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The Derby is an 18-hole course at The Belfry Hotel & Resort in Sutton Coldfield. Originally designed by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas and opened in 1977, it has undergone a major redesign completed in 2026. The Belfry now presents the course as a heathland-style layout, with newly introduced heather, reshaped fairways and approaches, raised tee complexes and more than 60 new white-sand bunkers.
The current official headline figures are par 70, 6,099 yards and slope 110. A current published Yellow scorecard measures 6,099 yards with a 69.3 course rating and slope of 127, indicating that the resort's headline slope may refer to a different tee or setup. The redesign also introduced White tees for the first time, alongside Yellow, Red and junior markers.
The course is an 18-hole resort golf course. It plays to par 70, 5,577m (6,099 yards), course rating 69.3 and slope rating 110. Designed by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas, the course originally opened in 1977. It is open to resort guests. On-site facilities include Driving range, PGA Academy, Golf shop, Putting facilities, Practice bunkers, Clubhouse, Restaurants, Bars, and 3 more.
The Derby formed part of The Belfry's original golf development and was created by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas. It opened in 1977 alongside The Brabazon, providing a second full course at the new resort and a less severe alternative to the championship layout.
The original Alliss-Thomas course was conceived as the more accessible counterpart to The Brabazon. That role remains, but the 2026 redesign gave it a substantially different visual and strategic identity. The new approach uses heathland cues: heather planting, irregular white-sand bunkers, reshaped fairways, widened approaches and elevated tee complexes.
The resort says the changes were intended to preserve playability for developing golfers while introducing more meaningful strategic decisions for stronger players.
The largest documented change in The Derby's history was completed in 2026. The Belfry describes the work as a full redesign and reconfiguration rather than a minor renovation. More than 60 bunkers were introduced, teeing areas were elevated, fairways and approaches were reshaped, heather was planted and maintenance infrastructure was improved.
White tees were added for the first time alongside existing Yellow, Red and junior options.
The Derby historically occupied a secondary role beside The Brabazon and PGA National. The 2026 project was explicitly intended to give it a distinct identity within the resort's three-course portfolio, with The Brabazon representing championship parkland golf, PGA National an inland links style and The Derby a heathland-style alternative.
The redesigned course was unveiled in May 2026 and is now listed by The Belfry at par 70, 6,099 yards and slope 110. Visitors can book it directly through the resort's tee-time system.
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| Front 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 34 |
| Yards | 294 | 370 | 151 | 367 | 398 | 334 | 192 | 352 | 307 | 2765 |
| Index | 7 | 5 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 15 | - |
| Back 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 70 |
| Yards | 382 | 201 | 403 | 499 | 480 | 372 | 180 | 402 | 415 | 3334 | 6099 |
| Index | 8 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 4 | - | - |
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