The Old Thorns is a 4 star hotel in Hampshire, England close to the village of Liphook and A3.
The hotel has a famous golf course designed by Peter Alliss.
The Old Thorns estate (which later become the hotel and golf resort) was previously the property of Ken Wood in the 1940s some ten years before he would invent the kenwood food mixer. It however was another 30 years before a golf course was to be constructed in the 400 acre site.
Originally a commander John Harris was commissioned to build the golf course in the 1970s but his death meant that the task was passed to Peter Aliss and Dave Thomas. The new design team had just completed the Lansdowne and Brabazon courses at the Belfry so where regarded as rising stars in this field.
Once completed, a high profile course launch was arranged involving Bill Rogers, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Isao Aoke. The course continues to be popular to this day and is often rated in the top 100 courses in England.
Present day
The course and attached hotel have been recently acquired by the Shaw family the previous developers of Dunston Hall and Ambassador hotel (both in Norwich). The Old Thorns is now being changed to include a larger hotel, conference facilities and a large health spa facility.