The Oxfordshire Golf Course

Jones' Lakes Across the Chilterns

The golf course at The Oxfordshire officially opened in spring 1993. Rees Jones created it as his first design in the United Kingdom, working with a site chosen for championship golf and spectator viewing. The result was a modern inland layout built on a much larger scale than the area's older club courses.

Jones shaped the rolling Chilterns ground with extensive contouring, four lakes, and 135 bunkers. Open sightlines expose the course to wind, while the water and sand repeatedly influence the safest line from the tee and the angle into the green. The course is often described as links-style, but its character comes from constructed landforms and inland hazards rather than coastal terrain.

The downhill par-five 17th is the signature hole. Water and pot bunkers divide the available routes, so the second shot can become either an attacking carry or a measured lay-up. That decision captures the course's wider character: bold options remain available, but poor positioning can quickly turn a scoring chance into recovery golf.