Ferndown Golf Club

The Alliss course at Ferndown Golf Club occupies heathland terrain in Dorset, roughly ten miles north of Bournemouth on England's south coast. J. Hamilton Stutt laid out the original course in the 1910s, and the club has maintained two eighteen-hole layouts on the property for much of its history. The Alliss takes its name from Percy Alliss, the noted professional and club-maker who served as Ferndown's professional for many years and whose son Peter became one of Britain's most recognized golf commentators. The course runs through classic heathland vegetation—heather, gorse, pine, and silver birch—on sandy, free-draining soil that provides firm playing conditions much of the year. The routing moves across gently rolling ground with modest elevation changes, and the design emphasizes strategic shot-making rather than severe hazards or dramatic landforms. Fairways tend to be generous but require thoughtful positioning to set up approaches to greens protected by heather, bunkers, and natural contours. The heathland character gives the course a traditional English feel, with playing corridors framed by mature trees and native scrub. Ferndown has hosted regional amateur competitions and remains a well-regarded members' club in the south of England, known for maintaining its heathland courses in firm, fast condition that rewards ground game and careful course management.