Murray's summary:

Some of England's finest heathland golf and plenty to do in the seaside resorts of Bournemouth and Poole.

Birdies:

•  Outstanding heathland courses

•  Lively seaside towns or New Forest hideaway hotels

Bogeys:

•  School holidays, crowded roads, restaurants and hotels

•  On-course hotels

Why go?

Easily reached from anywhere in southern England, by ferry into Portsmouth or by air into Southampton, Dorset offers a collection of some of the finest heathland courses to be found in the British Isles.

When to go?

Spring and Autumn are perfect - July and August are swamped with families on holiday on the beachers and in the New Forest, which creates a lot of traffic.

Where to stay?

Bournemouth is a big resort and ideal of you want to have access to plenty of nightlife.  Poole is smaller, but not much quieter and has quite a reutation for late night fracas with the prevalence military personnel from the nearby naval base.

For a more peaceful golf retreat there are many hideaway hotels in the New Forest and in the smaller seaside villages.

What to see and do?

The beaches, the New Forest with all of its walks and bicycle tracks.  Corfe Castle on the way around to the Isle of Purbeck

Parkstone

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Murray's word

Dorest's crown jewel.  Tucked away in the suburbs of Poole, almost hidden from view by rows of houses, Parkstone is well worth unearthing.  The land that Wille Park had to work with was perfect for golf: gently rolling terrain with thick pine forest and deep purple heather.  Skillfully (and thankfully) he added little and took nothing away, allowing the natural contours to dictate the holes, which as a result seem to form part of the landscape.  A mixture of elevated and sunken Tees and Greens demand careful club selection but offer up some tantalising approach shots - and great views too.  Parkstone is by no means an easy course and one that you learn the more you play; but also the kind of setting that you'll enjoy no matter how you play.
The course is an out-and-back design with a road to cross after the Third but it's no great bother.

Broadstone

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Murray's word

Another course where the terrain has shaped the course rather than the other way around.  The hills and slopes of Broadstone are more pronounced than elsewhere in Dorset and there are few clues to the treat in store as you unload your clus in the car park.  After the level sea of heather that meets your eye from the First Tee, the course climbs into the woodland beyond, crossing streams and ponds, later opening out onto the broad plain above, with far reaching views.  There is a good variety of holes at Broadstone, but the one that will stick in your memory is the tortuously deceptive Seventh which takes some serious deciphering (and trust of the yardages) from the Tee.  With all of its twists and turns, Broadstone is the sort of course where you feel like you have travelled a long way around the countryside during your round.

Brokenhurst Manor

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Murray's word

A very peaceful parkland layout in the very heart of the New Forerst, so as you might imagine dense forest lines nearly every Fairway, with outcrops of heather and bracken in the sunshine and wildlfie abounds.  A traditional layout with strategic bunkering as you might expect from Harry Colt, Brokehnurst is a classic example of the timeless style of the master of English course design.  The course has a few rises and falls around the course (but nothing serious) that have been cleverly incorporated into the design; in general it is easy walking all the way around.  Collectors of Ryder Cup memorabilia will be interested to know that the 1931 team had their final practice here (with the strange American sized ball) before setting sail for Sciotto Country Club.

*N.B. Hire buggies are of the single seat variety.

Ferndown

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Murray's word

A beautifully presented heathland course, albeit with plenty of specimen trees studding the course.  A very gentle slope to the terrain that leads down away from the Clubhouse.  The holes at Ferdnown are defined mainly by heather, suppported by avenues of pines to add some extra separation to the Fairways.  Bunkering have been positioned intelligently with the emphasis on provoking a little thought before reaching automatically for your next club.  Water crosses the course in a couple of places with some pretty bridgework that adds to the polished feel of Ferndown.
With a course that is not too strenuous to walk, a full-size nine-hole course and a fine Clubhouse, Ferndown makes a great venue for a full day out.

Isle of Purbeck

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Murray's word

A superb setting on Studland high above the port of Swanage and overlooking the Channel and the houses of Sandbanks (the most expensive land in the British Isles, apparently).  The land is a protected National Park so there is very little that the Club can do in the way of course development and they are severly limited also in what they can use for maintennace (the shape of things to come?).  Consequently the course has a very natural look and feel to it and an appearance that closely mirrors the seasons.  The views are a bit special and purists are sure to love the natural feel that echoes times gone by.

To get to the Isle of Purbeck from the Bournemouth/Poole area the easiest route is the chain ferry across from Sandbanks.  A ten minute car ferry that costs a few pounds but saves a long slow drive around (albeit via the very impressive Corfe Castle).

Bournemouth

To be completed

Please let us know if you have any restaurant/bar/nightclub recommendations for Bournemouth?

Poole

To be completed

Please let us know if you have any restaurant/bar/nightclub recommendations for Bournemouth?

Flights

Southampton airport has many flights across Europe with Flybe, although with their small aircraft they are not the most golfer-friendly airline.

Hover on a logo to see the available routes, clicking the logo below will take you directly to the airline's website to book your flights.

Hire cars

Probably the most flexible way to get around during your visit.  Both airports offer the full range of hire-car companies: Avis, Hertz, Budget, Europcar, Sixt et cetera, whose contact details are shown opposite (if you have not already been offered a hire-car by your airline when you booked your flights!).

Chauffeur driven cars, minibuses and coaches

Local Agencies

If you would prefer to leave the driving to somebody else then there are a number of local companies who will take care of all you transfer arrangements.