Dai Rees, the great Welsh player and Ryder Cup Captain, called the 6th the most challenging par three in Britain and only a perfect shot can avoid the steep bank on the right and a bunker on the left to find the elevated green.
After the 8th the course turns, with the holes from the 9th to the 15th presenting equally subtle challenges with their different architectures and slightly different directions. The 9th is stroke index 1 for men and ladies and golfers will soon see why, with the line of bunkers down the left and the entrance to the green as narrow as the Road Hole at St Andrews.
The 13th is a glorious short par three played back in the opposite direction, with a shortish iron in theory providing a great birdie chance but major problems awaiting a poor shot.
The 14th is a “risk-reward” par five designed so beautifully that it provides a majestic challenge despite having only one bunker and the 15th goes one better; what many regards as Ashburnham’s best and most demanding hole, a long par four with a sloping green, has no bunkers at all!
The 18th provides, as a final test, the requirement for a lofted approach shot to carry a bank to reach the elevated green and we trust that golfers as they leave this green, will, even if Ashburnham’s challenge has given them a last-minute disaster, reflect on the overall quality of the course and the beautifully true manicured greens.
