Royal Ascot Golf Club

Royal Ascot celebrated its 125th Anniversary year in 2012 but its course is now one of the newest and best courses in Berkshire, having moved from its old course on Ascot Heath in the middle of the racecourse in 2005. A round at the Royal Ascot club remains an historic affair. This Berkshire club was formed in 1887 and within a year had been awarded royal status by Queen Victoria. Indeed, many of her children learned to play golf at the club and The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, was patron of Royal Ascot in 1901. JH Taylor, then holder of the Open Championship, laid out the course and Joseph Longhurst was appointed the first club professional in 1916. However, nearly a century later, Royal Ascot had to find new premises when the Racecourse Authority undertook a major redevelopment of the racecourse; as a result, the club moved to a new course across Winkfield Road on the site of the former Ascot Farm, once a medieval deer forest and a 100 years earlier the home of a small golf club for local traders know as Ascot St George’s. RAGC moved into its new clubhouse just before Christmas 2004, while still playing on what remained of the old Heath course. The new course opened for play in August 2005, with distinguished member and former Ryder Cup star Barry Lane playing in the first match – and was then formally opened by club patron HRH Prince Andrew in May 2006. The challenging parkland course is laid out on 150 acres of wooded Crown land and has been described as one of the best new English courses.  It is a Members’ Club – who benefit from reciprocal arrangements with other Royal clubs worldwide – but welcomes societies, guests, charity events and visitors.  

The par 5s are a real strength of RAGC and it closes with one, a sweeping hole that doglegs right up the hill to a green that is located directly in front of the clubhouse.

Royal Ascot has seen several players progress from the Junior ranks to high echelons of golf, including Lane, who made over 500 appearances on the European Tour and played on the 1993 Ryder Cup Team, and Anthony Wall, a regular on the European Tour and who won the 2000 Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa. The new course begins a la Royal Lytham with a stiff par-3 opener. Off the backs it is 229 yards and although it plays downhill it is a good thump for everyone – an opening par here is to be cherished. The next is a more gentle test, a par 5 of 535 which can be played sensibly to produced a par – although its dog-leg nature mean a birdie is a tough ask. With out of bounds on the right and a small green, it is a terrific test. The first real chance of a birdie for most players is the 4th, a 320-yard two shotter which asks you to lay up before the replica JH Taylor bunker and then hit a short iron to a green with subtle borrows. The front nine ends with an exacting par 4, where your drive is ideally hit up the left of the fairway bunker but right of the large tree and short of the cross-fairway water hazard. Stroke Index 1 arrives at the 12th, where many members play for a five and are not totally disappointed with a six. It is wise not to do anything other than play within your limitations here. The 15th is a more appealing challenge, a 478-yard par which doglegs left and is reachable by the longer hitters. You aim your drive to the left of the oak on the right side of fairway and keep your second shot straight to avoid penal rough to both left and right of fairway.  The par 5s are a real strength of RAGC and the course closes with one, a sweeping hole that doglegs right up the hill to a green that is located directly in front of the clubhouse.  The long-hitter may consider flying the first ditch at 265 yards with his drive which would leave a 230-yard uphill shot to the green that is located just over a small lake.  Others may prefer to hit a more conservative drive short of the ditch, ensuring you do not block yourself behind the oaks on the left. Then keep your second up the left of the fairway to give a view of green and less water to carry with your third.