Stoke Park
Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Course info

Ranked no. 86 in England’s Top100 courses

The course has 3 loops of 9 holes. We shall be playing the 2 more prestigious Colt & Allison loops.

Stoke Park GC, located on the edge of the Chilterns, saw Capability Brown design the original gardens. Then along came Harry Colt to design a course opening in 1908. The 7th, the inspiration for Augusta’s 16th, is thought to be one of Colt’s finest holes.

The club has a turbulent & fluctuating history, culminating in it being bought in 2021 by a somewhat wealthy Indian businessman who duly closed the club, upsetting its 850 members. He intended to fully restore the entire park, & the majestic mansion is still closed for renovation. However, it has a nice new clubhouse alongside the (excellent) driving range complete with Professionals Shop, bar, restaurant & changing facilities.

For Bond aficionados who enjoyed perusing our Hankley Common course last month for where scenes of Skyfall were filmed, another chance to gaze at the statue that was famously decapitated by Odd Job in Goldfinger. His intended target, James Bond, ducked just in time. Amazing luck.

So with the course now reopened (but with very restricted access), what, you might justifiably ask, became of the course?

Amazingly, although no golf was played for 3 years, the owner kept on the entire greenkeeping staff as if nothing had happened. On setting up this event, I drove to the club to see things for myself. Entry proved tricky - Fort Knox was easer. Once in, I drove slowly through the course. i gazed up at the statue - mercifully no hint of lingering scar tissue. And the course? Just simply immaculate. It is no surprise that it has come straight back into the Top100 rankings.

The itinerary

• 0930. Meet for tea/coffee & bacon rolls
• 1030. 18 holes - Individual Stableford - men/yellow tees - ladies/red tees
• Nearest the Pin - 15th
• After play, return to the clubhouse for a 2 course buffet lunch & prizegiving

The prizes

• Individual winner to receive a bottle of Moët et Chandon champagne
• Runner up & winner of Nearest the Pin to receive a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape