Woburn Golf Club Duchess’ Course Key Information
Woburn Golf Club Duchess’ Course
For anyone who is intimated by a tree-lined prospect from the tee, the Duchess’ at Woburn will sound a rather loud alarm. Put this to one side, and you can enjoy a beautiful but clearly demanding pine-lined design where accuracy is essential. Scarily narrow at times, the reward for keeping it straight will be the chance to score well and have a real sense of golfing achievement.
Reasons To Play The Duchess’
– Give your driving and long game accuracy its toughest test
– Enjoy 18 very individual, secluded and separate tree-lined holes at this welcoming club
– Decide which of Woburn’s three Top 100 courses is your favourite
Rankings
UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2025/26 - 98
I have played the Duchess’ Course at Woburn Golf Club a few times. It is one of three lovely layouts in the Top 100 Golf Courses UK & Ireland on this expansive estate. If you asked anyone who has played them to sum Woburn up in one word, that word is quite likely to be ‘trees’. Majestic pine dominates the estate and lines and frames just about all of its 54 strong holes of golf which make up the three best golf courses in Buckinghamshire.
It is on the Duchess’ that trees are at their most imposing and narrow-minded! Here, they hug the holes so tightly at times that golfers may experience a touch of claustrophobia. There are few leading courses anywhere that place quite such a premium on straight hitting. And while you might imagine that the counterbalance for this would be less of a demand for length, that’s not really the case here. On several holes, you also have to drive it long enough to be able to get a sight of the green.
The course opens with a particularly strong and good-looking par 4 that calls for a long approach over a dip and where encroaching trees are an ominous threat. Any tee shot too far from the optimum line here, as well as on other holes, can result in an impeded second. This is followed by a par-3 that sums up Woburn in the space of 188 yards. It appears so narrow from the tee that you really feel as though you are playing down a corridor.
I think that while accuracy is obviously desirable off the tee, it is actually essential on a good number of the approaches because the greens offer a relatively small target. On a few holes, trees close to the green can actually block the line to the flag. If all this sounds scary, fear not as it’s still very enjoyable. Play within yourself, and you will fully enjoy the conundrums that it sets. It certainly requires a strategic and skilful approach, so if you are to score well, the four par 5s probably offer the best chance to pick up points.
At any such venue, there will be differing opinions as to which course is the best. Here, all three are among the best golf courses in England so you are spoiled for choice. The Marquess' Course tops the Golf Monthly rankings, I think quite rightly, while the Duke's Course sits in the middle of the three. Regardless, the Duchess' is a very scenic course that rewards good shot-making and a patient and flexible approach. As such, it’s been a popular venue for competition over many years and from 1982 until 1994 it hosted the Ford Classic on the Ladies European Tour.
What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said...
If you were coming to Woburn just to play the Duchess course you would not get a great golfing day out, especially if your driver was not working. I was glad I brought my driving A-game, it kept me in the holes.
If the trees were pulled back and the fairways widened, the green complexes would only disappoint. Very few memorable holes and the course lacked any wow. The clubhouse and facilities are excellent and it’s a great club.
The Duchess is certainly unique and presents a very different challenge from the rest of the Top 100 courses. However, to my mind it is too one-dimensional with the extreme claustrophobia also having a detrimental effect on conditioning and visual appeal.
Mildly underwhelmed by the course itself, mainly because the playing lines were so narrow.
The Duchess is not for the faint-hearted and definitely not for anyone that can’t hit it straight off the tee. Stock up on balls before you play and hope you’re having a good day!
Woburn Golf Club Location
Woburn Golf Club Duchess' Course scorecard
Best Courses Near Woburn Golf Club
Best Places To Stay Near Woburn Golf Club
The Woburn - Book now at Booking.com
Sitting proudly at the heart of picturesque Woburn Village, you’ll find The Woburn – a charming 18th-century property under the stewardship of the award-winning Oakman Group. Part of the Duke of Bedford Estates, The Woburn has 48 hotel rooms plus seven stylish, individually decorated cottages that sit just across the courtyard.
The Bell Hotel, Woburn - Book now at Booking.com
Located in Woburn, The Bell Hotel Woburn is run by Greene King Inns and provides comfortable accommodation with a restaurant, free private parking and a bar.
Woburn Golf Club Duchess’ Course
Historical Top 100 Rankings UK&I
- 2025/26 - 98
- 2023/24 - 93
- 2021/22 - 92
- 2019/20 - 92
- 2017/18 - 89
- 2015/16 - 94
- 2013/14 - 94
- 2011/12 - 97 New Entry
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the Duchess’ different from the other courses at Woburn?
As mentioned above, there is one key feature that sets it apart which is just how tight the course is. It is also extremely pretty, slightly more undulating than the Duke’s, and it is said that there are plenty of members who have it as their favourite.
Which is the best course at Woburn?
All three are extremely good, but according to the Golf Monthly rankings, the Marquess’ heads the way, with this in third spot. However, as recommended elsewhere, the best way for any golfer to decide which they like the most is to play all three!
What is the best hole on the Duchess’
It starts with an absolutely cracking par 4; a reasonably level drive before an approach over a large dip to a green protected by sand front-right. A par here and you should be very pleased!
