Sturminster Marshall Golf Club

Sturminster Marshall Golf Club lies near Wimborne Minster in Dorset, in the valley of the River Stour as it winds south toward Christchurch Harbour. This part of east Dorset is low-lying and agricultural, a mix of water meadows and arable farmland rather than the chalk downs that dominate the county further west. Wimborne itself is an old market town built around its minster church, and the surrounding villages, including Sturminster Marshall, sit within easy reach of both Poole and Bournemouth to the south. The county's proximity to the coast means the climate here is milder than inland England, though the Stour valley floor can be prone to winter flooding, a characteristic of this stretch of the river. Dorset's golf courses are concentrated more heavily toward the coast and the chalk downland around Dorchester, making a course set in the Stour valley itself a slightly different proposition from the heathland and clifftop layouts the county is best known for.