Our Grand Final Venue

Although we received several very attractive proposals to take our 2012 Grand Final to a new venue, the success of last year’s Grand Final at The Oxfordshire really made our decision a ‘no brainer’ and we are delighted to be staying at what feels like ’home’!

Not only is the golf course challenging, interesting and always well conditioned but the ‘state of the art’, top quality
on-site hotel means that our finalists will again, enjoy a ‘nothing but the best’ experience.

The 2012 FNGC Grand Final will take place from 23rd to 26th September.

• Top 50 Places to Stay & Play - Golf Monthly Magazine
• Top Golf Course in the county – Top 100 Golf courses
• Regular feature in top 100 England course – Top 100 Golf courses

 

The Oxfordshire – Spectacular and Challenging!

World renowned golf course architect Rees Jones has successfully blended 18 strategically contoured holes into the surrounding countryside at The Oxfordshire near Thame.

A relative rarity in Britain, the course has been designed in a modern American parkland style, and specifically as a potential venue for international golf tournaments. Since opening in 1993, The Oxfordshire has hosted the Andersen Consulting World Matchplay, the Ladies English Open, and from 1996 to 1999 it was the venue for the Benson & Hedges International Open. The latter boasts an enviable list of winners including Colin Montgomerie, Bernhard Langer and Darren Clarke.

All the holes present their own individual challenges, not least the 17th, which is the course’s signature hole and was voted one of the top 500 holes in the world by Golf Magazine in January 2000.

This downhill par five is the thinking golfer’s dream and the thoughtless golfer’s nightmare. After the drive, a solid tee shot will invite a second shot over the water to a small landing area protected by pot bunkers. The safer route plays around the lake but requires a longer shot partially over water. The big hitter may try for the green in two shots, but beware, a full water carry is required to the green, which is also protected by sand.

Another notable hole is the 8th, also voted one of the top 500 holes in the world by Golf Magazine in January 2000. Although a short par four, the 8th requires both finesse and accuracy, with water on the right and bunkers at the turn, tempting the conservative player to hit an iron from the tee. This is not a hole to be played without a plan.

The Philosophy behind the course

The inspiration for the design for The Oxfordshire Golf Club came from Mother Nature herself: the lay of the land is superb. Rees Jones wanted to combine the best of the British courses with the best of the American, with the result being variety, challenge, drama and fairness.

Across the course, each par three and each par five plays in a different direction, ensuring the effects of wind will be equalized during the course of any given round, a reflection on both the influence of wind on the game and the importance of the philosophy of fairness (being able to recover from an errant shot).

The layout of The Oxfordshire flows naturally with the beautifully contoured land and was created to preserve the existing trees. This provides an environment where the player will be able to see, understand and appreciate the design at work.

 

The Oxfordshire – Golf, Hotel, Spa

Opened in the summer of 2010 to complement the existing Clubhouse and championship golf course, The Oxfordshire is now home to a fantastic 50-bedroom hotel and spa. The four-star hotel complex provides a state-of-the-art destination close to the M40 at Thame, ideal for business and leisure travelers alike, with facilities including: a luxury spa, offering a full range of pampering treatment options using 100% organic products from Pinks Boutique; a fitness centre with its own 15-meter pool; and a signature restaurant overseen by Head Chef Richard Buy.

 

For more details visit www.theoxfordshiregolfclub.com