Notts (Hollinwell) Golf Club

The Valley That Became Hollinwell

The golf course at Notts (Hollinwell) Golf Club opened in November 1901 after the club moved from Bulwell Forest to Kirkby Forest. Willie Park Jr laid out the new 18-hole course, using a natural valley and its changing levels rather than forcing a flat route across the land. Tom Williamson and J.H. Taylor adjusted the course as equipment and the ball developed, while three further holes were added in 1913 to reshape the opening section.

Fairways sweep along wooded slopes or drop into open heathland, with heather and gorse framing the line of play and fern covering parts of the valleys. Free-draining sandstone gives Hollinwell firm turf and allows golf through much of the year. The course began at just under 6,000 yards, a formidable length for gutta-percha balls and hickory clubs, and now reaches 7,250 yards from the championship tees.

The name comes from the spring beside today's eighth tee. That small landmark gives the course a local identity rooted in the ground itself, while Park's routing ensures the landscape remains the central feature of the round.