Upminster - Essex - England

This is a nice course - not great - but a pleasant enough place to spend an afternoon. The first and last holes (parallel par 3s) are the least interesting and this lets the course down somewhat but I think it’s unfair to say that the rest of the course is completely uninspiring. The land is undulating and the River Ingrebourne is a devilish little hazard on a number of holes.

A couple of holes stood out for me. Hole 8 - a short par 4 that doglegs to the left. You have to place your tee shot perfectly to have a good view of the green which is nestled in amongst the trees on the other side of the stream. The long par 4 15th was also a delight to play with an elevated tee where you can unleash the driver and some tricky cross bunkers short of the green which will catch any mis-hit approach shots.

Whilst I agree with previous reviews that this course will not win any awards for design, I still think it is a pleasant members’ course that is interesting, well maintained and is well-worth a visit if you’re in the area.

I played Upminster in August on a nice hot English summers day, it is worth a visit. The course itself is pretty uninspiring, the design is formulaic and doesn't leave a hole lot to the imagination, but it is extremely well maintained and cared for. It has lovely greens which run true and will test most golfers. The setting also has nice vistas over looking the surrounding area. Not the best in the London Borough of Havering but if you have 4 hours to kill you will enjoy the nice stroll through the Essex countryside.

It is always fairly easy to write course reviews when things are good to very good. Not so easy when the words will be negative but to get the balance between courses that we want to play again and want to recommend I think we have to. I played Upminster this August and it was not really a pleasant experience – the course did not inspire, excite or deliver on any front at all I am sorry to say. The positive is that the club is vibrant, busy and looks to have a fantastic community feel, there is even a crown green bowling club here too.

The opening and closing holes are both par-3’s and the only two holes that are on the clubhouse side of the busy Hall Lane – to reach the other sixteen, the lane has to be negotiated via the zebra crossing and dodging the double decker London buses – not great. Rather than talk about each and every hole, my general opinion is that many holes are played in what can only be described as a field, bunkering is poor and misplaced on many holes too. I am sure that for some category of golfers, this course will fit the bill but for me a lack of any design quality coupled with maintenance at a low level says better or well-travelled golfers will not enjoy the course.

A course that I cannot recommend on this occasion.