Essendon Country Club

Essendon Country Club: located in the former grounds of Bedwell Hall, a palatial Hertfordshire estate, you'll find Essendon's 18-hole Old course. This Fred Hawtree-designed layout occupies the southern half of the property. Laid out directly to the north of it, is the slightly more recent 18-hole New course.

Located in a quiet woodland environment, the ever-undulating Old course comprises two nine-hole loops. Included in the layout are five par-5s (back-to-back at 3 and 4) and five par-3s. The course heads uphill at the par-4 1st, away from the large comfortable clubhouse, which is located in the estate's former grand barn.

Generally good-width fairways wend their way uphill and down through tree-lined avenues. Good-sized bunkers are deployed, though not excessively, and some a goodly distance from the greens they are intended to defend. Meanwhile water hazards definitely play their part on a few holes ... notably at the long downhill par-3 2nd and even longer par-3 6th ... across which a long threatening pond must be crossed.

Challenging throughout (as most Fred W. Hawtree designs are), the constant elevation changes will be your primary course management challenge. After playing down the good-width fairways, many from nicely elevated teeing grounds, you'll arrive at greens that come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Interesting layout features also include a large multi-tiered double-green serving the par-5 3rd and 11th holes (which were the former 9th and 18th holes, before the advent of the New course). There's a pond between you and the green at the tough par-3 6th, and a huge tree in the middle of the very testing par-4 7th fairway. The arguably more varied back-nine culminates with the short par-5 18th; a stream flanking its rightside..