Kyle Philips has done a neat job, using the natural contours of the land in an understated way to create The Grove...a discerning golf course.
Overall rating
4.0
Kyle Philips has done a neat job, using the natural contours of the land in an understated way to create The Grove...a discerning golf course.
The Grove is one of the newer and most enterprising golf course projects recently undertaken in England. Designed by Kyle Phillips (the man behind Kingsbarns), the course opened for play in September 2003 to rave reviews and its already considered by some to be one of the best new golf courses inside the M25. The Grove is not your typical golf club. In fact, it isn’t a golf club at all – it’s a pay-and-play golf course open to everyone.
More than a decade on, it's a venture that seems successful. It was hard to imagine a course (and the facilities) of this quality without a club and associated members attached. The Grove has certainly attracted many pay-and-play guests and, what's more, they all receive an amiable welcome. All the staff are focused on customer service and they will do their level best to cater for your every whim. This is probably the closest US resort or private club experience you'll find on this side of the pond.
When you drive up the private road towards the “resort”, your first impression might be that you’ve arrived at a new upmarket municipal. The land itself appears uninspiring, fairly open, with a few undulations but nothing much else. However, when you get out on the course itself, you immediately appreciate the quality and you quickly begin to acknowledge the design. Phillips has done a neat job, using the natural contours of the land in an understated way to create a discerning golf course.
No doubt the Levy brothers, owners of the Grove, were delighted to host the 2006 World Golf Championships... this was the first time that the American Express event visited Britain and a certain Tiger dominated the field to claim the 2006 title.
Here's what Ernie Els had to say about The Grove after the 2006 WGC: "I loved The Grove. Let me tell you, it is very, very impressive. I would say it's the best-conditioned golf course in Europe, certainly from my experience. Everything was perfect; the course is great, the tees, fairways and greens were incredibly manicured and the practice facilities were amazing. And the food we had at the club all week was magnificent. This was the benchmark for how a tournament should be. It was that good."
Four large teeing areas on every hole cater for all golfing standards. Measuring a hefty 7,152 yards from the back tees to a leisurely 5,507 yards from the front tees. The raised undulating greens are simply fantastic, very fast and very true. However, if you miss the green with your approach shot, you can be faced with some very tricky recovery chip shots. The fairways are thickly grassed and very lush; the ball seems to sit proudly on top, giving the handicap golfer loads of confidence and every chance to make clean contact with the ball.
The Grove is certainly a course for the cognoscenti and it was back in the spotlight in October 2016 for the Luke Donald-hosted British Masters, which Sweden's Alex Noren won by two shots from Austria's Bernd Wiesberger. Never happy to rest on laurels, The Grove’s greenkeeping team (in consultation with Kyle Phillips and his shaping specialist Theo Travis) completed a renovation of all 90 bunkers in June 2020.
The 18 holes are routed over a large estate with a shelf, creating a tier that contains a series of high holes and low holes. Kyle Phillips did a good job of utilising both tiers but also the transitions between them. By the 3rd hole, you've played from the top tier to the lower tier by the first two holes. The 3rd to 6th holes meander on the low land until the seventh tacks halfway back up the hill in the form of a par 3. By the 9th, you've returned to the clubhouse where the driving range and 10th tee are accessed by a short walk. The back nine follows a similar pattern in that one begins on the high ground and finds oneself playing the low-lying holes from 13 to 16, before returning to the clubhouse on the 18th green.
The boldness of the green complexes is to be respected. The shaping isn't minimalist - many of the contours have quite clearly been made but with expanded greens, tightly mown turf and expansive runoffs - things can become quite adventurous if you don't find the putting surface with your approach.
The width off the tee is generous in many places. However, the roughs are juicy in spots and graduate to properly thick the more one ventures away from the centerline. From the fairway, it is the approaches that will test most golfers. Missing the green in regulation is a very good way of carding a bogey as the recovery shots are incredibly varied and in some instances short-siding oneself will lead to another recovery shot from the opposite side of the green.
If one finds The Grove difficult or unfair (if there is such a thing in golf), it is probably because you're playing one or two sets of tees too far back. The Grove can test the best and for most of us mere mortals, being conservative in choosing our tees on the day will make a world of difference in how much we enjoy the round.
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