courses across the country:
- Broadstone Golf Club
- Frilford Heath Golf Club
- Ganton Golf Club
- The Hotchkin at Woodhall Spa Golf Club
- Luffenham Heath Golf Club
- Moortown Golf Club
- Northamptonshire County Golf Club
- Piltdown Golf Club
- Sand Moor Golf Club
- Sherwood Forest Golf Club
- St George’s Hill Golf Club
Each of these courses has its own charm, challenge, and character and they are all representative of the excellence that heathland has to offer.
We want everyone to celebrate our English pedigree and shout about this to our friends and colleagues who travel to the British Isles for golfing tourism.
Don’t just travel to play Scottish and Irish links. Come and see what England has to offer!
We should start by heeding this advice ourselves. When we are next arranging our annual society golf trip, planning our Captains’ away weekends or looking to book a golfing escape with a loved one – why not hunt out courses with heather-lined fairways and rapid greens on our home patch?
