Staverton Park - Northamptonshire - England

Having stayed at the hotel a number of times for work courses, I finally decided to bring my clubs.

This isn’t a fantastic course but it’s pretty decent, pretty in places and there are some very good holes in the mix. It’s hilly and I can imagine can be a slow round at peak times but in terms of the actual course, it is quite fun.

My gripe with the first hole (which could be quite a decent start) is that it plays alongside the busy driving range and the fairway is peppered with wayward range balls. The next few holes play over some hilly parkland with hole 3 being a particular favourite - a severe dogleg left that needs precision on your drive and your approach.

There are then some tricky holes coming back up the hill with none being particularly noteworthy until you reach the back 9. Hole 10 (certainly once you’ve hit your drive and playing towards the green) is a decent hole. 11 is my favourite on the course. A par 5 that doglegs to the left with trees and out of bounds on the right and a steep hill to contend with if you go left. There is a stream 100 yards short of the green which means you have to be strategic here if you’re not a huge hitter.

12 is a lovely par 3 over the lake before you head back towards the hotel with 3 tight holes coming back up the hill. 17 is a nice hole with a lot of bunkers to contend with and 18 is a tough finish with your approach needing to carry a pond (it’s a shame the view is ruined by the hotel behind the green).

Not a course I’ll be rushing back to play but it is good value nonetheless and I recommend it if you’re in the area.

Not a very interesting course, holes can play severely down hill. I would rather play Daventry GC in this area of Northamptonshire. The course also suffers from lots of slow 4 ball societies on a Saturday. Can't really remember many of the holes.