Isle of Purbeck Golf Club

The Isle of Purbeck GC is a heathland style course in Studland, Swanage, Dorset!

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History
The club was founded in 1892. It was formerly known as Studland Bay GC at some point!

Former owners include Enid Blyton and her husband!

The club was sold in 1965 to Mr Randolph, former Chairman and Managing Director of the family firm Wilkinson Sword Company! Mr Randolph restored the name of the club to The Isle of Purbeck GC in 1966, and oversaw the expansion of the club to 27 holes!

A new clubhouse, still in use today was also built at that time!


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There are spectacular views from the course and clubhouse across Poole Harbour, Brownsea Island, and The Solent!

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There is a ferry link from Sandbanks to the Isle of Purbeck, however, when I played the course in August 2019, the ferry was "OOU" and a 45/60 minutes detour by car around the bay was required!

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Visitor green fees are .........

I entered the club's annual Seniors Open Stableford Competition!

My entry fee of £vv included coffee, 18 holes, 1 two course meal and prizes! Excellent vfm!



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The course conditions when I played it were extremely windy, occasionally helping but mostly hindering either as cross or head winds!

My outturn score was +30, ie 3 pars, 4 bogeys, 7 double bogeys and 4 triple bogeys! 20 stableford points! +13 above my handicap!

My worst gross and stableford points for a very very long time! Not good news but largely weather affected!

I finished 101st out of 117 competitors! I was one of the last groups to go out! The later groups got the worst of the windy conditions!

The winning score was 41pts! The winner and the best finishers were all from the early morning starters! Quite a number of IOP members also scored well, ie above the 30pts mark!

In essence I wasn't able to hit the ball long enough off the tee to enable me to make the carries necessary to avoid my ball being carried off line into severe trouble! I also recorded 3 lost balls in 2 consecutive holes!







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The Greens



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The par 3s


A unique feature of the par 3s on this course is that each par 3 faces a different compass point! I can't say I noticed this when playing!


#4: 185 yards, index 11 (east)! A long slightly downhill tee shot to a a left to right sloping green, with a mound front left to carry/roll over, and bunkers back left and front right! Bogey is a good score on this shot hole!

#9: 141 yards, index 17 (north)! A shortish tee shot across a valley to a raised green, sloping back left to front right! Not a shot hole nevertheless a bogey is not a disastrous outcome!

#11: 184 yards, index 12 (west)! A long tee shot down from a high level tee to a long tiered green! The right hand side of the green is obscured most of the way down! A bunker short left! Better in that than missing way down to the left! A bogey is a good score here!

#15: 168 yards, index 10 (south)! A medium length tee shot to a semi blind green, with 5 deep bunkers in front of the green which need to be carried! I found the front left bunker! Got out but didn't reach the green and got a double bogey; However, heavy gorse awaits anything long of the green or to the right; so landing in one of the greenside bunkers is not disastrous unless you can't get out a bunker under any circumstances!

My outturn score for the 4 par 3s was +4, ie 1 par, 2 bogeys and 1 double bogey (the hole I bunkered)!

Playing the par 3s was the best performing compartment of my game after allowance for my 3 shots!


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The par 5s

#6: 475 yards, index 1! A high level tee shot carry over gorse, to an uphill lie, a left to right dogleg up to a long tiered green! Gorse along both sides of the fairway! After a good tee shot, I managed to hit my 2nd and 4th shots lost left into the gorse!


#8: 573 yards, index 3! The longest hole on the course! A high level tee shot down to a left to right sloping fairway, with severe rough bottom right, and a blocked out line! I had an unplayable lie drop compounded by a triple putt!

My outturn score for the 2 par 5s was +6, ie 2 triple bogeys! Bogeys would have been very good scores!

Wonderful holes ordinarily but the strong winds made playing these 2 holes very very difficult!

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A wonderful course whose playability is so dependent on the strength of the wind!

I shall probably enter next year's competition and hope for better weather!

I recommend this as a must play for any fellow TSGers visiting the area!


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The post match meal was excellent!

Again, we were blessed with a wonderful sunny, warm September weather but the wind got up on the last 9 holes making the course even more challenging, so playing to one's handicap is difficult. Lost balls will be numerous as "carry" over heathers/goarse are incredibly long, especially so on Par 3s, even the holes with index of 18 or 17. The course itself reminded me of the ONLY 18 holes golf course in Corsica (Sperone) & at the same time of some of the seaside courses in Britanny. Very beautiful, incredibly challenging and such an experience.

Today (13.9.2012) was a fairly busy day at the Isle of Purbeck golf course: Ladies Invitation day, Men playing Texas scramble, all dressed in sexy checked longish shorts with colour matching tops. It is nice to see Men nicely dressed for golf, even more so when wearing daring/flashy colours, for me it adds to the fun & enjoyment of the game. I could describe every hole in details, but it would take more than 5 pages, more than 1000 words, so I shall ellaborate on a few instead.

Hole 5 (Par 4 - "Agglestone"), built on top of a Saxon burial ground, elevated Tee, view over the whole bay, descending dog leg to the right, big deep heather and pines at the turn, OOB on the left where the fairways slopes to, then a slightly raised green, bunkers in appropriate places to catch anyone not planning the shot properly. Actually, I think I have just described Hole 6 (Par 5 - "Old Harry") apart from the burial ground which really belongs to hole 5. They are both dog legs anyway, and elevated Tee boxes, and equally beautiful and challenging. Sorry for the confusion.

Hole 11 (Par 3 - "The Island"), very narrow fairway, heathers on either sides, a carry of 153yrds from the Red, 184 yds frm the Yellow, a tiered green sloping to the left, and a bunker on the approach on the left as well, a lovely circle of pine trees as a background. Another exquisite hole.

Hole 13 (Par 4 - "The Dyke"), lovely views from the elevated Tee, this time an inland view, a long carry, a ditch to negotiate in the middle (sort of), then an uphill approach to a raised green, sloping towards the fairway.... and bunker on the left.

To score well on this course, one needs to be a long hitter/carrier & also accurate as any balls ending up in the heathers or ferns or goarse (all natural vegetation) will not be found or if found extremely difficult to play (so here is another penalty, a drop etc.. & the scorecard will bring some nasty surprises).
So make sure, you have plenty of spare balls with you as the friendly Proshop is a long way from any hole. The course is vast and long with superb views over Poole harbour, Brownsea island, Dorchester, Bournemouth, Swanage & the Solent and of course the Isle of White, and the Purbeck Hills. Scenery is breathtaking from anywhere on the course.

The bunkers were deep & fearful but funny enough, I never visited them, instead I ended up in the beautiful pink heathers. Red admirals (butterflies) were seen in great numbers, we also saw some flying hawks, some quiet pheasants (not squawking). Greens were excellent, with nice ondulations. Up & down slopes, drops, ditches, a few streams (always in the wrong places), elevated tees, all very inspiring.

I enjoyed my round with the Silvermere Ladies (our away days), but would not like the challenge of IOP on a wet, grey, cold & windly day: it surely must be hell & expensive as there would be lots of lost golf balls (a lot more than today!!!) and numerous whiskies to keep warm when walking the course which is quite hilly at times & certainly long from hole to hole.

A Clubhouse made of local Purbeck stone with a greenish roof that blends in with the scenery/landscape. The interior walls contain fossilised dinosaur footprints & ammonites more than 150 million year old. The inside is light & airy with again wonderful views all around. Very pleasant. Nearly forgot to mention, the outside terrace, sunny today and overlooking the whole course. Very pleasant if not windy. Good coffee & food, reasonable prices. Friendly, well stock Proshop. Sort of "posh" changing rooms, but not my taste. Large Car Park with a needed overflow to the Left for all the visitors that are very welcome. A 9 holes course (probably Par 3s) across the road. Practice facilities present but did not have time to investigate.

I would like to play again (maybe I shall find some of my lost balls..), but only in good weather. A course, one must play if in the area. Truly stunning & equally challenging.!

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