Woburn Golf & Country Club Marquess

Opened in 2000, the Woburn Marquess course was a breath-taking addition to the golf club creating a 54-hole complex that is possibly unrivalled anywhere in the UK. Named after the then Marquess of Tavistock, the Marquess course is already being called the 'Jewel in the Crown'. Set within 200 acres of mixed woodland the Marquess course overlaps the county boundary dividing Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire and presents a variety of rolling and undulating terrain. The predominant tree species are pine, spruce, sweet chestnut and oak, while there are a number of rare specimens such as Corsican pine, yew, rowan and beech. The Woburn Marquess course has been designed to provide an enjoyable challenge for all golfers with each hole having its own unique character.

The Woburn Marquess course is the newest edition to the Woburn golf club and is certainly the hardest. From the back it can be a real brute as it winds it's way up and down dale through the tall trees of Woburn.

The Marquess is a little more generous from the tee than thae other 2 courses, but that does not mean that it is wide open. With several dog-legs you have to be straight and on the right side of the fairway otherwise you will be spending most of the day chipping out with your second shots.

There is also a lot of strategy to the course and it requries a few rounds to get it right as club selection from the tee is crucial on a lot of the par-4s. The short par-4 12th features water crossing the fairway and going up the side to the pond in front of the green and will require a stready nerve and good club selection to get a par or better.

The pick is the par-5 7th where the double fairway either side of a group of trees will really focus the mind. The shorter right hand side makes the green reachable but you may have to lay up to avoid running out of fairway.

There are many other excellent holes and facilties are first class on the practice range and in the clubhouse. It is a long walk around as it does have a corporate feel to the place but it is time well spent.