A Stoke Park stay and play break is a memorable experience thanks to 27 holes of golf and amazing off-course facilities. Jeremy Ellwood pays a visit…
Stoke Park Stay And Play Review
The iconic mansion at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire
On course Colt: par 35, 3,341 yards Alison: par 35, 3,242 yards Lane Jackson: par 36, 3,070 yards
Golfers will want to sample all three nines during their stay, and all three have undergone major upgrades and transformations in recent years, now displaying some very bold bunkering that both frames the holes and adds to their strategic challenge.
The original course, comprising what are now the Colt and Alison nines, arrived in 1909, with the Lane Jackson nine – set around the boating lake and a little shorter than the other loops – a delightful later addition.
The early holes on the Lane Jackson nine hug the boating lake
The Colt nine opens with a reasonably generous par 4 but quickly comes alive on the down-and-up par-3 3rd across a valley to a well-bunkered target. The long par-4 4th is then fully deserving of its Stroke Index 1 status, with OOB right a constant threat.
Looking back up the 1st hole on Stoke Park’s Colt nine
The 7th ranks among the most famous holes, as it provided the inspiration for Alister MacKenzie’s 16th at Augusta National. You may not ‘get this’ when you play it, but once you learn that the 16th green at Augusta was originally set the other side of the lake, it all falls into place.
The magnificent par-3 7th on the Colt nine with its bold new bunkering
The holes here wend their way through mature parkland and some wonderful arboreal specimens, with the second hole on the Alison nine among the visual highlights – a truly delightful short par 3 across water to a beautifully framed green.
The par-3 2nd on the Alison nine is one of the prettiest holes at Stoke Park
The Alison nine concludes with an excellent four-hole stretch from the very well-guarded par-3 15th the other side of the entrance drive.
Off course The iconic white 18th-century mansion at Stoke Park must surely provide one of the grandest stay-and-play experiences in the UK, dominating the landscape and forming a striking backdrop to a number of the 27 holes. Even those who have never before visited will often recognise it as it played a starring role in the…
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