The Essex

Colchester carries a fair claim to being England's oldest recorded town, and The Essex sits within this historically dense corner of East Anglia — a region where the landscape opens into wide skies, flat farmland, and the kind of unhurried English countryside that has always suited golf.

Par 73 layouts are relatively uncommon in British golf, and that extra stroke built into the card typically signals a course that leans on length or awkward par 5s to test patience as much as ball-striking. The Essex sits within the county club tradition that shaped much of English golf through the 20th century — clubs where membership, community, and a course that rewards local knowledge have always mattered more than tournament prestige.

Essex itself is sometimes overlooked as a golf destination compared to the heathland belts of Surrey or the coastal links of Suffolk and Norfolk, but it supports a strong club scene. For anyone passing through or setting down roots in this part of the country, The Essex offers an 18-hole test grounded firmly in its county and its community.