The Worcestershire Golf Club Course Review
The beautiful Alister MacKenzie and FW Hawtree design at The Worcestershire Golf Club is well worth a detour and is one of the very finest courses in the area


Golf tips and expert instruction, golf club reviews and the latest golf equipment.
Thank you for signing up to Golf Monthly. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
The Worcestershire Golf Club Course Review
GF Round: £45wd, £55we
Par 71, 6,455 yards
Slope 141
GM Verdict A beautifully peaceful, varied and engaging parkland design packed with strong holes
Favourite Hole The SI1 par-4 14th, a super-tough two- or more likely three-shotter
Not many people venture into the corridor between central England and the Welsh borders in search of golf, but it is their loss as there are several very engaging courses including The Worcestershire. This peacefully-located club is situated between Great Malvern and Little Malvern, at the base of the beautiful hill range that runs this way.
The risk-reward par-5 fourth has a thrilling approach over the stream
The club dates back to 1879, making it the oldest in the county, but sadly its Alister MacKenzie course from 1927 lost half its holes in WWII. Fred Hawtree was enlisted in the 1970s to make it back to a full 18 which means that just six are now complete MacKenzie designs, eight are Hawtree’s, and the other four have elements of both.
The short fifth runs beside the eighth and in the opposite direction
The opening two holes play down and back up before a delightful short hole from an elevated tee and through the trees. The 4th is a tricky and unusual par 5, while the 5th is a lovely par 3 back over the valley.
Bunkers await at the third par 3, the eighth hole
The next two are good par 4s, and you then reach another excellent short hole, the 8th, which was originally MacKenzie’s 3rd.
The demanding par-4 tenth is a testing 441 yards from the back tee
Two more very strong MacKenzie par 4s again run side by side at 9 and 10, before you change direction and head north.
Stroke Index 1, the fourteenth is arguably a par four and a half!
The par 4s from the 11th to 13th require accuracy from the tee more than strength, but both are needed at the super-tough and very justifiably stroke index one, 14th. Not only is it long, but the approach is uphill and to a really tricky green complex.
Only Bryson-esque golfers will be able to go for the par-5 seventeenth in two
The final short hole at 15 is another MacKenzie original, albeit with a modified green, and you then encounter back-to-back par 5s, the 16th raising hopes of a birdie, the 17th slightly less so! A straightaway par 4 leads back up to the clubhouse with the green nicely positioned below it.
With no courses in the UK&I Top 100 and only one Next 100 course, this county is not so renowned for its golf. Nonetheless, if you take a look at the best golf courses in Worcestershire, there are plenty of fine and enjoyable designs with the Worcestershire undoubtedly right up there among the very best.
Rob Smith has been playing golf for more than 40 years and been a contributing editor for Golf Monthly since 2012 specialising in course reviews and travel. He has now played 1,150 different courses in almost 50 countries. Despite lockdowns and travel restrictions last year, he still managed to play 80 different courses during 2021, 43 of them for the first time. This included 21 in 13 days on a trip to East Lothian in October. One of Rob's primary roles is helping to prepare the Top 100 and Next 100 Courses of the UK&I, of which he has played all but nine. Rob is a member of Tandridge Golf Club in Surrey where his handicap hovers around 16. You can contact him at r.smith896@btinternet.com.
-
-
Best Golf Courses In Cornwall
Along with some scenic but less well-known treasures, the best golf courses in Cornwall feature a pair of Top 100 favourites
By Rob Smith • Published
-
Best Golf Courses In Dorset
Spearheaded by its Bournemouth big names, the best golf courses in Dorset include many lovely and well-priced alternatives
By Rob Smith • Published
-
100 Best Cheap Golf Courses In UK And Ireland
Our list of 100 hidden gem golf courses everyone can play in the UK and Ireland...
By Elliott Heath • Published
-
Rossmore Golf Club Course Review
Rossmore Golf Club's rollercoaster ride serves up big downhill drives, old stone walls, streams and views up into Northern Ireland
By Kevin Markham • Published
-
Rolls of Monmouth Golf Club Course Review
The Rolls of Monmouth Golf Club's beautiful parkland course is laid out over the former estate of Charles Rolls of Rolls-Royce fame
By Kevin Markham • Published
-
Rathcore Golf Club Course Review
Rathcore Golf Club in Co. Meath is a 21st-century gem adorned with water features and hillocks that enhance its beauty and challenge
By Kevin Markham • Published
-
Portumna Golf Club Course Review
Portumna has one of the best courses in Co. Galway plus a 17th hole sometimes mentioned in 'best in Ireland' conversations...
By Kevin Markham • Published
-
West Kilbride Golf Club Course Review
By Kevin Markham • Published
-
North West Golf Club Course Review
One of Ireland’s founding fathers, North West Golf Club is home to a fabulous links in a lovely setting
By Kevin Markham • Published
-
Tullamore Golf Club Course Review
Tullamore Golf Club is home to a James Braid creation with challenging doglegs aplenty in the beautiful Co. Offaly countryside
By Kevin Markham • Published