Guildford is a course on the North Downs to the east of Guildford. It’s perhaps too much to say that it is a downland course: too many trees and greens too soft. It’s got some good holes, a few genuinely tough holes and a few interesting ones as well.

The most interesting were 1, 15 (played blind over a quarry or perhaps old bomb site) and 18, the toughest, at least the hardest to get a par, felt like 17 and 14. I also thought 3 and 4 were good holes, and a really nice contrast from the uphill par 5 3rd played to a huge green and the short downhill birdie offering 4th which invites the drive.

But overall I felt the trees and scrub had grown up too much over the years, not directly affecting the playing line yet, except perhaps on 2, but changing the feel of the course from one with 360 degree views to one in which the views were limited and predominantly northbound towards Woking. For example the trig point behind, I think, the 3rd green looked only north; I have to imagine when sited there would have been views south east and west as well. We were a bit late for Pyramidal Orchids, but I didn’t see any wild marjoram which should be characteristic of mid-August chalk downland.

The hugest points on the course are I think clay over the chalk, and here could be found a little well tended heather, but, if the geology is right, it would be interesting to see if the course could have a mixture of heathland and downland. Then it really would be interesting and contrasting in a way few courses are, of those I’ve played Farnham (Sands) would be one, and even there the geology is sand all 18.