Forest Pines (Forest & Pines) - Lincolnshire - England

I must confess to being mildly underwhelmed by the prospect of my Friday afternoon tee time at Forest Pines. I’m not the biggest fan of resort golf and, knowing very little about the course, I had visions of tediously slow play and divot strewn fairways. However this is a time to hold my hands up and to learn the lesson of not stereotyping a course before I’ve seen it. I really enjoyed our game here and it was certainly one of the best ‘resort’ experiences I’ve enjoyed in England.

The 3 sets of nine holes have a characters in their own right but share a common theme of being framed by particularly impressive mature avenues of statuesque trees (I suppose the clue is in the name). My favourite nine was the Forest course, a real barnstorming run with a number of particularly memorable holes. The 3rd has a feel of 13 at Augusta, as a creek wanders along the left of this par 5 and crosses the front of the green, similarly to the characteristics of Rae’s Creek. The 5th is another brilliant par 5 with a particularly difficult approach. Finally the 9th is a testing finish and is framed by one of the prettiest avenues of trees on the whole property.

One small issue we found was with fallen leaves in the rough and under the trees. Our game was in early April, long after the leaves will have fallen off the trees here, but there were areas on the course in the feasible areas of play that were strewn with piles of downed leaves. Aesthetically this doesn’t look great but practically, it could cause a real issue with pace of play. I think the course would benefit from active management of this leaf problem and clearing of troublesome spots, particularly in areas proximate to driver landing zones.

The conditioning of the course other that that was solid throughout for the time of year, but be under no illusion, this is a busy golf resort and you will certainly see plenty of other golfers out on the course. You will also see some evidence of their play on both the fairways and the greens. I do however feel that this course is well worth visiting as both the routing and the general environment are extremely likeable. In summary, I won’t be so reticent to visit next time I get the invitation to tee it up at Forest Pines. It is a great test, a wonderful setting and has a lot to offer to all standards of golfer.

Three loops of nine is what Forest Pines is about. Pines can be brutal and long off the whites with long par 4s and an uphill par 5, which should not be an issue providing the first two shots are accurate. The 7th a par three is all carry across the water and the 8th is 480 yards par 5 off whites and is a test of strategy. Big hitters can go over the bunker but anything right or left means chipping out. So, I am a member and hate the hole. Iron off tee and lay up to 140 -120 yards in. Easy, but it will be a downhill lie to a very shallow green. Get a five and you have done well. The 9th is tough at 430 yards and if you need a 4 to win, then good luck to you.

Forest is shorter but the first three are played into the prevailing wind. 3, and 4 require accuracy off the tee to score well and 5 can be reached in two. The 6th over water is a strong par 3 with the lake running diagonally left, so do not be afraid to thump it back right and put well off the slope. The 9th is narrow and uphill with two long and straight shots needed to find a small green.

Beeches is the shortest but you need to be strategic. The 1st, a par 3 can catch you cold. The dog leg right second could give you a second shot which would be longer than your drive. 3rd and 5th are interesting medium length par 4s where good placement off the tee is essential. The 3rd has a two tiered green and the second to 5 is hit over a dip. The ball looks amazing as it soars high against the dark backdrop of the trees. 7 and 9 are par 3s but splitting that is the longest par 4 on the course. Trees left and right and a deep pot bunker at the front of the green pars are few and far between. There is no easy nine.

Greens are superb and quick in summer, but golfers do not repair pitch marks as often as they should. It could be that it is a very busy course as the hotel is on site. Worth a Sunday stop over playing two x 18 holes that is for sure.

Nice course in great condition. Extremely tough if you are not on your game. Massively over played as a hotel course - so you are being pushed to finish before you start. Worth the visit though.

This course never fails to leave a favourable impression on me. Especially when its -2.5 degrees, all other courses are closed due to snow and frost and yet FP was still open and playable with 13 greens on.

Playable in that given the frozen fairways the ball could bounce a long way, although it could take some serious detours!

This is a busy resort course and was even on the cold morning this week when I olayed it. But the routing of the Forest/Pines layout is excellent without any weak holes.

The standout holes on the Forest loop are the 2nd (tough tee shot on this long dog leg left par 4), 4th (short dog leg left par 4 where position off the tee is crucial ) 5th (a wonderful long and narrow par 5 played to a green in a dell) and the 6th (a delightful mid iron par 3 played over a pond)

The Pines loop standouts are the 11th (tight from the tee, dog leg right par 4, to a banked and well bunkered raised green), 13th (a sweeping left to right long par 4) 15th (par 5 played over a pond to a narrow and long green with clever bunkers and banking framing the green) and the 18th, a giod standard finishing hole to a green which is protected by a pond to the front left)

The greens have many undulations and alot are narrow and long, meaning accurate approach play required or you find yoirself just off the green with a tricky chip or putting from a long way away.

The course condition is always excellent, especially given the traffic on it, and the routing through pine trees a delight.

The 18 holes on its own would justify a 4 ball ratung but add in the Beeches loop and an overnight stay and enjoyment of the various loop combinations is recommended. Even when it is freezing.

I have rated this higher than Ed because whilst I agree with his review, this is a course you would stay over in the hotel at and play the different loops on multiple days.

I think FP is seriously underrated. The hotel has recently changed ownership (away from Q Hotels to Doubletree). It has a proper resort feel with spa and nice looking outside seating and decking facing onto the 1st tee of the Pines Loop and 9th green of the Forest Loop

The Forest/Pines combination is my favourite and in that order. Best played off the whites, the 1st is a nice sweeping right to left opener. Get past the tree on the fairway and its a relatively straight shot into a a green that slopes back to front. You then move onto the 2nd which is a lovely looking hole and off the whites there are several bunkers that can come into play. You then follow onto as par 5, 4 , 5 stretch . The short par 4 in the midst of these shouldn’t cause issues but invariably does either being blocked on the left or too big a drive can reach the bunker or worse the shrubs behind it. The 5th par is lovely, long and straight but hitting your 3rd into a green which is in a bowl and with a deep pot bunker behind for any shot that is too big. The 6th is one of my favourites, a 175 yard par 3 over water . This is followed by a nice par 7th hole and to finish the loop the par 4 9th again is a nice hole to play back to the clubhouse.

The PInes loop starts with another par 5, which is rather unspectacular, but the next hole is a gem (aim left of the tree in the fairway) with a raised and banked green. The par 3 3rd again is a lovely hole and you then follow a section of really good holes. The 6th is a good par 5 where dependent upon your drive the water can come into play and a green with clever bunkers and slopes and furrows. The 7th is a long par 3 all over water but a great hole and this is followed by another par 5 - watch for the bunkers that come right across the course where your tee shot is about to land.

You finish on a strong par 4 of over 450 yards, before a well deserved drink on the verandah decking to watch the myriad of golfers heading out for their rounds.

This is a popular course and stay over hotel and the course is always open and rarely greens not in play, even when it is frosty.

The Beeches loop is nice but it’s the Forest/Pines which is a real treat and imo should be Top 100 in England.

I’ve played all 27 holes at Forest Pines on a number of occasions. There are three nines at this Q-Hotels venue, all of relatively similar calibre, and it was the ‘Forest’ and ‘Beeches’ loops we enjoyed this time out. The third nine ‘Pines’, along with ‘Forest’, is generally regarded as the premier make-up for a round of 18 and I would agree with this consensus.

But that said there is very little in it and the 27 holes generally have a very solid and consistent feel to them. The tree-lined nature and relative flatness of the property tends to breed a similarity and remembering individual holes at a later date can be a tricky task as they often blur into one. The reason is probably because there are very few stand-out holes – the flatness of the property probably contributes to that the most – but there is very little that disappoints either.

We were greeted with firm fairways and well-conditioned greens for the time of year and it’s a course I will certainly look to return to during the off-season as it is easily accessibly from the motorway network of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

Whilst the short holes fail to really pack a punch, the lack elevation change a contributing factor, the par fives sparkle as do a number of the two-shotters.

We opted for an early tee-time and had the course to ourselves, however, due to the nature of the facility it attracts a high volume of play, particularly the corporate and society type. Indeed upon finishing the putting green and first tee were heaving with activity as a large group was just starting.

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

Played Forest Pines for the 3rd time yesterday and as always it provides a great test. The condition of the course wasn't amazing, but that has to be expected with the horrendous weather we have endured the past couple of weeks. However, it really is a cracking layout, not overly long (Pines 9 has a few tough Par 4s), but in general it is a fantastic risk and reward course. You can see the comparison to the likes of the Duchess Course at Woburn in areas because of how narrow it is, you almost feel as though the trees are about to collapse on you. Like everyone will say who's played it, the stretch of holes from 2-6 are one of the finest stretches of holes you'll find around England. 2 wonderful Par 5s at 3 and 5, you get a hint of Augusta with the flowers and heather blooming around the green on 5 and the 3rd is like a remake of the 13th at Augusta, big swinging Par 5 where a creek runs all the way down the left then cuts infront of the green. This is a brilliant risk and reward hole. You then have the 2 very challenging Par 3s at 6 on the Forest and 7 on the Pines, played straight over water to 2 undulating greens. Make sure you take enough club, as I was told 10,000 balls were fished out of the pond in one year on the 7th (Pines). Everyone that plays here I'm sure will enjoy the experience as it is a wonderful layout that you will rarely find this type of course in the UK. It just needs that extra bit of investment on the conditioning of the course to take it to the next level, and then in the future it could easily hold events like the Solheim Cup etc. Must mention it is very good value for money too as QHotels do some great deals.

Didn’t read all the reviews so just a quick couple of comments from me. Firstly, I think its fair to say as of summer 2013, concerns about the greens have been addressed properly, these are as good as almost any I have played in Britain. Setting, layout, general condition all genuinely excellent, this course deserves all the plaudits. If you had told me this was Woburn I would not have been disappointed it stands the comparison well. Most of all, incredibly good value, they encourage 4 balls and monitor slow play, mark out the tees properly, and generally get right the little things that cost nothing but that so many courses seem to forget. One thing I don’t understand is why they don’t put a little marker on the flag to tell you its location, not many courses do but it makes a difference in my view. And a more serious moan, which is mentioned endlessly on trip advisor for the past umpteen years, the beer and food is beyond ridiculous prices. A poor quality hamburger and chips for 12.50? That’s Mayfair prices.. Perhaps its policy to charge very little for the golf knowing happy golfers will make up the money for them in the bar afterwards.

Played here for the 1st time in October and was very impressed. The general layout of the course is fantastic carved quite simply through a forest. You can see the comparisons with Woburn which in fairness some holes are just as narrow if not tighter but in general it isn't a patch on the Duke's Duchess or Marquess at Woburn. For October the conditioning of the course was reasonable with the fairways, tees an bunkers being good but the greens I have to say weren't brilliant. With them being fairly undulating you'd expect them to be fairly quick but instead they were very woolly and slow along with them not running that true, however positives are there are some wonderful holes and be prepared to hear the sound of clattering trees and I would recommend keeping the driver in the bag! My favourite holes were the Par 5 5th flanked by the giant pines and gorse covered bunkers, the 6th a beautiful little 140yard par 3 over water to a slippery green and the 16th par 3 which is a larger version of the 6th a full blown 210 yard par 3 over a huge lake to a 2 tier green. Well worth a visit and very enjoyable!

We brought a group of 13 reasonable golfers with high expectations. Overall we were not disappointed - the lay out of the courses was superb, fairways were top class, hotel welcome was good, service was attentive. Drinks were pricey but we got a £10 per head voucher which helped. Food was ok but nothing special. I'd have given the experience a 9/10 but am downgrading it simply because of the standard of the greens. The practice putting green was slow but acceptable. The Forest course was equally slow , the Pines course even slower. Still worth an overall 8/10 though. The Beeches - probably the lesser of the three 9's on looks - however, was terrible. Slow, bobbly, tined, sandy. You couldn't have wished for much worse. We had single figure golfers who three putted more than half the greens. Honestly, you had to smash it from 20 feet just to make the hole and the four footers were nearly impossible. In August I expected the course to be perfect. Visually it was but the overwhelming feeling of disappointment at the greens hasn't gone away. I know the hotel courses keep greens longer than most standard clubs but you'd still expect a course in England's top 20 to have smooth ones at that time of year. Hopefully this was a seasonal one-off but I'd think twice about going back without knowing they were better