Ashburnham Golf Club

Into the Wind, Back Home

The golf course at Ashburnham Golf Club dates to the club's formation in 1894 and takes its name from the fifth Earl of Ashburnham, the landowner and first club president. J.H. Taylor visited in 1910 to reshape the 14-year-old course, then returned in 1913 to review the work and recommend further changes.

Its routing runs straight out and back across the links. The front nine heads west into the prevailing wind, beginning unusually with a demanding par three. The ninth closes the outward half with a dogleg and a narrow entrance to the green, making position more valuable than distance alone.

The inward nine is slightly longer but often receives help from the same wind. It starts with a long par five before moving through a testing closing stretch. The 18th finishes at an elevated green, leaving one final examination before the clubhouse.