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Venues & Dates
Mill Ride Golf Club
Qualifying Round 1: Friday 6th June 2008
The Donald Steel designed Mill Ride opened for play in 1990 and is often described as having the characteristics of both links and parkland styles. Set in the grounds of a 175 acre private estate, the course winds itself expertly around seven lakes and has matured beautifully over the last fifteen years. Host to many championships including events on the European Seniors Tour and the Southern Region PGA Championship, this challenging course is also a regular hang out for lots of top European Tour golfers. The par 3 11th hole is one of the finest in Berkshire; at 175 yards over water with a shallow green, it is a genuine card wrecker. 18 holes. Par 72. Parkland.
Accommodation
Windsor Forest Court:These new apartments at Mill Ride truly provide a golfing home away from home. There are two apartments available that feature their own kitchen, bathroom and living room. The one bedroom apartment is situated on the first floor and has great views over the practice ground, while the ground floor two bedroom apartment has a terrace garden in which for you to relax after a day on the course. Alternative accommodation is also available at the nearby The Berystede Hotel.
Location
Mill Ride is conveniently positioned 15 minutes from Junction 3 of the M3 and the same from Junction 6 of the M4.
Directions to Mill Ride
M4 Exit 6
Take A355 to Windsor. At next roundabout take B3173. Continue until T
junction. Turn right. 3 miles to roundabout past Legoland. Turn right
into North Street. A mile later take the left slip road into Lovel Road.
Turn right at the cross roads into Hatchet Lane, then right into Forest
Road. The entrance is 600 yards on the left. (Entrance shuts at dusk,
please access using entrance in Fernbank Road, see below).
M3 Exit 3
Take A322 to Bagshot. After 2 miles take A332 to Ascot. Continue for 3
miles to Heatherwood Hospital roundabout. Take A329 to Bracknell. Turn
right at first set of lights into Fernbank Road. Turn left after 400
yards into Mill Ride.
Foxhills Club & Resort
Qualifying Round 2: Friday 20th June 2008
20 minutes from London's Heathrow airport lies a golf resort ranked as one of the world's best by The Observer.
At the heart of the 400 acre estate stands a nineteenth century manor house. In the grounds there are three championship golf courses, a tennis club, health spa, 4-star hotel, two-rosette restaurant, a brasserie and conference centre.
The Bernard Hunt Course is named after Bernard Hunt, MBE, who still teaches at the club. He was the first head professional at Foxhills and served for 25 years.
Bernard won 30 times on the European PGA Tour, played in the Ryder Cup 10 times, twice as Captain, and won the Tour's Order of Merit in 1961 and 1963.
Not surprisingly, the course that's named after him offers more than a few serious challenges for club golfers. The 10th hole, for instance, is a 445-yard par-4 that plays downhill initially and then sweeps uphill to a green protected by two bunkers in front of the putting surface. You have to keep your tee shot to the left of the fairway to have the best angle into a green which slopes wickedly from back right to front left. It is undoubtedly the most difficult hole on the inward nine and one where a par feels like a birdie. "It's a fantastically challenging hole", says Richard Summerscales, Head Professional at Foxhills.
"It's demanding off the tee and then the green is hard to hit being very narrow."
"The course is characterised by tall pines and gently sloping yet manicured fairways" - Golf World.
" The members call it 'cardiac hill'...".
Another real test can be found on the finishing hole, a dogleg of 446-yards. Somewhat unfairly, the members call it Cardiac Hill - but it's a truly great finishing hole, widely considered one of the most difficult in the country as the tee shot must carry more than 200 yards to reach the narrow fairway. Unless you hit a monster tee shot, your approach shot will be partially blind up the hill from where, in the distance, you can see the spacious double green that's shared with the finishing hole of the Longcross Course.
Contact Details
Foxhills, Ottershaw, Surrey, United Kingdom KT16 0EL
Call 01932 70 44 68 or email golf@foxhills.co.uk
Directions and a map can be located at:www.foxhills.co.uk
Wentworth Club
Grand Final: Friday 12th September 2008
Golf at Wentworth is a truly wonderful experience. Follow in the footsteps of the game's great players from the last 80 years - legends such as Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Tiger Woods.
It's a venue where the past, present and future come together where classic, timeless golf course design and tournament heritage meets 21st century course conditioning and immaculate playing surfaces.
The Grand Final of the 2008 Banks and Brokers Golf Championship will be played on Wentworth's Edinburgh Course home of the Wentworth Senior Masters.
Edinburgh Course
Open since 1990, the South or Edinburgh Course as it is now more commonly known was co-designed by world famous coach and former Ryder Cup player John Jacobs, nine-time major champion Gary Player and the Club's then professional Bernard Gallacher. Tall and majestic pine trees line many of the holes here, and they are frequently found standing sentry at the corners of the numerous doglegs. Unlike its older siblings, the East and West Courses, the Edinburgh features wide fairways and large greens, which makes it a popular choice for golfers who prefer the middle tees. Now home to the annual Senior Masters Championship, Wentworth's Edinburgh course will certainly provide even the best player with 18 holes of very challenging golf.
Edinburgh Course Fact File
Opened: 1923
Architect: John Jacobs (with Gary Player and Bernard Gallacher)
Par: 72
Length: 7,004 yards
Course Record: 67, Gary Orr
Tournaments held: Wentworth Senior Masters
Contact Details:
Wentworth Club, Wentworth Drive, Virginia Water, Surrey GU25 4LS
Telephone: 01344 842201