Players Club (Codrington) - Gloucestershire - England

3rd Gloucestershire - Best in Area
The Players Golf Club,
Codrington,
Chipping Sodbury,
Bristol,
Gloucestershire,
BS37 6RZ,
England

  • +44 (0) 1454 313029

  • Adrian Stiff

  • Adrian Stiff

  • Mark Brookes

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The Players Club is certainly a big, bold and brash golf course that can play as long as 7,106 yards. However, size isn’t everything, as they say, and at least four tee placements at every hole help to cater for all handicaps.

Located just off the M4 to the east of Bristol, the course opened in 2002 and it’s the creation of Adrian Stiff, a local golf architect who has designed several other West Country courses, including the highly rated Cumberwell Park.

The course was constructed to a high standard, with USGA specification greens, a state of the art irrigation system and the use of over 4,000 railway sleepers to edge many of the ponds on the course. Water predominates at no fewer than fourteen holes on the card and combined with enormous, undulating greens, they give the course an American feel within the Gloucestershire countryside.

The front nine has undergone a major alteration program, which started in 2007. A new par three 2nd hole has come into play, using the existing 3rd green and the monster, par five 8th hole has been divided into two par fours, with the first (the new 7th) a relatively short 350 yards playing to a new green and the second (the new 8th) playing to the original 8th green. To complete the golfing makeover, the par four 9th and 11th holes have been stretched a few yards longer to become par fives.

A second 18-hole course at the Players Club, called the Stranahan, opened for play in 2010. This modest 5,500-yard par 68 layout is an able accompaniment to the Codrington course and the club hopes the Stranahan course will herald a return to the 3-hour round.

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Reviews for Players Club (Codrington)

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Description: If you like it long, you'll love The Players Golf Club. From the tips, the Codrington course is a monster, measuring 7,106 yards... choose your tee carefully! Rating: 4 out of 6 Reviews: 9
TaylorMade
John Cullen

Played in the Stiff Salver on Saturday 26th August 2017 and I was very impressed with the course condition and layout. The par 3s are fantastic to the eye and very well designed. The fairways and greens were of the highest level. The facilities are excellent, all the staff and members were very friendly, helpful and welcoming. I would recommend this course to all levels of golfer who enjoy a good test of golf. A real gem.

Well done to everybody at The Players Golf Club on making the club a success.

August 29, 2017
5 / 6
Players Club (Codrington)
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David Baxter

I have played the Players a few times over the years, and indeed was a member briefly to use the practice facilities which for me are the biggest plus. My latest visit was in May 2016, and the course doesn't really seem to have matured much over the years and I'm afraid I still don't can't get over enthused about the course. Played long due to overnight rain, greens were ok and there are a few good holes (3/15/16 spring to mind, all with water in play), but I am afraid it always just leaves me a bit flat. Just one of those modern style courses I don't like, but some people I know do like it. It's not poor so I'm giving it an average rating; in my opinion there are lots of better, more enjoyable and more interesting courses out there

December 22, 2016
3 / 6
Players Club (Codrington)
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Sam Mendoza
in my opinion this is a good example of a well done modern course. Ok its not going to challenge the top100 but its contstantly being improved and is usually in very good condition. The course can play long, but choose the right tees and there is no reason for it to be overwhelming.
January 12, 2015
4 / 6
Players Club (Codrington)
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Hugh
Played the Codrington course earlier this month on a sunny day with a two-club wind and enjoyed it very much. Challenging course with numerous memorable holes of great variety but also very playable for our group of mixed handicappers. Some bunkers seemed to be undergoing renovation and others were compacted with hardly any sand, which made escaping a bit of a lottery. The rest of the course (especially the greens) was in pretty good condition for mid autumn. I didn’t expect much but was pleasantly impressed. We played Ross-on-Wye and Weston-super-Mare before finishing off the trip with the sublime Burnham & Berrow. The Codrington course stood up pretty well in such esteemed company and some of our group preferred it to Ross, which a few felt was too claustrophobic and rather samey. Hugh
October 30, 2014
4 / 6
Players Club (Codrington)
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M Sell
Played this in the Europro and it is one of the best courses in the country year in year out. The greens and conditioning of the course is superb and the shot values to the greens reward the better player. It is penal in places but it is a championship golf course so it should be. It is good enough to stage anything, but being local I have played it from the members tees with my friends and they thought for the money it was great value and a few of them joined the £100 scheme. Practice facilities are great as is the par 3 course which you must try and play.
July 30, 2009
6 / 6
Players Club (Codrington)
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Young P
October 29, 2015
If it really is "one of the best courses in the country" and "good enough to stage anything", how come you can join for £100?
Carl Tushingham
Played here annually for the last 3 years. I've always found it in good condition and a friendly welcome from the staff. They have done a lot work over the last 12 months, looks like there trying to make it even longer?! Stadium feel to this course which has some great holes, the 4th and 16th being the picks. Much better than its neighbour Bowood.
June 03, 2008
4 / 6
Players Club (Codrington)
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Kevin Johnson
Agree with previous comment regarding pitch marks, few society days I would expect. Some great holes, 4,7,13,14,15, can each improve your scorecard but also ruin it, makes it a real challenge. Had fun and would want to play again in the summer to get a true reflection as looks as though alot of work is being/has been carried out.
April 17, 2006
4 / 6
Players Club (Codrington)
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Goffy
The Players Club is a new course with big ambitions. Obviously built with the Tour in mind its 7,700 yards off the very back tees and a testing 6,700 of the yellows. Size isn’t everything as they say and some of the holes were long for the sake of being long. There are however some very good golf holes, the par 4 4th,, where you have to hit over water twice and the par 5 15th which is a classic risk and reward hole, stand out. The par 3’s were good, often hitting over picturesque lakes to large greens.Overall the course is worth playing and has the potential to be very good, it has the layout but just needs the maturity.
November 09, 2005
3 / 6
Players Club (Codrington)
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Andy
At the moment, the course here is waiting to mature – it’s just so new and noticeably so. The design is very bold and gets better as the round develops and the finishing holes from 13-17 are classical match-play holes - probably not many halved holes here. The greens are enormous enabling varying different pin positions but sometimes I felt they are big just for the sake of it, including the 2nd that is an awful horse-shoe shape – why ? After completing my game here, I fear for the Players Club – main reason being that there are many holes that have lay up areas to approach the greens - here that I see a problem – who is policing the divert repair here ? – many many poor lies to play from. In a similar vein – pitch mark repair seem not to be a priority to the players. I am really split on my final opinion of the place ……. Some cracking points (14 holes involved with water), brilliant variety and dramatic holes but and it’s a very big but …… There are some things that need looking at quickly 1. Course maintenance definitely 2. The way that the clubhouse and proshop/office are separate (in fact the proshop looks as not a lot of thought and probably not much money has gone into it) and 3. So many Membership Available signs around the place (including the course) – I felt an air of desperation and to be honest a bit tacky. I would love to come back in five years time and see this as a thriving club – not sure though ….
October 29, 2005
3 / 6
Players Club (Codrington)
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Adrian
June 03, 2008
It is interesting to read yours and the other comments on this site which are quite subjective about The Playres Club. To be honest I have a £100 membership there and the place has improved a lot over the past three years but that said building a top class golf course takes a lot of money, far more so than what the owners spent on building The Players Club. This however does not mean that the course is not a real challenge because it is and you will not find many places where you can putt on bent grass greens in the UK at the prices they charge. The greens are by far the best point and seem to be where most of the money has been spent. I don't think for one minute that the course seriously ever had any chance of hosting a full tour event as The quality is simply not up to that standard and some of the holes would struggle with large crowds. It is a real shame that they are carving it up as part of the re-design as i would have liked to seem them add just another nine holes and improve the the existing 18 such as better tees etc. The clubhouse has not really come up to what was expected either. It is also a shame that they went for the pay and play idea instead of a private debenture club which would surely have been more inline with a top class course.
Andy
July 31, 2011
I agree with this review. I played it just after it opened and okay you have to allow for the early times and let it mature. I went back recently and it is still pretty much where I expected, suffering from society don't care players and needing members. It was a bold step to build a monster course like this in this area and some of it has worked but whether it can survive time will tell. I know from experience how these type of clubs can see-saw in terms of success. Shame 'cos there's a decent golf course in there.