Queens Park sits just outside central Bournemouth and, for a municipal track, it's got serious pedigree. Founded in 1905, it opened with an exhibition match featuring J H Taylor, Harry Vardon, James Braid and Alex Herd, four of the finest players Britain has ever produced. Later, it welcomed a few properly big names, including Seve Ballesteros, Sir Henry Cotton and Tony Jacklin, not bad company for a municipal course.
Today it's a classic parkland layout that works brilliantly for mixed-ability groups. The fairways move gently through mature trees and the course skirts woodland edges that give it that "proper English golf" feel. When the heather and gorse are up, the corridors can look tight and play tighter, so it rewards a bit of thought rather than a full send on every tee. In summer when the heather's out and the gorse is showing off, it's a cracking-looking place.
It's not a modern yardage monster, but that's the point. Score well by picking conservative targets, keeping it in play and leaving yourself sensible angles into greens that are generally well defended. The routing asks you to think about where you want to leave your approach, and that's exactly the sort of golf that rewards course management over raw power. It's walkable without being flat, so expect a few uphill approaches that play a club longer than the yardage suggests, especially if there's any breeze.
If you're organising a Bournemouth golf break, Queens Park is an easy add-on round: good value, straightforward to reach and close enough to Bournemouth's hotels and nightlife that you're not spending half the day in the car.
Who is this for? Golfers who like heritage courses and traditional parkland golf, without the private-club price tag.
Who is it best for? Mixed-ability groups and societies who want an easy-to-reach round close to Bournemouth's hotels and nightlife.
