The Berkshire Golf Club: Blue Course Review, Green Fees, Tee Times and Key Info

The final short hole, the thirteenth, before the demanding finish

(Image credit: Kevin Murray)

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By Rob Smith

published 29 March 2023

The Berkshire Golf Club Blue Course Key Information

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Header Cell - Column 0	Header Cell - Column 1
Address	Swinley Road, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 8AY
Phone	01344 621495
Website	theberkshire.co.uk
Email	golf@theberkshire.co.uk
GFs	£220 Mon-Fri, £300 Weekends after midday
Visitor Times	All week by prior arrangement
Par	Men 71, Women 72
Slope	White/M 131, Red/W 136
Opened	1928
Architect	Herbert Fowler

Golf Monthly Verdict

The Blue Course at The Berkshire is the Red Course’s tougher brother and serves as the perfect complement. It nonetheless still has oodles of charm and character, but matching par on many of the holes is unquestionably more difficult. With its closing quintet of varied and challenging two-shotters, there is also a very real sting in the tail.

Reasons To Play The Berkshire Blue

– A supreme heathland design whose difficulty is matched by its beauty

– One of the toughest opening holes - a par 3 - in the Top 100

– Half of one of the best 36-hole days in golf anywhere in the UK&I

Rankings

UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2023/24 - 56

For most golfers, The Berkshire Golf Club Blue Course is the tougher of two excellent designs here, and certainly the harder on which to score well. Both are among the very best heathland golf courses in the UK.

This picturesque and challenging Herbert Fowler design makes the very best use of the land’s natural slopes with the holes fitting perfectly into the rolling landscape. Unlike The Red Course, there is a more conventional layout with three par 5s, two of which come fairly early on, and four short holes including a stunning opener. Over 200 yards, it is both a gem and a brute of a long par 3, played over an ocean of heather and deep valley. Start with a par here, and you are very much ahead of the game.

This is followed by a gentle but very pretty par 4 played from an elevated tee, and then a reachable par 5. If you have struggled at the opening hole, they each offer the chance for redemption.

From now until the turn is the time to score well if you can, as with the exception of the tough par-4 8th, this stretch is lovely but also a little more forgiving. Each hole has its challenges and there is a new and inviting vista on every tee. The 10th is another terrific short hole played from an elevated tee and with a very attractive pond waiting to gather anything short and right, while next is a short but almost double-dog leg par 5, the final such hole.

The 12th is a very distinctive par 4 played down to an unusual split-level green, and this is followed by the final par 3 which is once again played over a sea of heather.

The closing five holes, an excellent sequence of tough and varied par 4s, delivers one of the sternest finishes in the Top 100. Each asks new and different questions, beginning with a blind drive from an elevated tee, where it’s important not to go too far right.

The 15th doglegs to the left and is lovely, and the 16th plays extremely long, again from right to left, and this time down over a ditch then up to a raised green. It is a super-tough hole where a par certainly feels like a birdie. Seventeen is another dogleg, this time from left to right, where it is all too easy to be blocked out, and the closing hole plays longer than you imagine as the approach is up the hill. This is quite simply one of the best golf courses in England.

Work to clear many trees and open up the views is really paying dividends, and along with the Red Course, The Berkshire Blue is clearly among the best golf courses in Berkshire as well as one of the best 36-hole venues in the UK&I.

What The Top 100 Panel Said

Rob Fear

Stunning vistas across towering pines and vibrant heather from start to finish. A picturesque heathland setting. Quite a bit of scrub had been removed in the last 2 years, opening up the land around the 1st, 2nd & 18th in particular. A beautiful heathland venue, with 36 holes available in wooded seclusion. The sort of place you could never tire of.

Top 100 Golf COurses UK and Ireland in association with Peter Millar

Cameron More

The property is fantastic for golf with a lot of very pretty holes!

John Winter

Laid out on flatter ground, the Blue has a more traditional layout with a tough opener, a strong sequence of finishing holes and fantastic variety and strategic challenges in-between. The course has quirkiness and personality, and is very attractively set in well drained heathland with an abundance of colourful heather and soft sand cut from a pine forest.

The Berkshire Golf Club Location

The Berkshire Golf Club Green Fees

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18 holes	£145	Mon to Fri, to Apr 16th 2023
18 holes	£200	Weekend
36 holes	£200	Mon to Fri
18 holes	£220	Mon to Fri, from Apr 17th to Oct
18 holes	£300	Weekend
36 holes	£300	Mon to Fri

The Berkshire Blue Course Scorecard

Best Courses Near The Berkshire

Best Places To Stay Near The Berkshire

Macdonald Berystede Hotel - Book now via Booking.com

Styled like a French chateau, this historical manor has a relaxing spa with swimming pool and gym, and boasts an AA Rosette-rated restaurant. It is set in peaceful gardens and woodland and has an indoor pool with views across the gardens. It also offers an outdoor hydrotherapy pool, thermal suites and beauty treatments.

The Talbot Inn, Woking - Book now via Booking.com

The Talbot Inn serves real ales and locally sourced, seasonal produce in its bar and restaurant. Dating from the 18th century, this 4-star hotel has modern, spacious rooms with plasma-screen TV, en suite bathroom and large rain shower.

The Berkshire Red Course Gallery

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The Berkshire Blue - Hole 2 — The second green on the Blue Course(Image credit: Kevin Murray)

Historical Top 100 Rankings UK&I

2023/24 - 56
2021/22 - 56
2019/20 - 59
2017/18 - 57
2015/16 - 57
2013/14 - 60
2011/12 - 63
2009/10 - 63

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the better course at The Berkshire?

Going purely by the Golf Monthly rankings, then you have to say it’s the Red! However, the Blue is the tougher on which to score, and so may well appeal more to the lower handicapper for whom challenge and strategy can be key. For anyone seeking adventure and variety, then it may well be the Red. The best suggestion is to play them both and then to try and make up your own mind!

How many clubs like The Berkshire have more than one course in the Top 100?

There is a surprising number that are lucky enough to have more than one Top 100 entry; St Andrews, Sunningdale, Walton Heath and Saunton each have two, while Gleneagles and Woburn are actually blessed with three.

Which is the best hole on the Berkshire Blue?

Most people will point to the par 3s that open each nine. The 1st is a daunting prospect to open your round, while the 10th is extremely pretty with a pond short and right to add to the beauty. Each requires a committed and solid blow.

Rob Smith has been playing golf for 45 years and been a contributing editor for Golf Monthly since 2012. He specialises in course reviews and travel, and has played more than 1,200 courses in almost 50 countries. In 2022, he played all 21 courses in East Lothian in 13 days. Last year, his tally was 81, 32 of them for the first time. One of Rob's primary roles is helping to prepare the Top 100 and Next 100 Courses of the UK&I, of which he has played all but seven and a half... i.e. not the new 9 at Carne! Of those missing, some are already booked for 2024. He is a member of Tandridge in Surrey where his handicap hovers around 16. You can contact him at r.smith896@btinternet.com.