Beau Desert Golf Club

Rugeley Rd, Hazel Slade,

Cannock, Staffordshire WS12 0PJ

  • Office

    +44 (0)1543 422 626
  • Pro shop

    +44 (0)1543 422 492
  • Fax

    +44 (0)1543 451 137
  • Golf pro

    Chris Cousins (PGA Head Professional).

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Heathland course. Undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb.

  • Surroundings:

    Woodland.

  • Designer:

    Herbert Fowler

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Yards
6310
5961
5389
Par
70
70
71
SSS or slope
71
70
71

Location

Latitude:

52.720919

Longitude:

-1.960201

How to get there:

2.5 mi NE of Hednesford / 20 mi N of Birmingham.

Leave the M6 motorway at exit 11, and follow the A460 direction Cannock, then Hednesford, then Rugeley. After 6.6 mi turn right into Rawnsley Rd. After o.7 mi turn left into Rugeley Rd, direction Hazel Slade. After 1 mi golf club is on your left.

Beau Desert Golf Club

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.

Est. 1911

Beau Desert Golf Club is located in the south of an area known as Cannock Chase, the largest surviving area of lowland heathland in the Midlands. The course takes its name from the Marquess of Anglesey's estate (Beaudesert), in whose former grounds the course is laid out. You'll quickly discover that “Beau” is an apt description for the layout, while “desert” probably refers to the site's original habitat, which was open sandy heathland.

Once you’ve cleared the intimidating heather-clad “ravine” in front of the tee at the short par-4 1st, you'll be in for a real treat on this picturesque undulating heathland course. In addition to plenty of heather and some gorse, an abundance of pine and birch gives a rather wooded and tightish feel to many holes.

Herbert Fowler’s excellent layout, complemented by some lovely views of the surrounding Staffordshire countryside, ensures great variety and many golfing challenges as you journey round. Most of the holes take you either up or downhill, few are played on flat terrain, and each has its own distinctive character and identity.

You'll enjoy both a sense of isolation and tranquility here, with an absence of housing and roads allowing you to fully focus on your game, and the beauty of the heathland and woodland surroundings. Often included in ranking lists of the best heathland courses in England, Beau Desert is certainly well worth a stopover as you journey through the West Midlands.

List of courses: Around Birmingham, Eng

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays; more restricted on weekends.

Must book in advance. Handicap required.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in winter season (Nov thru' March): Mon-Fri £70.

Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2023].

Other information

Players generally walk this course.

Practice facilities

Good

Did you know?

Beau Desert golf course is laid out on a section of what was formerly part of the Staffordshire estate of the 6th Marquess of Anglesey, Charles Henry Alexander Paget. Until 1919 the Marquess was a great supporter of the golf club. However, financial difficulties after the Great War required the Marquess to abandon Beaudesert Hall (a magnificent country mansion house, now no more than a few ruins) and retire to his family's ancestral seat, Plas Newydd in Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, Anglesey.

Published ranking

England's 50th best course (Golf World, 2023).
Britain & Ireland's 105th best course (Golf World, 2022).

Where2Stay

  • Holiday Inn North Cannock4-star

    Orbital Plaza, Bridge St, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0DQ.

    +44 (0)1543 461 361

    Visit website

    The Holiday Inn North Cannock offers comfortable accommodation at an affordable rate. This modern full-service hotel is located close to the M6 and M6 (Toll) motorways and just 22 miles from Birmingham Airport.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Beau Desert

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Little Aston; Walsall; Handsworth; Sandwell Park; Whittington Heath; Enville.

  • The Belfry Hotel & Resort4-star

    Lichfield Rd, Wishaw, North Warwickshire B76 9PR

    +44 (0)1675 238 600

    Visit website

    The 4-star Belfry Resort, located just outside Birmingham, is home to world class golf facilities, including the renowned Brabazon course, of Ryder Cup fame. The resort offers a wide range of excellent leisure, spa and conference facilities.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      The Belfry (Brabazon, PGA National and Derby courses).

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      No

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Forest of Arden; Whittington Heath; Beau Desert; Little Aston; Sutton Coldfield; Walsall; Handsworth; Sandwell Park; Harborne; Moseley; Copt Heath; Edgbaston.

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