The course at bowood park golf club is set within 230 acres of the 14th century hunting estate of edward of woodstock, duke of cornwall and prince of wales (better known as the black prince nowadays), and it first opened its doors to golfers in 1992.

Bob sandow (a former associate of robert trent jones) routed the course, but bob knott and brian huggett (who played in six ryder cups and was the gb&i team captain in 1977) set it out. The cobbledick family not only hired a well-known expert to headline its architecture credentials, but they also appointed eddie connaughton – one of europe's leading agronomists – to the job, bringing bowood park ahead of the game in the uk.

Bowood park is a parkland course, as its name implies, and it is situated in what was once cornwall's largest deer park. The course winds its way through rolling hills on the outer nine, while the back nine meanders across the allen river valley.

The greens were designed to usga standards, and there are more than a dozen water hazards to contend with during the course, none more so than at the 385-yard par four 12th, which features an island green accessible through a raised, new england-style wooden footbridge. For some cause, the distinctly doglegging par five 13th is stroke index six. Water on the corner of the dogleg and short left of the green guards it jealously. Despite its short length of 510 yards, only a few birds will be carded here.