Burhill (Old) - Surrey - England

Burhill Old is a pretty track, kept in immaculate condition for many months of the year. The strength of both the courses at Burhill is the condition and for that the green keeping staff should be commended. I liken the condition of a course to eating food in a new city - if it's good it can totally transform your opinion of a place, if it's bad you'll never come back!

Some have mentioned it is not a long course but at par 70 this is actually quite deceiving. It's incredibly rare for either of the two par 5's to be hit in two, and two tricky short-ish par 3's also allow length elsewhere. At no stage does the course feel short.

The highlight for me is the downhill par 4 11th. Having played the tough long par-3 10th, you crest the hill and look down on a flowing "S" shaped fairway with beautiful fairway bunkering that tempts you into driving towards the right hand trees. Do this though and you are met with low hanging branches hindering your approach to the green. The hole has a feel of the exceptional 13th at Tandridge when standing on the tee.

My main criticism of Burhill is the first 3 holes which for me just seem out of place. As a visiting golfer you also expect more from SI 1 and the 5th hole does not feel like a challenge to be feared.

All in all I am a little surprised by the ranking here and can't help but feel if Burhill Old was in another county it would probably fair much better. Whilst this review is just for the Old course it has to be said that Burhill do a fine job or presenting two very different courses for those seeking a 36 hole day.

Both courses are Burhill are somewhat overshadowed by their numerous high profile Surrey neighbours, particularly St George's Hill which is only a couple of miles away. Having said that I really enjoyed playing the immaculately presented and challenging Old course which I personally preferred to the New. The combination of high quality sloping greens and excellent bunkering make for a good test even though it's not particularly long. Most of the bunkers look fantastic and frame the greens beautifully as well as creating a strategic challenge on the fairways. The par 3's are also good and I loved the two short par 4's which both offer good birdie opportunities. On the pretty dogleg 4th you must position your tee shot well to open up the green, before avoiding the greenside bunkers on your approach and the driveable 12th has an unusual sunken green to negotiate. Beginning at the 15th, the tough finishing stretch is particularly memorable and includes three par 4's measuring well over 400 yards. The new halfway house was having its finishing touches applied during my visit so I didn't get the chance to try it out this time around but it did look very pleasant. The course gets a 4-ball rating from me but falls somewhere between 4 and 5 in reality. Brian W

Played here yesterday 4th July 2011. As with most of the reviews I agree that the Old course was in great condition, the greens are very true with many subtle breaks as previously mentioned, so if your not a two putter then you're going to four putt regularly. Not particularly long overall but an excellent test of accuracy. Agree there isn't a hole that stands out as a signature or one with a true "wow" factor. All the same an enjoyable course to play. Staff were excellent, club house above average with a lovely view from the terrace of what looked like a really tough par three on the new course. Facilities are top notch although the range didn't have nearly enough bays for a large society outing. Would again agree if you're about to pay and play I'd check out Woking, Worplesdon and West Hill in the same area, in that order, lots more heather, be warned. With that in mind recovery shots were not to tricky unless you are really wayward! Put it on your list

I played the old course on the 7th July and the course looked well conditioned and played nicely. I have played both courses a number of times and its always a good game of golf - however in my mind Burhill is overated somewhat and the course is quite easy. The clubhouse is lovely and the welcome and facilities all complement what is a nice course. To my mind however if your paying to play then I would look first to some of the better courses with similar look and feel namely Moor Park, St George's Hill, New Zealand, Woking and Sunningdale.

To start with the practice facilities at Burhill are superb. There is a long-game grass and covered range, a great pitching area, and chipping, putting and bunker areas. The course gets off to a relatively dull but hard start. However, the holes improve markedly throughout the round. The bunkering is excellent. As well as being placed inconveniently wherever your ball goes they are also very pretty. However, the highlight for me were the greens. They were fairly large in comparison to what I am used to. They were also quick, true and rather slopy.I would summarise this course as one which has no ‘WOW’ factor holes. It does, however, have nine very pleasant holes and nine slightly better than average holes. The practice facilities are excellent and the clubhouse is very grand. As well as having an easy to get to location the course does not justify its green fee. It is a nice course but by no means a must-play.(P.S The new course is not as nice as the old course)

The old course and Burhill never lets me down. I have played here several times and it is always a delight. The staff are very good and welcoming. The course is a great mix and has always been in good condition. I can understand the view of being not quite up with Wentworth etc, fair comment but still a nice place to play golf and a great challenge to most level of golfers. Worth a visit.

i have played this course many a time, and it is always a very good course, but never up to any championship standardi always enjoy the oppurtunity to play this course, and it never lets me downgood course!

Wonderfully conditioned Course with some tough long par 4's and excellent par 3's, plays every inch of its 6500 yards from the white tees. I would say its presentation is very near the top of courses I have played in the UK. Magnificent clubhouse with very good service, highly recommended.

From arrival down the sweeping drive to the efficiency of the pro shop through to the convivial atmosphere in the imposing club house, it is clear that Burhill is a class act. I played the Old Course in mid March 2008 from the white tees off a handicap of 16. I thoroughly enjoyed the blend of parkland and heathland course and appreciated its open spaces and gently curving fairways rather than the monotonous pine tree lined avenues prevalent in so many Surrey courses. Much is being invested in the course, new bunkers, reinvigoration of the gorse and this is going to make the course even better in 2008. Particulalry impressive are the 6 holes of 400 plus yards par 4s which require both a good drive and a long iron into the green to make par. At just short of 6,500 yards from the whites, it was an excellent and enjoyable challenge and highly recommended.

A very imposing drive in fails to paint the right picture I'm afraid! Burhill falls some way short of the classic SURREY gems such as Sunningdale, Wentworth, Hankley, 3 Ws, Walton etc. It is very very flat and truth be told quite a boring golf course. Its hard to find some good holes!! 7th, 8th, 17th are good I guess. Not worth the money in my view, charges a lot considering its location but falls a way short.