Our previous visit to Little Aston took place in 2015 but with Sutton Coldfield the wait has been much longer at 26 years.
Little Aston always features strongly in any English Top 100 list and after much work on the course Sutton Coldfield is also being recognised more frequently. Harry Vardon laid out the course in 1908. As it turned out, Vardon had created a course with long and challenging carries that ultimately proved too hard for the members, so Harry Colt was summoned to make the course friendlier. The trademark Colt bunkers, large greens and undulating tree-lined fairways ensure that you get a private and picturesque walk in the park. Little Aston has hosted many important events, including the British Masters, on five separate occasions. The English Men’s Amateur has also been played here four times, with the last of these events co-hosted with Sutton Coldfield in 2010. Make sure you play Little Aston, it’s one of the best courses in the Midlands.
This lovely heathland layout is nestled in the heart of the country within the magnificent, 2,400-acre Sutton Park, a National Nature Reserve and one of the largest urban parks in Europe. Originally formed in 1889, Alister MacKenzie was approached to revitalize the course after the Great War. His suggestions resulted in all of the holes being altered or replaced over a fifteen year period, with the revised course finally opening in September 1934. The course offers a solid combination of picturesque woodland and heathland golf. The holes are tighter nearer the clubhouse, with many mature oaks, and more open mid-round where gorse and heather come into play. A recent tree clearance and high quality bunker renovation has dramatically improved the course both visually and in terms of playability.
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