Forest of Arden (Arden) - Warwickshire - England

A round on the main Arden course – there is also the par 69 Aylesford course – is very much a tale of two halves and allows you to walk in the footsteps of the stars of the game who competed here just before and after the turn of the millennium. You can count Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke amongst the champions crowned here.

The front nine unquestionably suffers from poorer terrain and with the exception of the excellent fourth hole it delivers pretty much what you would expect from a hotel resort-style course; flat fairways lined by lush semi-rough, big American-style bunkers and large greens with minimal movement.

The fourth hole really is the shining light on the outward half. It’s a dog-legging par four that entices you to bite off a little bit more than you perhaps should before playing to a sloping green with water jutting out to protect the front-left side.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with the other holes but, with the exception of the double-green at the third/sixth and the lake-fronted par-three eighth, there are few really memorable moments.

The transformation on the back-nine is quite staggering. The turf is firmer and the landscape has a lovely open, almost heathland, feel to it with mature trees and bracken enhancing the richness of this part of the property. Most importantly though, and undoubtedly as a consequence of the improved golfing ground, the actual holes are better.

The Forest of Arden is often compared to The Belfry, not least because of its proximity but also because the style is similar and their history of hosting televised golf tournaments. There’s no dispute in my mind that The Belfry is the superior course; it has a couple of outstanding holes that the Forest of Arden simply doesn’t possess and it’s consistently better too. That said, the Forest Arden certainly boasts the most enjoyable nine of both courses (in their back-nine) which is just a lovely loop of golf.

Ed is the founder of Golf Empire – click the link to read his full review.

With all due respect to 4 or 5 decent holes on the back nine, this is overrated, expensive, uninteresting and not worth the effort.A course planner and thirty range balls was £10. I was tempted to ask if the planner was gold-plated! The front nine is muddy, has a fine view of a motorway, and consists of 8 average to bad holes, and one decent hole, the ninth. There are some good holes coming in, but 48 hours on, I can only remember 4 of them. A terrible indictment of the layout.Whilst the fairways were ok, the greens were chewed to bits, and the whole set up is so arrogant that our event with 60 people in threeballs, was put out behind 6 fourballs, and thus took upwards of 5 hours. Utter arrogant disdain for customers.Spend your money elsewhere, I would suggest.

Played here in torrential rain last October but was shocked at how good the condition of the course was! Super quick greens even after all the rain fall and some wonderful holes too especially on the back 9! A modern classic and you can understand why this was a favourite for the pros while the British Masters was here! The back 9 in particular is amazing with the 12th 17th and 18th the standout holes with the finishing hole been a breathtaking 200 yard carry over a lake to the distant green with the hotel in the background. Courses like this and the Woburn Marquess need tournaments like the British Masters and English Open back quickly.

It has been a few years since my last visit to the course and my opinion remains the same really. We have here a decent hotel course with some good holes and quite a few plain holes that fail to get me excited. The plus points are that conditioning is of a high standard and the welcome from the staff is perfect. The front nine is the weaker with the par-4 9th being the pick of the bunch, this is a tough hole, especially the tee shot. The best holes are on the back nine and it is the two par-5’s; the 12th and the 17th that are my choices – both have great greens and water to carry on the approach. My rating for the course may seem low but if I was rating the whole experience of the stay and play option I would go higher as this is a popular place for groups and there is a second course too.

The Arden, like the Brabazon, is a famous hotspot for golfers in the Midlands as it has hosted professional events. The condition is normally superb with great fairways and greens. It can be lengthened to a huge length and to be fair to them they will let you play off the back markers. The main issue is the inconsistencies of the two 9s. The front 9 is not a patch of the back in design and general interest. It starts with two par 4's and then a 5, which are not really that interesting and it doesn’t get a great seal better until the 9th which is excellent. The back 9 though is excellent. Not a bad hole really, every hole is very challenging and extremely pretty with trouble everywhere. The deer are a lovely touch. The back 9 is worth the trip alone.

We played the arden course 31st May 2011 in the afternoon sunshine. The course was in superb condition, both to look at and play on. Our 4 ball comprised 17,18,27 and 28 handicappers. The course was a good test without being too tough, I only admitted defeat on the 18th having lost two balls from the tee.People shouldnt judge a course on whether or not its owned by a particular hotel or whatever , they should judge it on how it plays and how enjoyable it is. It plays lovely and was most enjoyableFood in the zest bar afterwards tasty and reasonably priced; Staff friendly, one of my best days out golfing ever, 5 or 6 real wow holes , and only a couple where the shorter hitter is struggling, would recommend above other similar courses without hesitation

How do you rate a course? Quality of the course, condition of the course, setting, Clubhouse, speed of play etc it is all a very individual perception; so here is mine. Firstly for me here are the negatives. FoA does not have the soul of a golf club because of the fact it is a hotel and play is slow (a 5 hour round so be careful how late your tee time is) as it is a venue that just fills the course with players of all ability to generate income. Secondly the bit in the middle. Hoes 1-9 and 18 are all very well designed golf holes requiring you to think your way round but are not brilliant; they are just good golf holes. In comparison they are as good as any at the Belfry and I prefer them to the Oxfordshire as at least they are defined by trees and hedgerow. Finally the great bits holes 10 -17 are truly excellent golf holes and a real test, excellent use of the land and also the building of a few ponds to guard the greens. In my opinion 8 holes that rival any I have played for their design beautiful surroundings and golfing challenge. Also considering the amount of play even in mid Oct the course was in brilliant condition. My final plus point – price - £99 quid for DBB and a round of the Arden and Aylesford is just ridiculously cheap and puts other modern venues (Oxfordshire, Belfry, The Grove etc) to shame. All in all a great experience and it should be easily in the Top 100 (swap it with the Belfry). Go and try it and accept it for what it is and you will enjoy it; oh and take your long game!

Played the championship course last weekend. It was in good condition despite the volume of golf played and the lack of rain that is starting to dry out courses in southern England. Greens were in great condition and very fast. The front 9 is decent, but considerably weaker than the back 9, which were fantastic. It was like playing two different courses. Recommendable.

Good but corporate. Not what i enjoy. Some good holes, a good course, but not good enough to host tournaments if it was De Vere.As its corporate, its overpriced as well, but its not terrible

I'm really not a fan of hotel courses, and so I had low expectations of the Marriot Forest of Arden. However i was very pleasantly suprised when we played. Not only was the course in very good condition given the extremely heavy rain there had been in the night and weeks before we played, and it was december anyway, but also the course was challenging, interesting, and the back 9 especially fel really mature - and unlike so many boring, un-inspiring 'new' courses, which so often feel like they are random bits of land which was created into a golf course. I hope to return.