Staffordshire Mixed Pairs

Surrounded by seven different counties, Staffordshire is sub divided into nine districts. Once the engine room of industrial England the area is not necessarily considered a hot spot for golf courses, but Beau Desert & Little Aston are the exceptions both sitting inside to top 55 ranked courses in the country.

Day 1 Beau Desert

Beau Desert or “Beautiful Wilderness” maybe an unusual name for a golf course especially one located in such a manicured landscape. The land once formed part of the Marquess of Anglesey’s Estate and in the past time may well have been “wild” but these days acres of woodland frame this wonderful heathland course.

The group arrived with the threat of dark clouds overhead, but miraculously for the entire day we dodged the showers leaving a warm humid test on a brilliant golf course. First to return and set the pace were Rob & Alison Ellis (Brickendon Grange) with a solid 36pts. If Rob’s putter had been behaving their score would surely have been in the forties. The Essex low-handicap duo of Chris & Sarah Blakebrough would then sign for a brilliant 38pts finished off nicely by Sarah with a wonderful birdie on the par-5 last.

In the last group of the day, Paul & Sam Edwards (Glamorganshire) another low-handicap combination, had played combined superbly to sign for 39pts. But the day belonged to local residents Matt & Angie Harrison (Walmley). They used their local knowledge to great effect around the stunning Beau Desert layout to shoot a “best of the day” score of 41pts. It would give them a slim lead overnight with a few very good pairings breathing down their necks.

Day 2 Little Aston

Considered by many experts to be the best “parkland” course in England, Little Aston is set in 176 acres of tranquil, mature grounds hidden away on the edge of exclusive suburbia. Originally laid out by Harry Vardon in 1908, the club later called in Harry Colt to make the course more “friendlier” and transform Little Aston’s bunkering which has now become its trademark. Most of the holes are beautifully lined by mature trees ensuring a private and picturesque walk.

We arrived to an unbelievably beautiful morning. The greeting by the pro and the staff was just as warm as they showed us to the 1st tee. This was to be “millionaire’s golf” where all day we didn’t see more than six members. The course was in immaculate condition and with perfect weather the scoring was high.

Chris & Sarah Blakebrough repeated their score of the day before with 38pts. This was quite a feat, with Sarah having broken her driver at Beau Desert and now using a temporary replacement. Hot on their heels Robin & Trish Tweedale (Rochdale) had improved their previous days score by 7 shots when they also signed off with the same score. 38pts was proving to be a popular total as long standing couple of Fairways, Chris & Sylvia Price (Market Harborough) joined the group in the clubhouse on the same number.

Paul & Sam would break out of the pack though, when after a slow start, they raced around the Little Aston layout in a fabulous 40pts. This would surely put the heat on our overnight leaders.  But with their superior course knowledge, the local duo had played to their strengths. Matt & Angie had once again dovetailed beautifully to post a stunning 46pts. Angie confessed Matt had done most of the damage but she had certainly played her part the day before, proving they are very much a team. A tremendous 2 day total of 87pts gave the Walmley duo the title of “Staffordshire Mixed Pairs” champions.

A special thanks to both golf clubs for taking such great care of us and to the Fairlawns Hotel for their wonderful hospitality and sumptuous group dinner.