Richmond Park Golf Club

Duke's occupies the western portion of Richmond Park Golf Club's grounds within Richmond Park, one of London's Royal Parks. Designed by F.G. Hawtree, the course shares the park's protected landscape with its companion layout, Prince's, and both courses operate under special arrangement within this historic deer park established by Charles I in the seventeenth century. The setting places golfers within a unique urban parkland environment where red and fallow deer roam freely across fairways and rough. The course routing works across gently rolling terrain characteristic of the Thames Valley, with mature trees—primarily oak, chestnut, and hawthorn—defining holes and framing play. Hawtree's design emphasizes strategic positioning over length, requiring accuracy from the tee and thoughtful approach work to modest, subtly contoured greens. The layout presents a traditional parkland test where tree placement and natural ground movement create the primary challenge rather than extensive bunkering or water features. Richmond Park's location in southwest London makes Duke's accessible to the capital's golfing population while maintaining the atmosphere of a rural course. The deer presence adds distinctive character to the round, and players routinely encounter these animals during play. The course serves both members and visitors, functioning as a municipal facility within the Royal Park's management structure. Conditions reflect the dual pressures of heavy play and the limitations of maintaining turf within a protected conservation area where environmental considerations take precedence over purely agronomic concerns.