Broadstone

Overview: Broadstone is an 18-hole heathland course in Dorset, shaped across rolling sandy ground with elevation changes, heather, pine and broad views through the surrounding landscape. The course's character comes from the way it moves between open heath and more defined corridors, asking players to balance width off the tee with the correct angle into the greens. Its fairways can invite an ambitious line, but the firm ground and carefully placed hazards make recovery planning important. The modern course is a strategic heathland rather than a conventional parkland layout, a quality that gives Broadstone its distinctive place among England's classic inland courses.

History: The course was commissioned by Ivor Bertie Guest, Lord Wimborne, and officially opened on 16 November 1898 after Tom Dunn laid out the original Broadstone Links. A foursome involving A. J. Balfour, J. H. Taylor, John Penn and James Braid marked the opening. Harry Colt began redesigning in 1914, replacing the parkland holes with new heathland holes; much of his work was in play by 1918, and his par-three sixth was added in 1922. The transformation explains why the current course carries both Dunn and Colt in its architectural lineage.

Did You Know? Almost three-quarters of Broadstone's land has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the heathland was upgraded to a Special Area of Conservation in 2005. The course also once had a railway footbridge linking the clubhouse to the holes, a practical feature that was used for more than sixty years before the railway crossing finally disappeared.