Hole by hole

In 1920The opening hole ran due north from beside the clubhouse, up the east side of Green Lane, with bunkers on both sides and a band of mounds just short of the green on Swain's plan. Bernard Darwin, writing in about 1937, says that after 1936 golfers walked round the clubhouse to reach it and that its green lay in a deep hollow, which made the distance hard to judge. A note on Our Oxhey remembers a periscope at a hollow in the north-east corner of the course in 1937, though it does not name the hole.^1,2,3,4,5,6

After 1936Became the 13th (407 yards on both cards). Darwin says the old 1st was renumbered the 13th, and the club's minutes of August 1946 say the new London County Council (LCC) road on the north-east boundary would take the 13th green.

TodayThe tee was on the rough grass east of Green Lane, across the lane from the Green Lane car park by the old Pavilion. The hole ran north up the strip between Green Lane and Prestwick Road, later part of the Oxhey Park nine-hole course, to a green near the Green Lane and Prestwick Road junction.

Look forFrom the Green Lane car park, look north up the lane: the old opening hole ran up the grass on the right-hand side.

In 1920A long hole back down the corridor between Green Lane and the railway, with a cross-bunker about a third of the way and two bunkers short of the green on Swain's plan. Darwin, writing after 1936 when it had become the 14th, found it long and well guarded, and in winter probably more interesting from a forward tee.^1,3,5,6

After 1936Became the 14th, 435 yards on the later card, though Darwin gives 462, the same as the old 2nd. It was lost in 1946. On 3 August that year the London County Council asked to tip hardcore between the railway and the 14th fairway, and a week later the club's minutes say the council's new road would take the 14th and 15th holes.

TodayThe tee was near the Green Lane and Prestwick Road junction. The hole ran south-south-east through the open grass west of Prestwick Road to a green roughly level with the Pavilion.

In 1920Played south beside the tree-lined railway bank, with bunkers down the railway side and one by the green on Swain's plan. In the afternoon round of the 1921 News of the World final, a newspaper report says Bert Seymour pulled his drive here and hit two balls out of bounds before his third went over 300 yards. Jack Gaudin recovered from the left-hand bunker to a foot from the hole, and took the lead when Seymour picked up his ball. Darwin, who knew it as the 15th, describes the railway and dark trees threatening out of bounds on the left and a green perched on a bunkered plateau. He preferred it to the 14th and said visitors always remembered it.^1,3,5,6,7

After 1936Became the 15th (376 yards on both cards). John Swain says the pylons that first appeared along the east side in the mid-1930s could well have affected play here and at the 14th. In August 1946 the club heard that the London County Council's new road on the course's north-east edge would take the 13th green and the 14th and 15th holes, so this hole was lost.

TodayThe tee falls on today's Prestwick Road. The hole ran south along the strip between the road and the main line, and its green now lies in the belt of trees beside the railway.

In 1920Stroke index 1 on the c.1920 card, which made it the hardest hole on the course. It turned west away from the railway along the southern edge of the land, past a clump of trees, with bunkers near the tee and short of the green. By the time the morning round of the 1921 News of the World final reached this hole, the crowd had doubled. Jack Gaudin cut his drive into the rough, and Bert Seymour won the hole with a four to lead again. In the afternoon Gaudin pitched short into the bunker in front of the green and lost the hole to Seymour, whose second shot had finished two yards from the pin. As Bernard Darwin's 16th it had serious trouble waiting for a pulled second shot. Darwin thought it a nice hole, if not a match for the dogleg that followed.^1,5,6,8,9

After 1936Became the 16th (387 yards on both cards), though the later card makes it stroke index 6. John Swain says the post-war estate took the south-east corner of the course, where this hole lay. A card from a round on the shortened public course in October 1949 has no 387-yard hole.

TodayLost under the South Oxhey estate. The hole ran west-south-west from Prestwick Road, across ground now covered by Ralston Way and Puttenham Close, to a green in what are now the Colnbrook School grounds off Hayling Road.

In 1920A dogleg that ran north-east past the trees of Warren Dell, then north past a mound to the green. In the 1921 News of the World final Bert Seymour carried the wood with his drive here, a shot the reporter rated even above an earlier drive by Ted Ray. Darwin, who knew it as the 17th, calls it a fine and spectacular dogleg, with a wood and a deep grassy pit in the way, at the most crucial point of the round. Sporting Life in 1927 picked this out as a hole that would make any imaginary eighteen of the best around London: a straight drive left a mashie to the green, anything short meant taking wood to get round the valley and a deep pit, and Ted Ray dealt with the high trees at the bend by going over the top of them.^1,5,6,10

After 1936Became the 17th, still 425 yards on the later card.

TodayThe tee was at the edge of Hayling Road beside Colnbrook School. The hole ran north-east over the grass past the Warren Dell trees to a green in the open grass west of Prestwick Road.

Look forThe tree clump just east of the Hayling Road play area stands where Warren Dell is marked on the old maps, and is probably the wood the 1921 report mentions.

In 1920The first of the three short holes on the c.1920 card, played west-south-west with bunkers short of the green. In the morning round of the 1921 News of the World final, Bert Seymour and Jack Gaudin both took three here. In the afternoon Gaudin pushed his tee shot into the rough and went over the green into a bunker, and Seymour's three against his five put Seymour one hole ahead. The Sphere of June 1922 pictured the 6th green with sandy bunkers in front and the clubhouse behind. A photograph from the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News of 4 November 1922 showed Ted Ray putting on it at a county championship, though Golf's Missing Links, which reproduces the photograph, dates that championship to November 1920. John Swain's notes on a 1928 aerial photo point out the bunkers guarding the sixth green. As Darwin's 18th it was a short home hole with plenty of trouble round the green.^1,2,5,6,7

After 1936Became the 18th, the new home hole (178 yards on the later card). Writing in 2012, John Swain said the first green of the Oxhey Park nine-hole course, laid out in 1991, was on the site of the old 6th. That course has since closed.

TodayThe tee was in the rough grass about 75 metres west of Prestwick Road. The green lay just south of where the Green Lane track ends, at the east edge of today's football pitches.

In 1920The longest hole on the card, played due west along the north side of the orchard, with bunkers near the tee and halfway and mounds by the green. In May 1919 the club reported serious waterlogging here and at the 8th, 17th and 18th, which would need work during the year. From 1936 it was the opening hole, which Darwin describes as a shoulder-opening hole of some 460 yards, well bunkered on both sides.^{1,5,6,11,12,13}

After 1936Became the 1st. Darwin says so directly, and the later card gives the new 1st as 458 yards.

TodayThe tee was on the rough grass by the old track line, south of the end of Green Lane. The fairway ran west across today's football pitches to a green near the southern edge of the fields, north of the Fulford Grove houses, which now cover the old orchard.

Look forDon't expect old bumps across the pitches. The council describes the east of the site as flat, and John Swain says this eastern end was levelled in the 1950s for football, cricket and rugby.

In 1920Played west along the south side of the course to a green by the south-east corner of Big Wood, with bunkers along the way. It was one of the four waterlogged holes the club named in 1919. Darwin says that as the new 2nd after 1936 it was nearly as long as the 1st and climbed distinctly uphill.^1,5,6,11,13

After 1936Became the 2nd (447 yards on both cards).

TodayThe tee was in the small clump of trees on the southern edge of the fields, behind Fulford Grove. The hole ran west along that edge, close to the Sidmouth Close gardens, to a green at the south-east corner of Big Wood.

Look forBig Wood, which marked the end of this hole, is named on Swain's plan and still stands.

In 1920Played west along the southern edge of the course, past a round mound and a long mound, to a green with a bunker beside it. In the morning round of the 1921 News of the World final Bert Seymour drove poorly here but still halved the hole in four. After nine holes he and Jack Gaudin had taken 39 strokes each. In the afternoon, says the match report, both men played it badly. Gaudin went over the green in two and then back off the other side, while Seymour's putt of about a yard went only halfway. The hole was halved again, and Seymour reached the turn one up. Bernard Darwin, who knew it as the 3rd, says it came at the end of the long slope and called for a high shot from a high place across a valley.^{1,5,6,9,12,14}

After 1936Became the 3rd, cut from 382 to 354 yards on the later card. A card from a round on the shortened public course in October 1949 also has a 354-yard hole, its 4th, so this hole was probably still in play then. The public course closed on 31 March 1952.

TodayWholly inside today's fields. The hole ran west, 50 to 60 metres in from the Hayling Road and Ashburnham Drive houses, to a green just north-west of the Ashburnham Drive entrance.

Look forThe council's information board at the Ashburnham Drive entrance, which shows Swain's plan, stands roughly 75 metres south-east of where this green lay.

In 1920Swain's plan draws this hole shorter than its card length, on a gentle curve along the north side of the Hampermill Spring and Round Spring woods, so its line is the least certain on the course. Darwin, who knew it as the 4th, says little more than that it was tucked away in the left-hand corner. In the 1921 final the referee could not decide who was farther away after the drives here, so he spun a coin.^1,5,6,13

After 1936Became the 4th (345 yards on both cards).

TodayFrom near the Ashburnham Drive entrance the hole ran west along the edge of the Hampermill Spring woodland to a green in the south-west corner of the fields, about 75 metres from Sandy Lane.

Look forIn spring, look for the carpet of bluebells the council records in Hampermill Spring beside this hole.

In 1920The second short hole, played north beside Sandy Lane, with a mound and a pot bunker right in front of the green. The report of the 1921 final says Jack Gaudin cut his tee shot into the pot bunker here, came out too strongly and then overhit his pitch from the rough. Its own scores, though, give Gaudin a three and Bert Seymour a five, so the player in the bunker was probably Seymour. Darwin, who knew it as the 5th, describes a plateau green with formidable bunkers in its face. He warned that steering too wide of them left a nasty downhill second and more likely a four than a three.^1,5,6,7,9

After 1936Became the 5th (169 yards on both cards). The greens committee's hole profile of August 1945, redrawn by Neil Hamilton, shows a large bunker just short of the green. A card from a round in October 1949 on the shortened public course still has a 169-yard 6th, probably this hole.

TodayThe hole ran north through what is now the wooded block beside Sandy Lane, between Hampermill Spring and Hampermill Wood, about 80 metres in from the road. John Swain wrote in 2012 that most of the old greens at this west end had become overgrown from the 1950s. This ground is now trees.

In 1920A long dogleg to the left, played east-south-east from beside the 11th green and then due east to a green just west of Big Wood, with bunkers in front. Darwin, who knew it as the 6th, liked its downhill drive and its partly blind second shot.^1,5,6,12,13

After 1936Became the 6th (415 yards on the later card). A photograph from John Swain's collection, taken in August 1964, shows its tee boxes still standing next to Hampermill Wood.

TodayThe tee was in the Hampermill Wood block near the Sandy Lane and Hampermill Lane corner. The hole ran east across the western meadow to a green just west of Big Wood.

Look forWatch for shallow hollows in the grass. The council says hollows across the site may be old bunkers, quarrying, sink holes, dry ponds or possibly wartime bomb craters.

In 1920Played due west from just west of Big Wood, with bunkers near the tee and three round the green on Swain's plan. In the 1921 final Bert Seymour used the bank here, and his approach finished two yards from the pin. His first putt then stopped partly in Jack Gaudin's line, and Gaudin failed to curl his ball round it and lost the hole and his lead. The Sphere of June 1922 printed a photograph of the big bunkers lying across the approach to the 13th green. Darwin, who knew it as the 7th, says the hole turned away from home again, with big bunkers left and right and a short pitch to a well-guarded green full of slopes.^1,5,6,7,9

After 1936Became the 7th (328 yards on both cards). A card from a round in October 1949 on the shortened public course still has a 328-yard 8th, probably this hole. After the course closed in 1952, John Swain says, this Hampermill end still looked like a golf course for several years, with the fairways cut short, the rough left long and some bunkers still holding sand.

TodayFrom just west of Big Wood the hole ran west across the western meadow to a green on the edge of the Hampermill Wood trees, about 140 metres from Hampermill Lane.

In 1920Stroke index 2, played due east from Hampermill Wood towards the foot of the old chalk pit. In the 1921 News of the World final Bert Seymour hit a drive of over 300 yards here, helped by the run of the ground. Jack Gaudin then missed a putt of a yard, and Seymour was back in the lead. Bernard Darwin, who knew it as the 8th, praised the iron second across a deep valley to a green set in a fold of the hillside, a favourite spot for spectators. From there, he adds, they could also watch balls dropping into the sand at the short hole that came next.^{1,5,6,9,12,15,16}

After 1936Became the 8th. Darwin, writing in about 1937, still gives it 431 yards, but the later card has 409 yards and a bogey of 4, down from 5. A card from a round on the shortened public course in October 1949 also has a 409-yard hole, its 9th, so this hole was probably still in play then. The public course closed on 31 March 1952.

TodayThe tee was in Hampermill Wood and the hole ran east along the northern part of the western meadow. Swain's plan draws no green, but it most likely sat at the north-west tip of today's Big Wood, just below the old chalk pit. In April 2025 Three Rivers District Council announced that Hampermill Wood was among the parts of the fields given village green status. The wood is also on Natural England's revised list of ancient woodland.

In 1920The famous short hole, played over or round the old chalk pit to a small green on its north side. John Swain, who grew up on the estate in the 1950s, remembers the pit as Nelson's Drop, the obstacle on this hole in the original layout (1912 to 1935). He takes it to be medieval in origin, with digging for gravel, sand and chalk carrying on into the Victorian era; the council's plan simply calls it a medieval chalk pit. Darwin, who knew it as the 9th, found it only 113 yards but frightening, with bunkers eating into a little table of a green and "a drop to perdition on the left". Sporting Life in 1927 describes it as a plateau green with a very steep, high slope on the left, heavily bunkered in front and on the right, and with the deep pit running all the way from tee to green.^{1,5,6,10,12,13}

After 1936Became the 9th (110 yards on both cards). Darwin gives 113 yards, a little more.

TodayThe pit survives as a deep, steep-sided hollow in the north-west tip of Big Wood, on the site's north boundary. The green was on the open grass just north of it, about 100 metres from Vivian Close.

Look forView the pit from the open grass but do not climb into it. It is deep and steep-sided, and the council records a 15-metre test shaft, found in 2006 and now covered, in an old chalk pit on this boundary, most likely this one.

In 1920At only 274 yards, it was played south-south-east from the high ground north of the chalk pit, down the east side of Big Wood. The c.1920 card gave it stroke index 6. In the 1921 News of the World final Jack Gaudin drove to within a few yards of the pin here. The match report gave the hole as about 250 yards, shorter than the card's 274. Bert Seymour had to hole from two yards to halve it in three. Bernard Darwin, who knew it as the 10th, says the drive had to find exactly the right spot, with a bunker waiting on the right. A drive a little to the left, he adds, opened up the green for a running shot and the hope of a three.^{1,5,6,9,12,13,15}

After 1936Became the 10th (274 yards on both cards). A card from a round on the shortened public course in October 1949 also has a 274-yard hole, its 11th, so this hole was probably still in play then. The public course closed on 31 March 1952.

TodayThe tee was on the open grass behind Vivian Close, about 50 metres from the houses. The hole ran south-south-east down the field east of Big Wood to a green in the middle of the fields. Big Wood, beside the hole, has oak, ash, hornbeam, birch and wild cherry. In April 2025 Three Rivers District Council announced that Big Wood was among the parts of the fields given village green status.

In 1920Played due east across the middle of the course, with a mound in front of the tee and bunkers halfway. It was one of the four waterlogged holes the club named in 1919. Darwin, who knew it as the 11th, says it ran down a slope to a green in a dip, with bunkers around it.^1,5,6,11,13

After 1936Became the 11th (459 yards on the later card).

TodayThe hole ran due east across the middle of today's fields, south of the Ox Pasture Spring tree strip, to a green about 120 metres south of the Hillcroft Crescent houses.

Look forOx Pasture Spring, the tree strip to the north, has an old wood bank topped with old hornbeam along the edge that faces this hole.

In 1920The home hole ran due east along the northern boundary from the end of Ox Pasture Spring to a green on the south side of the clubhouse, which John Swain says was ringed by four bunkers. Swain also says the course's only water hazard lay beside this green. It was one of the waterlogged holes of 1919. Darwin, who knew it as the 12th, describes a drive over a cross-bunker and a long second.^{1,2,5,6,11,12,17}

After 1936Became the 12th (429 yards on both cards).

TodayThe hole ran east along the northern edge of the fields, beside the back gardens of Hillcroft Crescent and Highlands. The green lay just south-east of the Pavilion, near the football pitches and the Green Lane car park.

Look forThe Pavilion, the old clubhouse beside this green, still stands on Green Lane, though it has been closed since 2018.