Ferndown Forest

Ferndown sits in the heart of Dorset's pine-and-heathland belt, a landscape that has shaped some of southern England's most distinctive golf. The town itself borders the Bournemouth conurbation but quickly gives way to sandy soil, silver birch, and Scots pine — terrain that drains fast, plays firm, and produces the kind of low, running game that rewards creativity over power.

Ferndown Forest is the younger sibling to the nearby Old Course at Ferndown Golf Club, one of the more respected heathland layouts in the south of England. Where the Old Course carries serious pedigree, Ferndown Forest offers a more accessible, shorter experience across the same characteristic landscape — heather rough, tree-lined corridors, and the quiet of woodland surroundings that make even a casual round feel genuinely removed from the suburban edge nearby.

A par 69 signals a course built around precision rather than length, likely asking players to think carefully through shorter two-shotters and testing par 3s rather than simply overpowering the card. It suits golfers who appreciate craft over brute distance.