Kedleston Park

Kedleston Park is a James Braid inspired championship length course which offers an outstanding test of golf for players of all levels.

Located on the outskirts of Derby, it is one of the finest courses in the East Midlands and it features many a characteristic of the great designer.

Dog-legs, tree-lined fairways, plenty of bunkers and even the odd dalliance with water all feature throughout a round at Kedleston Park.

Visit the Kedleston Park website here.

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The Markeaton Club was formed in 1895 and became one of the founding clubs of the Derbyshire Union in 1913. When closure was imminent, the club commissioned the great James Braid to design a course over the mature parkland in the grounds of Kedleston Hall.

The course opened for play in 1947, having moved from the Markeaton Golf Club, which is now the site of Derby University, Kedleston Road Campus. John Morrison, of Colt, Allison and Morrison, was drafted in to finalise Braid’s original pre-Second World War plans.

The greens where reconstructed in the late 1990's to USGA sand-based specifications, while a recent project from Tom Mackenzie (of MacKenzie & Ebert) has improved the bunkers and greenside complexes.

Indeed, the quality of the course has been recognised many times when Kedleston Park has hosted various national and regional events. Most recently it has been used as a regional qualifying venue for the Lombard Trophy.

The holes meander through mature trees, with a lake forming the centrepiece of the course and featuring on several holes. As perhaps would be expected, the Braid inspired doglegs form a significant part of many holes on the course - almost as a hallmark of the man responsible for creating the layout. At its longest, Kedleston Park pushes past 7,000 yards, so be prepared for a long afternoon if that’s your idea of fun. It is still 6,440 yards from the Yellows...

The opener is a gentle par 5, at less than 500 yards. However, your first tee shot of the day requires accuracy, as a bunker on either side of the fairway makes it a narrow landing zone. Another bunker left of the green is a good line for those laying up, with the green diagonally angled away from you to make the first that bit trickier. 2 and 3 are both long par 4s of more than 400 yards. The former is a dog-leg left, while the latter is a dog-leg right. Two fairway bunkers sit on the outside corner of the 2nd, while the 3rd has a ditch running across it some 60 yards from the hole.

The 4th is the first of the quartet of short holes at Kedleston, and it comes in at 160 yards from the Whites. Three bunkers protect the green, one which is small and round. The first of the signature holes is the 5th - a 527 yard par-five which plays up to the lake and features a large copper beech tree which guards the green. The tee shot has to be aimed out to the right, avoiding the trees and the two bunkers on the inside corner of the hole. 6 is another testing par 4, which starts and ends by the water. Thanks to the dog-leg right, the tee shot moves away from the hazard, but the green sits right by the water’s edge. The par 3 7th is the shortest hole on the course, measuring just 157 yards but is both picturesque and demanding, with the lake guarding the front of the green.

The 8th is a generous par 4 and a definite birdie chance if you have given a shot away at the last. It is only 325 yards and has a wide fairway, so long as you keep it out of the trees on either side. The green is tucked back into the trees, but it should only be a low iron or wedge that you are hitting into this green. The final hole on the front nine is another long par 4. The 9th is a 403-yard hole which moves slightly from right to left, and finishes at a large green guarded by two bunkers. Once back at the clubhouse, the 10th then takes you away again, with a gentle dog-leg right to begin the back nine. The fairway has bunkers on either side, while the green also has two traps on its right. A lake sits to the left side of the putting surface to make the approach that bit more difficult.

11 is the first of the par 3s on the back side at Kedleston, and it is an approach played to a large putting surface. Although 188 yards in length, there is room if you miss on either side, as long as you cover the two bunkers that sit towards the front of the green. The 440-yard 12th is the Stroke Index 1, and it is a brute of a par 4. Avoiding the bunkers on either side of the fairway is a must, while the green is large but protected by three bunkers and trees. 13 is a 485-yard par 5, playing as a dog-leg right with yet another bunker in the landing zone. Four more traps are by the green, and it is a hole that is best to lay up on instead of taking the big second shot on towards the surface.

14 and 15 both features a ditch running across the fairway, but it is more prominent on the former. It cuts across the short grass around the 230-yard mark, so make sure you know your distances to either stay short or to blast it past. Although there are no traps by the green, trees do protect the surface. On 15, the ditch should not be in play as it runs across the hole before you reach the fairway. Playing as a left-to-right hole, your tee shot must make it to the corner for you to have a clear view of the green. It is 415 yards in length, with the peanut-shaped green protected by two more bunkers.

The closing stretch at Kedleston Park begins with the last of the par 3s. The 16th is a 185-yard challenge but there is just the one bunker to avoid, sitting on the right of the green. However, a large tree stands tall on the left of the surface, with another row of trees behind the green. The 17th is the last of the par 5s, playing as a dog-leg right, and one where the tee shot must find the left side of the fairway if you are even thinking about taking it on. At 512 yards, it will be a three-shotter for most, with a wedge being played into this large green from in front of the two fairway bunkers that sit around 40 yards shy of the green. The closing hole is another long par 4, and another dog-leg, this time to the left. It is another hole where your tee shot must reach the corner for you to be able to make it to the green with your second shot, but at 420 yards in length, that is easier said than done. The green is guarded by a solitary bunker in front of it, while trees loom on both sides.

Where is Kedleston Park located?

Kedleston Park Golf Club sits to the northwest of the city of Derby in the East Midlands, by the village of Quarndon. The centre of Derby is just four miles away by road, while its former site is on the same road, around two miles from its current location. The A6, A38 and A52 all run close by, while the M1 – which runs north-south, is on the opposite side of Derby. Both Nottingham and Stoke-on-Trent are within an hour’s drive from Kedleston Park.

Although Duffield is slightly closer, Derby Station provides a wider range of destinations for those using the train. Services run to Leeds, Birmingham New Street, Edinburgh, London St Pancras and East Midlands Airport. The airport sits to the southeast of Derby, and with it being within 20 miles of the Kedleston Park, it is the closest international airport to the golf club. Birmingham Airport and Manchester Airport – the latter being the biggest airport in the UK outside of London – are within 50 miles of the venue.

Are there any NCG Top 100s: England venues nearby?

The Midlands is blessed with many a course on the NCG Top 100s: England list. The JCB Club, Sherwood Forest and Notts Golf Club (Hollinwell) are all within 30 miles of Kedleston Park, while Cavendish, Beau Desert and The Belfry’s Brabazon Course are only slightly further away.

What golf facilities does Kedleston Park offer?

Along with the 18-hole layout, Kedleston Park also has some incredible practice facilities. The driving range is full-length and covered, and features a Fitting and Teaching Studio as well. The club also has the Scarsdale Short Game area, which comprises of a contoured chipping green with two bunkers, swales and mounds to practice chipping from. The putting green sits at the back of the 18th green, and in front of the clubhouse.

What are the green fees at Kedleston Park?

The price of a green fee at Kedleston Park changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.

For more information on current green fees at Kedleston Park, visit their website here.