Old Thorns Hotel & Resort

About the venue

Golf, spa and events resort on 400 acres at Liphook in Hampshire, just off the A3. Its par-72 course was designed by Peter Alliss. Weddings use a chapel, a walled garden and two ballrooms, the largest holding 500, and conferences take 450 theatre-style. There are 150 hotel rooms plus residences and penthouses.

Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus, Bill Rogers and Isao Aoki played the first round on the course at Old Thorns. The 6,288-yard par-72 layout was designed by Peter Alliss, the BBC's late voice of golf. It has raised tees and tree-lined fairways, and several holes bring in lakes and creeks. The resort has been running golf days, weddings and conferences for more than 40 years. It covers 400 acres of Hampshire countryside at Liphook, just off the A3.

Weddings have five main spaces. The Chapel, warm with dark wood, and the Walled Garden each take 150 for a ceremony. The Hampshire Suite seats 85, with its own bar, snug and courtyard looking over the course. The Gatsby Ballroom has art-deco styling and seats 300. The Grand Ballroom takes 500 and has a mahogany bar, a sunken dance floor and a stage set against a starlit backdrop. A Bridal Lounge has five make-up stations and a curtained dressing area.

For business, the Gatsby Ballroom takes 450 theatre-style under two large skylights, and smaller conference rooms suit board meetings and training. Team days use the driving range for archery, clay shooting and inflatable table football. Indoors there are cocktail classes, escape rooms and quizzes. The Toptracer range tracks every shot on screen.

There are 150 hotel rooms, along with two-bedroom residences, penthouses and extended-stay apartments. The Elevation Health Club has a 20-metre pool, a gym and HYROX training, and the spa sells day packages and treatments. King's restaurant looks over the greens, and there is a sports bar and the Atrium Cocktail Bar. Oties, the café, specialises in desserts, pancakes and waffles.

400 acres at Liphook, just off the A3

Par-72 course designed by Peter Alliss

Weddings for 40-plus years

Chapel and Walled Garden ceremonies for 150

Grand Ballroom for 500

Conferences for 450 theatre-style

150 hotel rooms plus residences

Spa, 20-metre pool and Toptracer range