Hidden Gem

Little Aston Golf Club

Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands · Designed by Harry Vardon (1908) · Est. 1908

Little Aston is one of the most exclusive and immaculately kept courses in the Midlands — a serene, spacious parkland laid out in 1908 by the great Harry Vardon on private estate land north of Sutton Coldfield, and later refined by Harry Colt. For much of its life it has been a members' sanctuary, and it plays like one: broad, beautifully conditioned fairways between mature specimen trees, with water threading through the closing holes.

At around 6,900 yards, par 72, it is a proper test, but the impression is of grace and space rather than severity — the golfing equivalent of a country estate. Its condition is legendary, routinely cited among the best-presented courses in Britain, and it has hosted the Dunlop Masters, the John Player Classic and several national championships over the years.

Quietly welcoming to visitors by arrangement, Little Aston offers a taste of a more private, gracious kind of golf — and pairs perfectly with a stay at nearby The Belfry.

Holes worth knowing

1The closing holes — water threads through the finish, asking for nerve and precision after the spacious, tree-lined opening stretch.
2The specimen-tree parkland — broad, immaculate fairways framed by mature trees give Little Aston the feel of a private country estate.

Highlights

Exclusive Harry Vardon parkland (1908)
Among the best-conditioned courses in Britain
Refined later by Harry Colt
Former Dunlop Masters and John Player Classic host

Good to know

→Little Aston is a Harry Vardon design later touched by Harry Colt — two of the biggest names in the game shaped this quiet, exclusive parkland.
→Its conditioning is the stuff of legend — members and visitors alike rate it among the best-presented courses in the country.
→It is a private members' club that welcomes visitors by arrangement — call ahead, and enjoy how uncrowded and serene it feels.
→It sits minutes from The Belfry near Sutton Coldfield, so the two make a natural Midlands pairing — championship resort and gracious classic.
→Birmingham and its restaurants are 30 minutes; Sutton Park, one of Europe's largest urban parks, is close for a walk between rounds.