Forest Hills

Occupying a densely forested property less than a 1.5-hour drive from Moscow city centre, the course at Forest Hills Golf Club is a co-design by Arthur Hills and Steve Forrest which opened for play in 2012. The club has its own hotel, offering guests19 rooms of cosy chalet-style accommodation, along with a clubhouse restaurant serving traditional Russian and European cuisine.

Measuring 6,709 metres from the back tees, the course is set in an out and back fashion. Elevation changes are frequent, bunkers are plentiful, and the greens are massive – indeed, the 18th is said to be one of the largest in Europe at around 20,000 square feet. Water comes into play only once during the round, in the shape of a small lake situated between the par five 13th and par four 14th.

Highlight holes include short par fours at the severely right doglegging 2nd and the heavily sand-protected 10th; the par five 7th located at the top of a hill overlooking a valley; the longest of the par threes at the 213-metre 17th; and the tough closing hole (rated stroke index 3) which swings markedly left from the tee towards the enormous home green.

We asked Steve Forrest about this final putting surface and he told us:

“As I recall, the owner wanted to make a statement for the finish. In order to make the green more interesting, we included a couple of Biarritz-like waves that were perpendicular to the line of play and the three big left side bunkers helped to keep everything in good proportion visually.”