Stoneham

Overview: At Stoneham, the heathland profile for Stoneham is listed at 6392 yards and par 72. Willie Park Jr. routed the course through an old deer park, using hilly ground, heather, trees and natural changes of direction to create a strategic inland test. It is not a course that can be overpowered simply because the yardage is modest by modern standards: undulating fairways produce uneven lies, and small greens place a premium on approach accuracy and short-game recovery. The holes from the 11th to the 15th are especially strong examples of how the terrain drives the design.

History: Stoneham Golf Club was established on 4 May 1908, and the course was designed by Willie Park Jr., the two-time Open champion who also created Sunningdale Old. The club later hosted the first Dunlop Masters in 1946, now remembered as an early chapter in the history of the British Masters, and the Brabazon Trophy on two occasions. Recent investment has improved the playing surfaces and infrastructure while retaining the routing’s original heath-and-parkland balance.

Did You Know? The inaugural Dunlop Masters at Stoneham in 1946 ended in a tie between Bobby Locke and Dai Rees. The event linked this quiet Southampton course with a tournament that later became known as the British Masters.