Ladies European Masters: Tranquil setting belies tricky Buckinghamshire test

Local legend has it that during the English Civil War while he was being hunted down by Oliver Cromwell’s parliamentary forces, the future King Charles II took refuge in a stately Buckinghamshire country manor.

And to confuse his pursuers, should they have called at the doors, he discarded his regal robes and disguised himself as ‘scullion boy’ doing all the rough-cleaning jobs in the household kitchens…

Nearly 400 years later Denham Court Mansion, admittedly much rebuilt but still a Grade II listed building, has a very different role.

It is the clubhouse for the Buckinghamshire Golf Club, which next week will play host to the top stars of the Ladies European Tour during the ISPS HANDA European Masters.

However, any suggestion that the clubhouse or the course – set in 226 acres of mature parkland – masquerades as anything short of a top-class golfing venue for such a high-profile tournament should be instantly dismissed.

In the final two decades of the last century, many new courses were built to cater for golf’s growing popularity. But 20 to 30 years on, lots of those have closed, or still just resemble bare fields that have had holes plonked on them. The 18-hole Buckingham-shire course only opened for play in 1992, but it is not just the clubhouse that contains a wonderful air of tradition; the course looks and plays as if it has been around for many years.

As its designer, the Yorkshireman and former European Ryder Cup captain, John Jacobs, says: “You want golf to be a stern test, but at the end of the day it must be one that you can enjoy.”

Testament to the success of his original aim to build a stern test is the fact that it is not just the Ladies European Tour that has chosen it for a tournament venue. It has already, in its relatively short history, played host to the European Senior Tour and been used as the European qualifying venue for the Andersen Consulting World Matchplay – the forerunner to the modern WGC Cadillac Matchplay Championship.

And with the whole course surrounded by traditional woodland and two rivers – The Colne and The Misbourne – meandering through seven of the holes, you will find that four hours spent playing its fairways is a good walk that can be enjoyed, but not spoiled.

Such is the peaceful atmosphere, it is certainly hard to believe that the Buckinghamshire lies only a couple of meaty blows from the M40, perhaps a couple of miles from the M25, and less than 20 minutes drive from the noisy runways of Heathrow.

And in the case of spectators attending the European Masters, it is a walk where watching many of the world’s top lady golfers in action is made easy because a lot of the fairways are flanked by mounds.

However, two issues regarding the way the course will be set up for the week are debateable. The LET has decided to switch the nines around, with play beginning on all four days from the tenth tee, and ending at the 165-yard par-three ninth.

Behind this closing hole sits the clubhouse, and members relaxing on the terrace and enjoying a drink will certainly enjoy seeing the action unfold on a green surrounded by some awkwardly placed bunkers.

The destiny of the tournament could hang in the balance here because of the par-four eighth hole, being played as the 17th, which is one of Jacobs’ most inventive designs.

Depending on the tee of the day, the green is drivable for the longer hitters, and while that involves a brave shot over a lake which runs all the way up to the front of the putting surface, it is a clear birdie, or even an eagle, opportunity that many players will be tempted to take on.

The alternative is to place an iron shot onto the fairway to the right of the lake, and then play a mid-iron second shot. But this will need to clear a bunker. However, any player leading by four or five shots on the Sunday afternoon would choose it as the safer and more sensible option.

Yet the same closing excitement could be witnessed on the par five – which in every other week of the year is the Buckinghamshire’s 18th hole – that also has the clubhouse, though not the bar and terrace, as a backdrop.

It possesses a huge risk-and-reward factor because slap bang in the middle of the fairway sits a giant oak tree, and unless a player’s drive is placed to the left or right on the fairway, it will have to be negotiated for the second shot with a strong draw or fade. And, trying to hit the green in two with a shaped shot around its branches is fraught with danger since the putting surface is guarded by water and bunkers to the left, with more sand sitting to the right.

The other intriguing aspect of the course is the size of the greens designed by Jacobs. Many of them are around 45 yards long, offering a variety of guarded pin positions. Misjudging the strength of an approach shot creates the immediate danger of a three or even a four-putt.

However, such experiences should not detract from the impression of a great golfing venue. Indeed, they simply add to it!

Tagged Buckinghamshire Golf Club, ISPS Handa Ladies European Masters, Ladies European Masters, Ladies European Tour, LET European Masters