Liphook

Liphook occupies a corner of the Hampshire heathland that time seems to have treated gently. Arthur Croome's original design has survived the intervening century with its integrity largely intact, and the result is a course that feels genuinely of its era without feeling dated. The routing makes use of the rolling terrain to produce a variety of hole shapes and angles, and the bunkering, placed to catch the errant shot rather than punish the merely cautious, has an organic quality that distinguishes it from courses that have been repeatedly updated and modernised. Playing Liphook is, in part, an exercise in understanding what early twentieth-century heathland design looked like at its most considered.

The course's position near the Hampshire-Surrey border places it in good company. Within a reasonable drive, golfers can access some of the most celebrated heathland layouts in England, and Liphook fits naturally into a multi-day itinerary built around this part of the south. What it offers that some of its more famous neighbours do not is straightforward access; the club's welcoming attitude to visitors means that a round here rarely requires the same level of advance planning or the navigating of complex visitor restriction policies. That accessibility, combined with the quality of the course itself, makes Liphook a particularly appealing destination.

There is a quietness to a round at Liphook that reflects both the setting and the club's character. The course does not announce itself with dramatic elevation changes or signature holes that demand a photograph; instead, it builds a cumulative impression of thoughtful design and natural beauty that stays with a golfer long after the round is finished. For those who appreciate heathland golf at its most authentic, this corner of Hampshire is worth the journey.