Sandiway - Cheshire - England

Lucky enough to play here on 15th March this year with a colleague. Not my first visit but I was so impressed by the work the club has undertaken during the winter, I just had to comment.

Firstly, a great welcome from Gareth and his team in the Pro Shop and the sausage sandwich and coffee before starting play was excellent - probably the best breakfast sandwich we have had this year on our travels.

Now to the course. Firstly, let me set the scene. We were playing from temporary tees with “preferred lies” on fairways and to greens that had recently been dressed. However, I have to stress that this did not deter from a really enjoyable round. Given the time of year and the conditions, the course played really well and the greens were still a pleasure to putt on.

What impressed us most though was the amount of on-course work that has been carried out by the greens team and contractors. Sandiway Golf Club has always been one of the top courses around the south of Manchester and has always had high standards, consistently presenting the course in really good condition. However, they have now taken this to an even higher level.

Tree removal in several areas of the course - most notable around the 7th, 14th, 15th and 16th has really opened the course up - for the better. New and improved bunkering around the course is really noticeable and whilst some of them are no play zones at the moment, it is clear you will, want to try and manage your way around the course without visiting them.

The tee complexes are huge (some almost as large as the greens they play too) and all in excellent condition. One noticeable addition was the extension to the 15th tee. I’m not sure what distance distance this will add to the hole (probably around 30 yards) but the work is first class and I bet the members can’t wait to play from it. Removal of some trees to the right hand side of the 15th fairway are also very sensible given the extra length.

All in all we had a great day out on a warm spring day and we would thoroughly recommend a visit if you are in the area.

One of the best courses in the county, and a nice place to visit. Has some nice holes, but the hogs back fairways detract from the enjoyment when a centred drive runs off into the rough. Course condition, definition and general presentation is good, the clubhouse is nice and whilst nit cheap, it’s fair value.

I would say it’s one of the best in the region, just not the best for me.

Firstly, and I must make this clear, this has to be the friendliest golf club I’ve ever visited. From the Professional Shop to the bar staff and definitely the members. We where just a two-ball yet the three fourballs in front took turns in marking their balls to invite us through. On doing so each greeted us and kindly enquired as to where we had travelled from.

I had longed asked for Sandiway to make it to the Top 100. It used to be a hidden gem, few around the North West knew about. It is now known by all. From start to finish all the holes are tree lined. The greens are shaped to perfection and the bunkers look more interesting every time I play here. The rough isn’t so thick that you’ll lose a ball but long enough to punish those off ward shots.

If I have one criticism it would be a couple of the par 3s. I’d love to see them push a tee further back on the 13th to make it longer than a wedge. In similar fashion the 6th is fairly short too. Their are 5 par 3s all told. One is touching 200 yards.

The standout hole for me is the 10th. A devil at 465 yards with a fairway that drastically slopes from left to right. The green then sits above you. 12th is quite a beautiful par 4 running along the lake. I’d dearly love the club to open it up so you could see the water right along the hole.

All in all you won’t be disappointed by Sandiway Golf Club. I try and play here once a year, I’m never disappointed. I’m so pleased to see it in the Top 100. It’s not before time.

Growing up in Cheshire as I did, I was often informed of the magical Sandiway, touted by some members of my home course as the best in the area. I had to wait over 25 years after hearing these words to see the course for myself, but in May of this year, that moment arrived.

I found the golf course at Sandiway to be very pretty and in some cases dramatic. And whilst the page notes on this website state that Sandiway is a wooded heathland, and I can see that there are some remnants of heathland with silver birch trees and even one or two pockets of heather, these elements are now sparse, and it’s better to be categorised as pure parkland. Various dogleg holes typically lined with deciduous trees is the general pattern at Sandiway, but by all accounts, the course still benefits from sandy and acidic soils.

The 1st tee shot sets the tone for the round as you watch your golf ball plunge several metres to a fairway below your feet. I say this sets the tone, since there’s much more undulation at Sandiway than you’ll encounter at most golf courses around the Cheshire plains. And this fact, along with the course’s impeccable conditioning, is what sets Sandiway apart from most of its near neighbours.

Not unlike the 1st, the 4th hole has a similarly styled elevated teeing ground, but this one was originally created not for the purposes of golf, but instead as a rifle range for our American comrades during the war. From this elevated tee, the 4th then doglegs to the right with just a narrow slot between tall trees presenting the challenge for the second shot into this par-five. Whilst the narrowness of this hole is a tactical choice by the club, some of the fairways do taper in a little too tightly for my liking, with trees encroaching the fairway from either side at holes such as 8, 15 and 16. But unlike nearby Delamere, it’s the treelined nature of the course that provides Sandiway’s identity, so I wouldn’t expect the narrow aspect of some of the fairways to be altered at any time.

5 presents the first blind tee shot where distance and accuracy is fundamental to making a score. Other blind tee shots later appear at 9 and 10, and due to the number of doglegs around the course, many greens are out of sight from the tee. Indeed, as well as being blind due to elevation change, the 5th also doglegs. Here the hole turns to the right, but the fairway banks from right to left making this a tricky drive and easy to run out of fairway. At the 7th, we have a boldly benched green on what is probably the most interesting green-site across the course, but it was after returning to the clubhouse after eight holes where I felt Sandiway really raised its game.

10, 12 and 14 are all challenging and eye-catching par fours that stretch well over 400-yards and are constructed across yet more rolling ground. A par score on these holes should always feel like a success. These are interspersed by par-threes. And whilst 11 felt like the only connector hole on the course, this long one-shotter takes you to the lake-side, whereas the well bunkered short three at 13 with its island-style green was more pleasing to the eye.

Despite my comments about the narrowness of the last of the long holes at 16, this does force the golfer into making a decision off the tee and I enjoyed how the ground falls towards the green allowing a ball to be chased into the green. At 17, we then have the course’s most iconic hole with a large Oak tree that creates an obstacle just right of centre in front of the green. This is the “Sandiway Oak” which decorates the club’s crest. The oak can be safely negotiated by playing your tee shot to the left side of the fairway or laying back to allow yourself a pitch over the tree, so only the greedy need to be penalised here. And whilst I’m usually opposed to centre-line trees, this was a rare positive example.

I’m glad that the website has found a place for Sandiway amongst England’s Top 100, it’s a course worth seeking out if in the area. I also don’t personally think the gulf between Sandiway and Delamere Forest, as depicted by the rankings, is truly deserved given the quality of the two courses, albeit they are polar opposites in appearance, and if pushed, I would still give Delamere Forest the edge. Cheshire is host to some under-the-radar gems and it’s sad that they are all too often bypassed by golfers on their way to the coast, so my recommendation is to give Sandiway a try. It’s without a doubt one of the best inland courses in the region.

There’s nothing like chipping into the hole on the Sunday at the Open – even if it’s the Sandiway Golf Club mixed open.

Yes, as Collin Morikawa was lifting the claret jug, Mrs W and I were proving golf can lift the spirits whatever our respective levels.

Indeed, a three on the 468-yard par-four was a bit of a buzz, especially as I was playing it as a five, such was its length and level of difficulty.

Sandiway is a beautifully manicured course with immaculate tee areas, pristine fairways and greens which are as true as any we have played on our travels this year.

It doesn’t have as many stand-out holes as some but there is plenty of deftness needed to plot a route around the many bunkers.

And then there is the tree on the 17th but more of that later.

We were wise to arrive early at this Cheshire gem so we could take advantage of its sloping driving range and assure ourselves that our Scottish lesson still served us well in a practice pot bunker.

The first, a 402-yard par-four set the tone – a lovely-looking hole with an elevated tee, demanding an opening shot over ferns and between fairway bunkers. I was very pleased to register three points off my 11 handicap.

Sand traps are the course’s greatest defence, nowhere more obviously than the par-three third which requires an eye-of-a-needle approach to a green which slopes right to left.

The par-five fourth is the most attractive on the outward nine in my opinion with a tee which looks down on a hole. Those hitting to the right either with their first or second shots will be punished by woodland but patience and placement will bring rewards.

For me, the second half at Sandiway is more exciting… probably because it is quirkier.

As a prelude, the ninth has a blind tee shot to a sharply undulating fairway down to a green which was harder to hit than initially seemed likely.

The 10th is a belter and, yes, of course, I am biased. Another tee shot over the hill, huge dogleg to the left which leaves mortals unlikely to reach the green but what does it matter if your pitching wedge is red hot?

I was also a fan of the 12th with a green hidden behind cavernous bunkers for those leaking right and one ready on the left for those trying to fade towards the target.

Course management is key to success at Sandiway and, although we scored well, Mrs W and I both think we could have done even better if our glowing card had not given us false confidence.

Thus, we found a new home in the big bunkers which capture overly ambitious second shots on the 15th and the sand on the 16th which gobbles up those who think it is an easy par-five and don’t account for the slope in front of the target.

The 17th would have been the course’s most memorable if I hadn’t chipped in on the 10th (did I mention that?).

It is a short par-four which dips down before rising back up with heavy rough before the fairway.

Even after a good tee shot, a tree blocks all routes. Mrs W found sand when she tried to go around it and I hit the very top branch when I tried to chip over it.

Interestingly, when we were playing Sandiway, I didn’t think there was much variation in its holes but now that I am looking back, a few hours after our round, I realise I was wrong.

There are twists and turns aplenty and even a farmer’s field in wait for the errant.

True, a couple of holes are a tad disappointing – the par 3 11th, squashed between the 10th and 12th looks like an afterthought and the proximity of the next tee to its target could fairly be described as dangerous.

But, on reflection, Sandiway very much deserves its place in the top 100 in England.

I’d long touted Sandiway as the hidden gem that nobody knows about. For not only are we talking about a fine golf course, but we’re also talking about some of the friendliest staff a golfer could ever encounter. I nearly missed my start time due to a greenkeeper intent on discussing the make up of turf!

As you stand on the first tee and look down to the fairway you are immediately shown just how well manicured the course is. The fairways aren’t just striped but criss crossed. The rough either side isn’t deep but uniformed. The approach seems like you should take your shoes off and walk bear footed.

The course winds it’s way around a wooded area. It’s rare on the front nine to see another hole. If you miss the fairway you’ll likely find trees. The front nine is so finely balanced with a mixture of par 4s, two par 5s and two par 3s. The 7th is a long par 4 with the 8th a short one back up the hill. It’s not a long course but with the likes of the 5th hole playing a blind tee shot then into a small green you have everything.

The toughest holes are surely found on the back 9. The 10th is a long par 4 with a fairway sloping to the right. The 11th is then a 200+ yard par 3 with a lovely view of Petty Pool. The 12th is again just a fantastic par 4 running along the lake, although I’d love to see it opened up so the water becomes an even greater feature.

The rest of the back 9 is just as good. It sadly lacks some length with a few holes just playing a wedge in. The last 9 only boasts one par 5, being the 16th along with three par 3s. It’s why I only provide the 5 and not the 6.

If you are down in Cheshire this has to be on the list to play. I make sure I visit here once a year. My season wouldn’t be complete without it.

We played Sandiway on a beautiful May afternoon and found this typical parkland course, flanked by trees on every hole, to be in immaculate condition. The condition of the tees, fairways and greens could not be faulted. The sandy soil ensured that despite recent heavy rainfall, there had been no detrimental effect to the course. Sandiway is a busy members’ Club, and we received an enthusiastic welcome from the pro Gareth Jones.

From the first hole, an excellent downhill par 4, the course felt special and the good holes continued throughout, although I preferred the front nine. My mild criticisms extend to the unusual complaint that the greens did not have enough movement in them, there were a number of blind tee shots and although the holes are consistently good there are few that are memorable.

Sandiway is a solid examination of one’s golfing ability, that will keep its players honest, and if they then play well will reward them with a very satisfying experience and maybe an excellent score. One of our Fourball, an 8 handicap golfer, hit his straps on the back nine and came in with an under par gross score from holes 10 to 18. I could only dream of such heroics but still thoroughly enjoyed playing here.

Sandiway is probably the best parkland course I've played, I didn't see much evidence of heathland that's mentioned. The greens were very good considering the cold spring we've had. The course rewarded good shots and wasn't too punishing on slightly wayward shots so made for a very enjoyable round of golf. Catering staff were welcoming & friendly. On the debate of Sandiway or Delamere, they are two very different style of courses but if I had to choose one it would be ..........

One of, if not the best course in Cheshire, always extremely well maintained and a treat to play. Based on a sandy substructure (clues in the name) thus meaning that it remains in good condition even after heavy rain. A good honest test all the way round and a must visit if your in the area.

Good course to play alongside the I think even better Delamere Forest. Strange how they named these two courses as Delamere has little forestry on the course and is very linksy /sandy and SANDiway cuts through a forest ?! Always in great condition and well worth a visit