The latest Your Golf Travel “familiarisation trip” was to The Oxfordshire Golf Hotel & Spa. Located just a mile Southwest of Thame in Oxfordshire, with excellent views of the rolling hills of the Chilterns, it’s a world away from the hustle and bustle of the London, which according to Google Maps you can reach in about an hour. It’s also easily accessible from all of the major airports and has great local rail links, making it simple for golfers travelling from afar to visit this great place also.
The Clubhouse was originally developed just over 20 years ago, setting out to combine Japanese and English design features to form a really special experience for its guests. Soon after the kitchens were extended to enable top class dining facilities and by the spring of 1993 seeding of the course was completed and The Oxfordshire was formally opened (minus the hotel & spa). It was the golf course architect Rees Jones who was commissioned to design The Oxfordshire (and as it was created for championship golf you will notice the stadium design it has on several of its holes). Jones is perhaps better known in the States, having designed a number of courses, including the redesign of the South Course at Torrey Pines and Bethpage’s Black Course, venue of the 2002 US Open.
Jones vision for The Oxfordshire is a modern parkland course in from the American mould.
Events at The Oxfordshire quickly followed the opening – firstly with the hosting of SPARKS day, the first annual Japan vs. Britain match, The Oxfordshire Ball and the Champions of Champions tournament. News of the course’s splendour soon spread, and by 1995 The Oxfordshire was selected to host both the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf and The Wilkinson Sword Ladies English Open. The following year the course was chosen to play host to the Benson & Hedges European Open, attracting some of the biggest names in golf at the time including: Nick Faldo, Jesper Parnevik and Gordon Sherry. The event stayed at The Oxfordshire until 1999, when it moved to The Belfry.
By the summer of 2010 The Oxfordshire could provide its guests with superb accommodation thanks to the 4-star hotel which was completed. The Oxfordshire boasts 50 en-suite modern guest rooms, a superb restaurant, comprehensive fitness centre as well as a luxury spa facility. These new facilities have perfectly complemented the magnificent tournament golf course, creating an easily accessible venue ideal for golf weekends, breaks away from the city and business/private events.
The beds at The Oxfordshire are superb – guaranteeing a great night’s sleep before golf.
Anyway that’s enough of the background; I’ll swiftly move on to my own personal experience – a one night’s dinner bed & breakfast at The Oxfordshire Golf Hotel & Spa.
We began with from the Your Golf Travel office (in central London); it took us just a couple of hours to get to – making it perfectly suitable for Londoners looking for a weekend break with golf on the Saturday (which is what we did).
Initial impressions of The Oxfordshire Golf Hotel & Spa couldn’t have been better. A warm welcome at reception was followed by dropping items off in the room, which was great! It was spacious, with a wall-mounted flat-screen TV, electronic security safe, tea & coffee making facilities, super comfy beds and great bathroom with bath and separate large shower – ideal accommodation for a golf break.
After becoming accustomed to the room it was time to head for a drink in The Lakes Lounge – the great atmosphere coupled with the great selection of drinks makes it the perfect place to have an evening drink. Had it been light outside, we would also have been able to enjoy the magnificent views across the golf course and surrounding countryside from the large bay windows which lead out onto a terrace (which would have been nice had it been warm and not raining).
A couple of drinks later and it was time for our inclusive 3-course meal at The Sakura Restaurant. I opted for the smoked salmon, rib-eye steak (as did most of the YGT group) and a chocolate mousse for dessert. All-in-all the meal was superb – everything perfectly cooked, elegantly presented and impeccably served. Back to The Lakes Lounge for a another drink or two before heading off to bed for a good night’s sleep in preparation for the main event at The Oxfordshire – the golf course!
When I woke up I was eager to get out there and follow in the footsteps of the likes of the Benson & Hedges International winners Colin Montgomerie, Bernhard Langer, Darren Clarke and Stephen Ames. Our tee time was 10.40, so it left plenty of time for a filling breakfast (buffet fry-up with a continental option) as well as some much needed practice on the range and putting green to get a feel for things.
The signature 17th hole is among the The 500 World’s Greatest Golf Holes!
The Oxfordshire was in good condition considering the rain heavy rain that the course had endured the previous few days, fairways were lovely and the greens were in a superb condition (not bad for the middle of March!). The course can measure up to 7,200 yards from the back pegs! But we decided it would be more enjoyable playing the course a little shorter, so we tee’d off from the yellows. I started my round at unbelievably well, birdying the 1st and the 2nd! I remember thinking to myself on the 3rd tee “I wonder what the course record its!?” I think these thoughts affected my next shot, as I proceeded to hit my tee shot high and right into the heavy stuff never to be seen again…back to reality it was.
Looking back on reflection there are a number of memorable holes that stand out for me personally, but I’ll keep it short and just stick to two of my favourites from my round at The Oxfordshire.
First off I’ll start with my favourite of the four par-3’s that The Oxfordshire has to offer – No. 13 “Precision”. Certainly not the longest of par-3’s (measuring just 147 yards from the yellows) but the carry is all over water, so getting the distance right is a necessity. There are bunkers back right, front right and left of the putting surface, so as with most par-3’s the green is the place to be. The sand trap at the back of the green is especially daunting; if you over-hit or thin your shot then you’re guaranteed to be in the wet stuff. On this hole I stupidly caught my tee shot fat (definitely not the recommended approach to this hole) and it landed 10 yards short of land, so I reloaded and landed it right in the middle of the green then two-putted for a double.
The signature hole at The Oxfordshire is the 17th, “Treble Chance”. It is a marvellous 516 yard par-5 (playing up to 600 from the back tees), which is dominated by a huge lake that runs down the left hand side of the fairway. What makes “Treble Chance” particularly special is the risk/reward decision the hole leaves you with. Choose to either play your second shot over the water to the fairway on the left where you will leave a shorter approach to the green, or if you consider this too risky, you can take the second option and play down the fairway on the right. This way round will leave a slightly longer approach over the corner of the lake to the green which is severely sloping. Things were slightly better for me on this hole, I played the safe route, was on the green in three and two-putted for a very pleasing par-5 on a very tough hole.
An interesting fact about the 17th is that it was the scene for Padraig Harrington’s worst score as a professional – taking 13 strokes just a week after he turned pro back in 1996!
A trip to The Oxfordshire is highly recommended if you’re looking for great golf & warm hospitality.
Having thoroughly enjoyed by experience of The Oxfordshire I can confirm that it is a true championship layout and not just one with the epithet attached for marketing purposes. It’s certainly a tough course (my total score reflected this) so I’d recommend bringing some extra balls as there are plenty of opportunities to lose them to a watery grave. All-in-all a golf break to The Oxfordshire is certain to be an enjoyable one – great accommodation, entertaining & challenging championship golf, top food and an ideal location…what more could you ask for?
If you like what you’ve heard you’ll be glad to know that we offer some great golf packages to The Oxfordshire starting from just £69! This includes 1 Night, 1 Round, Bed & Breakfast.
