MANOR HOUSE & ASHBURY DEVON
Architects In-house across six courses
Yardage 5,331-6,528 (par 72)
Green fees 27 holes a day free to residents
In a nutshell… Manor House & Ashbury isn’t really conducive to ‘in a nutshell’… it’s just so incredibly comprehensive. Our best shot is this: four 18-hole courses and two short ones that equate to 103 holes of golf; more than 70 sport, craft, leisure and spa activities; two hotels, the 222-room Ashbury Hotel and 204-room Manor House.
Societies will love… For families or with active friends, it is an amazingly good option – and the value is frankly bewildering. It is believed to be the ninth largest golf resort in the world, and the choice of course is hard to believe, o¡ering a range of challenges that use the natural features of the landscape very nicely. Mature trees, hedgerows and ponds are incorporated skilfully to provide a nice variety across the many holes.
You can stay for a week, play every day and never play the same hole twice – easily! The Kigbeare course is regarded as the No.1. The longest of the selection, it starts and ends outside the clubhouse on two of the original holes from 1991. Fourteen of its holes were built on the Kigbeare Estate, where well-established trees give a sense of maturity to the layout. However, all o¡er a fine test and there are views of Dartmoor across the Devon countryside. O¡ the course, the startling options continue: there are 11 tennis courts, two squash courts and 12 badminton courts, as well as an indoor bowls centre plus activities such as snooker, archery, and 10-pin bowling. For something more sedate, head for the Manor House Hydro Spa, which boasts a state-of-theart hydro pool, saunas, steam room and spa baths. To make things easy (and very, very a¡ordable), all breaks are on a full board basis – so turn up and enjoy yourself knowing there is not a huge bill awaiting you at the end of your action-packed week. Oh, and there are always tempting deals on o¡er throughout the year.
Star hole… The Kigbeare’s 3rd is a wonderful 205-yard par 3. This aesthetically pleasing short hole drops 50ft from the tee to the green, with your ball having to carry 180 yards to clear ‘Hookmoor Brook’. The green is surrounded on three sides by large, mature trees with a steep bank rising behind.
0800 4583026 reception@manorhousehotel.co.uk