right, a good shot will leave a good to walk away
from the 1st with a par. A nice start.
The 2nd hole “The Oaks” is named after the trees
running along the right hand side, they won’t come
in to play but the array of bunkers on all points
of the clock face will cause you issues if you pick
the wrong club. It’s only 128 yards but the wind
swirls through this hole so make sure you take the
conditions in to account.
The bunkers here are amazing, you’ll actually enjoy
being in them and if you have missed them for the
first 3 holes it’s not that easy to escape them on
the 4th, the aptly named “Hells half acre” due to
its difficulty and arid appearance. This is the first
par five on the course, it has 6 bunkers in total
with the largest spanning over 110 yards in length
and near that again in’s width. If you do end up in
the sand (and you will) then enjoy it, the army of
green keepers on the course have these in pristine
condition, the sand is light * XX, as is expected on
a course of this quality, a good strike can see you
back on the green stuff with ease, unless you go
left where you’ll find more of the desert landscape.
The huge sculpted man-made lakes come in to play
on no less than 7 holes, the first is “The Oasis” 5th.
Tee to green is all water, respect this hole! Anything
less than a pure strike will see your ball sink, take an
extra club and aim slightly left, not to left though
as you may get swallowed up by the 10 bunkers
littering the fringe of the green.
The 8th “risk reward” hole is your classic “I can make
this shot” hole, you stand on the tee knowing what
awaits you, a long drive, over water and around an
island oak tree, 260 yards to the front of the green,
but you’ll try anyway, most of you won’t make it.
Stay safe, stay left & take what can be an easy par if
you take your medicine.
The 11th is another par 5, a par 5 that should be
simple in theory, an expanse of green fairway laid
out in front of you, no sand until you are near the
KEEP CALM AND STAY LEFT AND YOU’LL STAY AWAY
FROM THE HAZARD NAMED ‘THE SERPHANT’
green and a slight banking on the left to help keep
your ball in play. On the right 502 yards of water,
running the length of the hole with the edge of the
fairway sloping towards. “Keep calm and stay left”
and you’ll stay away from the hazard named “The
Serphant”.
green is surrounded by high low cut grass slopes
allowing you to really attack the green that slopes
back towards you if you are short. Take a par here,
shake you partners hand and congratulate each
other (no matter what your score) as you have just
played one of the UK’s finest courses.
Every hole at the Oxfordshire is golf at its best but
the 17th is classed as the signature hole, “Treble
Chance” was made to be watched by crowds
witnessing the world’s great players go for broke
if they needed to gain strokes on their competitors.
The lake again is in play on the left, it and the 100
yard long bunker on the right pinch the fairway
to ensure only straight drives are rewarded. Land
on the fairway