Exeter Golf and Country Club

Overview: Exeter Golf and Country Club occupies the Wear Park estate at Countess Wear, on the south-eastern side of the city. James Braid's parkland course is framed by old oaks, limes, redwoods and horse chestnuts, with careful bunkering and views towards Haldon Hill. From the competition tees it measures about 6,020 yards to a par of 69, so shotmaking matters more than length. Mature trees create distinct corridors across the estate, while more open ground preserves views towards Haldon Hill. The Georgian house and old woodland make the setting as much a part of the course’s identity as its scorecard.

History: Exeter Golf Club started in 1895 in Pennsylvania, with nine holes north of the city. As the club grew, it bought the Wear Park estate and moved there in the late 1920s. James Braid’s course opened in 1929, and the club took the Exeter Golf and Country Club name. The clubhouse remains Wear House, the Georgian mansion on the estate.

Did You Know? The course occupies the Wear Park estate, and its clubhouse is Wear House, an early nineteenth-century Georgian mansion. Mature oaks, limes, redwoods and horse chestnuts frame the holes across the old grounds.