Cuddington - Surrey - England

Cuddington is a downland golf course and as such not a typical Surrey layout. Recent tree clearance has created a glorious open vista and feeling of space with excellent views of London and some of its well known sites from the attractive olden-style clubhouse which is sited on higher ground. The last three holes of the front nine are played on the other side of a busy suburban road and require a bit of walking between tees, but otherwise the Golf Club is self-contained. We played in the middle of a particularly hot and dry summer, and the wide-open fairways set on chalk are reassuring with the ball running a long way.

This typical Harry Colt course now approaching its Centenary, having started life in 1929, is not however a pushover. Sure enough playing from the white tee blocks at 6600 yards in the conditions is pleasant rather than overly arduous, but the bunkers (highlighted by 3 trademark cross bunkers at the Stroke Index one hole, the 460 yard 7th) are large and very strategic. The greens are excellent and roll at a comfortable pace, and the fairways and teeing areas are in good order.

I like golf courses that start with a longer hole, it gets play moving and hopefully allows a big booming drive from the first tee to get one’s golfing juices flowing. And Cuddington starts with two par fives and then a 440 yard par four, all with sufficient challenge and the perfect introduction to the course’s character. There are two excellent short holes on the front nine, the first at 4 is a stern uphill test well protected by bunkering at the front, and the 8th is a more straightforward proposition to another good green. And in my view, the aforementioned 7th hole is probably the best hole on the course, a genuine two-shotter to a long green.

I preferred the longer front nine, but two more excellent par threes on the back nine at the uphill 12th of just 140 yards and the 200 yard 16th kept things interesting as does the par five 17th which is surely reachable in two by big hitters. The final hole comes nicely back to the clubhouse with an uphill challenge that seems more than its 420 yards.

As is a well known, Surrey is indeed blessed with many magnificent golf courses, the county punches well above its weight in this regard. So a placing of 25th in the County List is no mean feat for Cuddington, although in my view this golf course deserves a top 20 rating. It is a great location in which to play the game, and the visiting golfer will enjoy the downland splendour and spacious feel that in turn provides a happy golfing experience.

Decent parkland course in good condition. Good venue for a society event but there are few memorable holes. Wide fairways, good greens, pleasant but not inspiring.

Cuddington may only rank 25th in the county but this just goes to show the impressive strength in depth of Surrey golf where the top 20 courses all feature in the English Top 100. While the course doesn't quite reach those heights, Harry Colt succeeded in designing a particularly interesting layout draped over a challenging and gently undulating area of downland.

The course opens up with two good par fives providing an opportunity to get off to a fast start. Skilfully placed fairway bunkers demand accuracy right from the off and this is a theme that continues throughout the round. After crossing the road, holes 3-5 are found on a separate triangular piece of land. A good drive on the downhill 3rd leaves an approach shot that must avoid a gathering bunker to the right of the green. This is swiftly followed by the first of five par-3's, which plays to a well guarded slightly raised green. Both are good holes. Following the relatively straightforward 5th we cross over the road again to face two of the strongest holes on the course. Both the 6th and 7th stretch out to around the 450-yard mark, the challenge heightened by a line of diagonal cross bunkers on the 7th which are a particularly attractive design feature.

While there is no shortage of good golf on the front nine the four road crossings do break up the flow of the round somewhat and I slightly preferred the routing of the back nine which has none of these issues. The quirky downhill 10th with a deceptive sloping green wasn't a favourite but the short 11th, playing to a raised and well protected green is a fine hole. I really enjoyed holes 14 - 16. A tough dogleg right is followed by a picturesque and much shorter dogleg left at 15 which offers some respite before another excellent par three playing 200 yards to a green guarded by three bunkers and an interesting grassy swale.

The uphill 18th provides a strong finish to the round at 420 yards. Again bunkers must be avoided but a par here will provide a very satisfying conclusion to any round.

In recent times many hundreds of trees have been removed to recreate some of the original characteristics that Harry Colt would have recognized back in 1929. The work has been well received and the next phase of improvements could well be directed at the bunkers which would certainly benefit from a sympathetic Colt style restoration.

I really enjoyed my day at Cuddington and would expect to see continued improvement in the coming years.

A classic downland course, plotted on rolling terrain in the heart of Surrey.

The chalk based soil provides excellent drainage and gives members good playing conditions all year round.

Like many UK courses, Cuddington has recently completed a substantial tree clearance project to remove 2000+ trees which, although quite divisive amongst the members, I think works well. As you’d expect, the areas that have been cleared are still recovering, but when the tiger rough grows up to flank the fairways in summer, it will look wonderful.

The greens are USGA spec and although good, are not quite what they were two years ago, but I suspect most courses have been impacted by the exceptionally dry summer and equally wet winter last year.

There are some very good holes including the par 4 6th, 440 yards uphill into the prevailing wind. It statistically plays the second toughest on the course despite being SI 13.

The 7th is a great signature hole at 459 yards (SI1) and with 4 Colt cross bunkers to contend with from the tee.

In my view the course would benefit from reshaping and improving some of the existing bunkers, and also adding some to improve both the visual aesthetic and challenge (a la Effingham).

Cuddington is a nice course, with a great club house and friendly, welcoming members. If you’re in the area it’s definitely worth a round.

As many have said many times, Surrey is the strongest English county for golf courses; the country rankings tell us this every couple of years. A course in the county second tier of Surrey is very likely to be Top 10 ranked anywhere else to be honest. Cuddington fits into this category and is a very strong course from start to finish. Club atmosphere on arrival is friendly with club members keen to pass the time of day. The course has an unusual double par-5 start but this gives chances to have a decent card early on. The long par-4 3rd is a nice driving hole with some extra length gained from a fairway that runs downhill and then the par-3 4th (168 yards) is good looking hole that should give away some birdies. The next two holes are both par-4s (5th is 359 yards and the 6th is 449 yards, both very different in terms of scoring ease) - now I know that stroke indexes are not all about length but these two holes clearly have the SI's the wrong way around. The 5th is 5 and the 6th is 13, it is a small point but needs a mention. The 7th is a tough par-4 (SI-1) with those easy on the eye 'Colt' cross bunkers to negotiate from the tee. The first hole on the back nine splits opinion; a downhill par-4 of just under 400 yards but with a big sloping left to right fairway can punish decent tee shots. One of my favourite holes is the par-3 11th, only 140 yards and a little uphill; a beauty though. In contrast, the par-3 13th in my opinion needs more protection because an averagely hit shot can still find the putting surface. The tee shot on the short par-5 17th is great fun; coming out of a funnel of trees you really cannot start anything with early shape on it. The closing hole can easily sit in the group of toughest par-4's in county - 420 yards but plays a lot more due to the whole hole playing uphill. Mid 20's in the county numbers is about right, but a couple of places improvement would not look out of place too next time.

Cuddingdon is a traditional members club which, after Walton Heath, is one of the best in the area. There are many good things to say about the place: the recently refurbished clubhouse, Colt's strategic bunkering and the truly excellent greens. Perhaps its greatest asset, though, is the free-draining chalk soil on which the course sits. This means that you'll never have to worry about temporary greens or tees and in winter, it is a bone-dry jewel to be savoured amongst South London's often stodgy clay diet. If you're looking to join a club and year-round golf is a priority then you could do a lot worse. Overall, the course itself is solid, with 4 par 5's and 5 par 3's giving good variety. 6 and 7 are amongst the toughest back to back par 4s that you will find anywhere and tough green surrounds mean that you'll struggle to make many pars if your iron play is off centre. It may not set the pulse racing in the same way as some of the classic heathland tracks in this part of the country, but certainly provides a good test. The course would probably benefit from losing a few trees, and I'd also like to see the rough around the greens cut back a bit to give a few more options for recovery. All in all, worth a visit if you are in the area and even if your golf wasn't up to much, you can't help but enjoy the views over London from the clubhouse terrace.