Essendon Country Club (New Course)

Essendon Country Club, located in the picturesque Hertfordshire countryside, offers two distinct 18-hole layouts. The New Course, designed by the Landscape Design Company and opened in 1992, provides a contrasting experience to the older layout on the property. It was developed by the Tokyo Leisure Development Company and features a unique design element with sixteen dual greens, a concept often found in Japanese golf courses to allow for year-round play. This dual green system, along with varying tee positions, means the course can play quite differently from one visit to the next, offering a variety of distances and angles of approach. The course stretches to around 7,000 yards from the back tees and incorporates mature trees and water features on several holes. Notably, the par-five 4th hole is a considerable test at nearly 650 yards from the tips, and the par-three 8th features a green surrounded by water. Accuracy is key on holes like the par-four 17th, where a sloping fairway leads to a water hazard. The New Course operates from a clubhouse that incorporates a restored 16th-century barn. While the club has undergone significant facility improvements and agronomy team restructuring in recent years, it is not listed as having held an Open Qualifying event.