North Hants - Hampshire - England

I was lucky enough to play here with a member on a very warm Friday afternoon in June and took the option to play of the whites. At just shy of 6600 yards on a par 70 this makes for a good challenge.

First off I would say the course is in fantastic condition, the member I played with told me the greens were running regularly at 10 on the stimp and they do run out just that little bit further than you want, a 2 to 3 footer tap in becomes a 4 to 5 footer nervy one. In the main long par 4s are the name of the game here so don’t expect too many driver pitching wedge flicks.

The course demands accuracy this is neither a faders course or a drawers course, to really shoot well you need to shape the ball off the tee. Holes to look out for here are 3(risk reward), 5(hit long), 12(long off the tee) and 16 (over 400 yards, up hill and into the wind when I played).

North Hants is located in a region where there are many good heathland courses and while not quite as good as the 3 Ws, Hankley, Hindhead etc. It is still a very good, well maintained, fair course that has a lovely flow to it. Definitely go and play and make sure you bring your game or you will end up just taking one or two shots more than you wanted and wonder why.

As a member of this golf course for just over 9 years now, I would like to think that I can give a good, accurate and non-biased review of North Hants having played there so much now. It is a great course right up there with the best in Hampshire and deserves the praise it gets, the reviews that other people have given are very accurate, it is a friendly golf club which has some lovely members. The facilities are good with a nice driving range and large practice putting green. The clubhouse was renovated just over a year ago and the change has made the club so much better. Before the renovation it was quite a small clubhouse and would get very cramped as there was an awkward room in the middle of the clubhouse that no one would ever use, so on competition days it would become very busy. However the renovation saw the bar become much bigger and the clubhouse to double in size, everything became much nicer and it gives off a much better vibe as it is a lot more modern. The course is great as well however in my opinion it has gone through a lot of changes since I first joined and not all of them have been good. Around 18 months ago they chopped down hundreds of trees and got rid of a lot of the heather on the course which I don't think they needed to do however the course still looks great. They have also made a great change to the par 5 3rd hole as it used to be too short for the long hitters especially. They have pushed the green back by a good 80 yards making it a much harder 2nd shot and one to think about. It is now also guarded by bunkers and quite undulated making it a much more challenging par 5 than what it used to be. My favourite holes would have to be the par 3 8th, a nice short but challenging par 3 as the green is not easy to get up and down from if missed. And the par 3 15th is a lovely hole playing around 150 yards with heather running all the way down to the green, making it look like a great hole. Overall I believe that North Hants is well worth a spot in the top 100 in England and they are making a lot of changes to try and improve the course which I think will look even better in the future!

North Hants, home of the elite amateur Hampshire Hog golf tournament, is one of the several ‘second tier’ courses situated on the notorious sandbelt to the South-West of London.

This is the most westerly of them all lying in Hampshire and to say that it plays second fiddle to some of its illustrious neighbours, whilst undoubtedly true, is doing it a little bit of a disservice in a literary sense because there is some exceptionally good golf to be found here.

Played over sandy, fast-draining turf and through glorious pine, birch and fir trees the setting is as splendid as you could hope for. And many of the holes are first-class in their quality. It can’t quite stand shoulder-to-should to the famous courses in this region but it is well deserving of its ‘Top 100’ status and I imagine quite often goes under the radar of the visiting golfer, when it really shouldn’t.

I came away from North Hants, famous for its connection with Justin Rose, very impressed with the course. The good stuff is of the highest quality and there is little not to like. There is tons of variety, a great mix of holes and the flow of the round is superb.

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

I wish Justin Rose were there celebrating his US Open victory at his home club while I was there! Played this course recently along with the 3 Ws and I must say that this course would fully deserve a higher ranking. I think it is a much better course than Worpelsdon. West Hill is prettier but the overall quality of the golf holes is actually better at North Hants. Of the 3 other courses I played during that same period, only Woking beats it. You'll also find one of the most friendly pro shop ever! Cédric

This lovely course is situated on the same stretch of undulating sandy heathland occupied by many of Surrey’s more famous venues. This was my first visit to North Hants and I found the course in great condition, particularly the greens which were excellent for the time of year. The Hampshire Hog had been played here a few days prior and it was obvious to see that the course had been well prepared for the event. Although not the longest of tracks there are a still a good number of long par 4’s and I found the course far from easy. The shorter holes tend to be well defended with some tricky greens and well positioned bunkers. On the front nine I loved the long 3rd where you must avoid the lilly pond and a tall pine tree in front of the green. The pretty dogleg right downhill 6th was another of my favourites and a couple of young deer standing by the green as I approached added to the feel good factor that this course undoubtedly has. On the back nine I particularly enjoyed the run from the 14th onwards, the 17th being a genuine risk and reward hole with its unusually shaped green. I know that some do not think much of the new clubhouse but I thought that it looked pretty good walking up the 18th fairway. I took advantage of the bargain £30 twilight rate (from 4.30pm). For a course of such quality this must be one of the best deals around. BrianW

In my opinion, this course should be ranked so much higher! Played here 2 days after the Hampshire Hog and the course was in amazing condition! The greens were frighteningly quick and were made tougher by the flags remaining unchanged from one of the biggest amateur events in the UK. The course has a great selection of holes with imaginative par 3s 4s and 5s and coupled by the hospitality received, you will not be dissapointed. I often compare course such as this to West Sussex and this is another prime example that either highlights that West Sussex is seriously overrated, or that this and Hindhead are seriously underrated. North Hants offers so much more than West Sussex!

I have been lucky enough to have played this lovely course each year in May with a society and what a great day we have,the welcome we get is fab the staff & members are most welcoming nothing is to much trouble.The course is always in tip top shape & the work they have done over the last few years is showing up very well i know it's not the longest coures but what it might lack in length it more than makes up for in charm and thinking your way around is a must if you want to post a good score here.the 8th which is a par 3 is a great short hole as are the 9th & 18th both require a good tee shot and both greens are framed well with the club house in the back ground. If i live close by i'd be more than happy to be a member here a real treat if you love the game of golf on a gem of a coures

North Hants is a course I’ve been meaning to play for years and I recently played here. One word immediately comes to mind. Charming. It’s not the longest course on paper but it didn’t play short for me and the finishing handful of holes are a stern challenge. With pleasant elevation changes and a programme of tree clearance which is successfully encouraging the heather to return, North Hants narrowly misses a 5-ball rating from me, but only just. It’s almost as good as the three W’s and has a touch of Walton Heath and West Sussex about it. A fantastic new clubhouse, good practice facilities and more heather will surely see North Hants become more widely recognised as one of the sandbelts many very good courses.

A lovely course that you need to think your way around. The greens are very tricky as it is to find some of the tight fairways from the tee. Little known course with a lot of character, play it if you get the chance.

This course is a 'hidden gem'. The card will tell you that the course is not long but you will need every club in the bag. A wonderful collection of strong par 4s, long par 3s, and one par 5 on each 9. The 3rd is particularly memorable. The 5th and 12th are not bettered anywhere. This course must rate in UK top 100.