The New Forest offers a golf experience like no other

We have all stayed at or visited multi-course resorts. The issues with almost all of them is the quality of the courses, the welcome you receive, the attitude of the staff, the food or the accommodation. Sometimes it is all of them.

All too often you get home and can’t actually remember too many positive things about the venue.

Trust me when I tell you that none of the above applies when it comes to Bramshaw Golf Club and the Bell Inn in the village of Brook, near Lyndhurst. Courses? Excellent. Welcome? Second to none. Staff? Fabulous. Food? Out of this world. Accommodation? Incredible.

There are three courses coming under the Bramshaw umbrella - the Manor, the Forest and Paultons Golf Centre, and they are all very different. Nestled in the heart of the New Forest, the courses teem with wildlife. This is where our sport lives in perfect harmony with nature. More of that later.

This area is home to free-roaming ponies, donkeys, cattle, sheep and even pigs and it is their grazing habits that shape the stunning landscape. You may be tempted to feed or stroke the ponies that will approach your car but this is an offence. In any event, they have plenty of natural food. And although they may look friendly, they can bite or kick. So just admire it all from a distance.

There is a clubhouse at the Manor with a balcony overlooking the 18th green. It has a large first floor bar and restaurant serving food from 8am. By all accounts, the Sunday roast, costing just £15, is something special. Paultons is a 15-minute drive away, while the Forest is five minutes up the road.

The Bell Inn

The 26-room dog-friendly coaching inn is just a short walk away from the Manor clubhouse and lies at the heart of the community, staging a host of events throughout the year, including a dog show, tea party, live music, BBQs, wine-tasting evenings and hog roasts. The atmosphere is warm and friendly - as Golfshake Ambassador Rob Treanor previously reported in 2022. It is an independent pub with a huge garden and a cosy snug with a roaring fire for chilly winter night. The garden features a "stick library" for dogs and the inn sells a wonderful range of dog treats.

The Food

It doesn’t matter how quaint or cosy your inn is. If the food isn’t up to scratch, then you are going to struggle. And the food at the Bell is different class. It is all made and prepared on site and features plenty of local produce.

We stayed for two nights. On night one we were looked after by Jim Jardine, a fellow Scot who is Front of House Manager along with Raymond Dela Cruz. Both men were a sheer delight, engaging in witty banter with us and our fellow customers. 

It all just added to the wonderful atmosphere. I should say that all the staff could not have been more helpful and at every turn we were greeted with a smile. They really could not do enough for us.

So what of the food, I hear you ask.

It was sensational. My lamb on night one was cooked to perfection. It came with mint, sage and tarragon crust, mashed potatoes, parsnips, caramelised shallots, baby onions and a rich lamb jus. My wife chose sea bass fillet served with romesco med vegetables, pickle fennel and sauté potatoes. Both were superb. This is food as it should be prepared.

Earlier in the day I had seen somebody being served a Pavlova with their lunch. It looked amazing so for dessert I just had to try it. It looked like a work of art and tasted even better. It was as light as a feather. My wife went for a delicious selection of New Forest Ice Cream.

On night two we both ordered the 10oz rib-eye steak with peppercorn sauce. It came with house chips, rocket and parmesan salad, flat mushroom and crispy onions. I had the red wine jus, my wife chose the blue cheese sauce. And it all melted in our mouths. For dessert I had the best rhubarb and apple crumble I have ever eaten while my wife chose the cheeseboard - a mouthwatering selection of Stoney Cross Cheddar, IOW Blue, Monkey Chop Brie with celery, apple quince and crackers. What a feast!

All breakfast options include unlimited tea and coffee plus a choice from the continental breakfast station. 

On day one we both went for the full English with tasty sausage, fried eggs cooked to perfection, black pudding, crispy bacon, mushrooms and baked beans, accompanied by white or brown toast and freshly squeezed orange juice. And on our final morning we both opted for the Eggs Florentine - perfectly prepared poached eggs served on toasted muffins with spinach and hollandaise sauce. Talk about setting you up for the day! It did - and then some.

Accommodation

Our room featured beautiful views, a luxurious king-size bed, three chairs, a work table, proper coffee-making facilities and flat-screen television featuring Netflix, Sky and Prime. The huge bathroom featured a massive bath and huge walk-in shower with complimentary Bramley toiletries.

Places of Interest

Where to start? 

The historic city of Salisbury is just a short drive away and is well worth a visit, as are Beaulieu Motor Museum (a must for car geeks), Bournemouth, Winchester and Southampton. Or take the short trip to Mudeford Quay, from where a three-minute ferry ride will take you from the quay to a spit where there is a community of beach huts, a café and beautiful dunes to walk through. 

Or you could just take a walk through the New Forest and marvel at the wildlife. If you are a National Trust member you should visit Mottisfont, a wonderful country house that started life as a 13th century priory until Henry VIII got involved. It eventually fell into disrepair until it was effectively saved in the 1930s by Maud Russell, who bought it as a weekend home (as you do) and restored it to its former glory.

Forest Course

I should start by saying that this course will not appeal to everybody - but many of you will absolutely adore it. For starters, there is no clubhouse, If you are looking for perfectly manicured fairways you might be better served playing the Manor or Paultons Golf Centre. The Forest is on a Site of Special Scientific Interest and that means it is very much at one with nature. You will have to share your fairways with New Forest horses and ponies, perhaps even the odd cow. But for me, that is the course’s unique charm. Although the wildlife is free to roam the course, fencing prevents them from wandering onto the greens. I loved it!

The other thing that makes this course unique is that only one hole features bunkers - but there are plenty of other hazards. 

The opening hole is a par four measuring 414 yards. Trees on the left are to be avoided and make sure you take enough club with your second to clear the ditch that runs in front of the green. The second is the first of five par threes, measuring 193 yards and calling for pinpoint accuracy to find a narrow putting surface. The fifth is a terrific risk-and-reward par four of just 287 yards with trees to the left. Either lay up short of the downslope to leave a wedge to a green that slopes from back to front or give it a crack with the driver. The seventh is a 340-yard par four that features two ravines. The green slopes from back left to front right and is surrounded by trees so pinpoint accuracy is required on your approach. The first nine closes with a magnificent par four of 335 yards. It may look innocuous but is tree-lined and a stream runs the length of the hole and in front of the green. A stunning golf hole.

The 10th is a 483-yard par five and is a birdie opportunity. Aim your drive at the marker and let fly. The fairway gets tighter as you get closer to the narrow green. The 11th is the hardest hole on the course, a par four of 416 yards. The cambered fairway will throw your drive towards the ferns and trees on the right. Keep it in play and the second shot is a demanding one, over a ditch to a two-tier green with trees on the left. The 12th is a great little par three. It measures just 134 yards but is played to a small-fish green surrounded by bunkers - the only ones on the course. The 15th is a 298-yard par four with a raised green. It looks straightforward enough but beware the ditch that runs across the fairway. The 17th is another wonderful little par three, measuring 155 yards. You have to hit the green - the alternative is a watery grave. And that brings us to the finishing hole, a dogleg measuring 275 yards. Go too far left and you are going to be blocked out by the trees. The perfect tee shot is to the corner, leaving a short approach to a sloping green.

Manor Course

Opened in 1971, the Manor is gently undulating and set amid a landscaped parkland of mature trees. It opens with a 348-yard dogleg and a tree-lined fairway. The ideal tee shot is over the trees on the left followed by a short iron to a gently sloping green guarded by two bunkers. The second is a cracking 528-yard par five with out of bounds on the left but the ideal drive is a draw. The green is protected by a deep gulley so make sure you get your approach spot on here. The third is a challenging 356-yard par four. There are trees on the left and you have to thread your approach through two oak trees 100 yards from the green. The fifth is another tough par five. It measures 492 yards but there are trees left and right, along with a gulley on the left. There is out of bounds to the left of the ridged green. Par is a good score here. The front nine closes with a 176-yard par three with a green shaped like a bell and protected by a bunker at the front.

The 10th, a 308-yard par four, is a birdie chance. It plays downhill with a water hazard on the left and a couple of fairway bunkers before an approach to a two-level putting surface. The 14th is a 312-yard par four that is a dogleg right. The target is a large pine tree before an approach to a sloping green. Avoid the huge bunker to the right at all costs. The 15th is a challenging 538-yard par five. It is a dogleg with lots of trees on the left. Beware the well-placed bunker with your second shot before an approach to a green that slopes from back to front. The 16th is a par four of 385 yards but with more trees on the left and a couple of water hazards. It features a split-level green. The 17th is a downhill par four of 422 yards with out of bounds and trees on the left. Avoid the bunker that protects the front right of the green. The closing hole is a 325-yard par four that is a sharp dogleg to the left and, once more, plenty of trees on the left. The green is shaped like a figure of eight and is well bunkered. Don’t go long and left - you will be out of bounds!

Paultons Golf Centre

The first is a 309-yard par four that calls for a drive to the left to open up the green. The second is a great 517-yard par five. Favour the right side if you are going for the green in two and beware the greenside bunker as the fairway slopes from right to left. The third is a 170-yard par three and the advice here is to take one more club than you think - this is not a green to be missed. A huge water hazard lies in wait for anything hit right at the 396-yard fourth hole. Big hitters will aim to cut the corner at the 369-yard fifth but be careful to avoid the out of bounds on the right before an approach to a two-tiered green. The eighth is a lovely par three measuring just 143 yards and played to a green protected by two well-placed sand traps. The ninth is a par five measuring just 459 yards and is a real birdie chance as long as you avoid the bunkers.

At the 371-yard 10th, aim for the marker post to give yourself an approach to a green protected by a bunker to the right. All the trouble at the 338-yard 11th lies behind the green so don’t go long is the message here. It is followed by a delightful 120-yard par three where the key is to hit the green, avoiding the two front bunkers. The 14th, a 376-yard par four, demands an arrow-straight tee shot. Sure, you take enough club for your second, to a green protected by more bunkers. The 15th, at 154 yards, is reminiscent of the 12th hole at Augusta, with the green protected by a lake. Do NOT be short. The 17th is a demanding 448 yards where you must find the fairway to have any chance of reaching the elevated green in two. The finishing hole is a classic risk-and-reward par four of just 290 yards but if you go for the green be sure to miss the bunker at the front of the putting surface. And do not go right.

The Verdict

What’s not to love about the New Forest? It is nature as it's meant to be - entirely unspoilt. And Bramshaw Golf Club is ideally located for exploring the area. There is so much to see and do that you are going to struggle to fit it all in. I adored the Forest Course and both the Manor and Paultons are superb. The food at the Bell Inn was stupendous, as was the warm welcome we received. An added bonus is that an excellent motorway network means it is easy to get to. We will definitely be heading back.

If you would like to know more about the Bell Inn, please visit https://bellinn-newforest.co.uk/, and if you're keen to see Bramshaw Golf Club in greater detail, click here.