A regal resort
Chris Bertram on the majesty of Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire
Brocket Hall doesn’t shout too loudly about itself. It doesn’t need to, for what it has on and off the course does the talking for it.
This is one of England’s finest stately homes, yet its entrance will be dwarfed in size by golf resorts with a tenth of its style, class and grandeur.
Brocket doesn’t go in for ostentatiousness. It has no reason to. Travel along its drive for a few minutes and you know you are somewhere very special.
The road snakes through beautiful Capability Brown-inspired landscaped grounds that were once part of one of the country’s great family estates. It is now home to two championship courses, glorious gardens and parkland, and handsome Grade I-listed buildings that have been transformed for modern purposes.
You check in for your accommodation at the pro shop. It is a simple process and there’s no fuss. Brocket Hall doesn’t go in for sickly, OTT service. It doesn’t need to. It allows its accommodation – set in the characterful, exquisite Melbourne Lodge – to charm you instead.
Its 16 luxury en-suite bedrooms, which enjoy superb views of the Hall, Broadwater Lake and the Melbourne course, are the antithesis of sanitised, charmless accommodation.
You are staying on a property where Prime Ministers spent weekends, where the great and good of bygone British society chose to spend their leisure time and where, today, celebrities who play golf enjoy retreating, too.
If you want slick and flawless, you’ll not be overawed by the rooms. If you enjoy charm and character – including fixtures and fittings that were made to last 100 years, and have – you’ll be enchanted.
The golf is of a similar nature: pedigree parkland courses that please the eye and nourish the soul.
The Melbourne was created by Peter Alliss and Clive Clark and crosses the River Lea on four occasions, including an iconic finish in front of the Hall after a ferry ride to the 18th green.
The Palmerston is just about regarded as the No.1 of two very balanced courses. Designed by Donald Steel and Martin Ebert, water is no issue here, but you’ll play through ancient woodland of rare Hornbeam, Scots Pine and 500-year-old oak trees.
Both will be prominent entries in Golf
World’s inaugural GB&I Top 100 Parkland Courses ranking in autumn 2024.
There’s an argument to say I’ve left the best for last: the food.
The clubhouse serves robust breakfasts (the best kind!), splendid lunches and an unmissable steak for dinner (there are other options but the steak is sensational).
You might also fancy afternoon tea in the elegant atmosphere of The Ballroom, and enjoy the traditional butler service.
And its shining light is Auberge du Lac, whose epic lakeside setting is more than matched by the fine dining in a relaxed style and supervised by Head Chef John Barber.
Located close to Welwyn, Hertfordshire, Brocket Hall sits in complete tranquillity yet is just 22 miles from central London and enjoys superb access to the M1 and A1.
It is two and a half hours from Leeds, so its catchment area for a long weekend break is immense. It won’t ever disappoint.