Nursling Hampshire hotels:

The coming of the Brabazon Trophy in 1993 was only the latest in a line of important tournaments held at Stoneham going back to 1946 when Bobby Locke and Jimmy Adams tied for the very first Dunlop Masters. Willie Park laid out the original course in a deer park a mere three miles from the centre of Southampton, yet its hilly nature and the depth of its gorse and heather come as a pleasant surprise to most visitors. Stoneham is one of a select band of courses, of which it can be said that there is not an uninteresting hole in the round. It looks short on paper, only 6387 yards from the back tees and with a par of 72, but it certainly does not play short. Many of the approach shots here are uncompromising - you simply must make it onto the putting surface or face some serious recovery work. The course was designed by Willie Park of Sunningdale, and retains the parkland character of the historical landscape improved upon in 1775 by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. It was opened in 1908 with a match between J H Taylor and Alec Braid. Now the course hosts a number of annual events including the Solent Salver, a well recognised open tournament held over two days at Stoneham and Brockenhurst. Traditionally, the Club gives strong encouragement to its Junior section where it is recognised that the future of the game and the Club are to be found. Our Professional assists with the coaching of our Juniors, helped by grants from the Golf Foundation and some of them attend the County coaching scheme which many of our senior members help to organise. As a result, our Juniors continue to achieve low handicaps and figure strongly in National competitions whilst some go on to take up the game as a profession.