Ventnor Golf Club

Ventnor Golf Club is the oldest golf club on the Isle of Wight, founded in 1892 on downland above the cliffs at Ventnor. The course was laid out by Tom Dunn, a leading course designer of the Victorian era, and its twelve-hole routing is unusual among British clubs, most of which run to a full eighteen. The layout measures around 5,700 yards and plays to a par of 70, with a Standard Scratch Score of 68. Perched on downland above the town on the island's south coast, the course looks out over the English Channel, with the ground rising and falling across the hillside in the manner typical of downland golf. The club has around 270 members and describes itself as a friendly, welcoming outfit for both regular players and visitors exploring the Isle of Wight. Its elevated position gives some of the more expansive views available anywhere on the island, taking in the coastline in both directions from various points on the course. For golfers touring the island, Ventnor offers a distinctive round shaped as much by its unusual hole count as by its clifftop and downland setting, a combination rarely found together on a single course in England.