The Nine of Herts

The Nine of Herts is a nine-hole course located in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, in the Chiltern Hills area northwest of London. The course was designed by D. Thomas, though limited public documentation exists regarding the specific design history or opening date. Rickmansworth sits in a landscape characterized by the Chess and Colne river valleys, with gently rolling terrain typical of the Chilterns chalk escarpment region. As a nine-hole facility, the course serves the local golfing community in an area with a long-established golf tradition, including nearby clubs that date to the early twentieth century. The Hertfordshire region has historically supported both private members' clubs and accessible public facilities, and nine-hole courses often provide a practical option for recreational golfers seeking a shorter round or those new to the game. The course layout likely takes advantage of the natural topography common to this part of Hertfordshire, where modest elevation changes and mature woodland settings create variety within a compact routing. Nine-hole courses in the Home Counties typically reflect their era of construction in terms of length and strategic design, often emphasizing accuracy over distance. Without extensive tournament history or national rankings, The Nine of Herts functions primarily as a local amenity, offering golf in a region where land values and development pressure have historically limited the expansion of full-length courses.