Golfers living in the small county of Surrey are so fortunate with its magnificent collection of world-class heathland courses, and West Hill in the middle of Woking’s famed 3Ws is one of the very best.

And this isn’t because I used to live nearby and my first ever experience of playing an 18 hole golf course was here in about 1970. The son of a work colleague of my mother sold me his old golf clubs for the princely sum of £5 plus the promise of a round of golf at his course. The course was West Hill.

I remember little of the day of my first round other than it rained a lot, and significantly the seeds of this great game were planted in my mind.

I have played the course at least 20 times since, including last week, and am always fascinated by its majestic elegance. There are many magnificent holes, swathes of some of the thickest heather you will find on any golf course, fast greens, smooth fairways, bunkers aplenty and some awesome tee shots.

West Hill is a tough test, the hardest of the 3Ws by my reckoning, but it’s challenge is relentless and variety of holes so much fun that golf here is pure joy. I will not describe the holes, others have done that in great detail on this site. Sufficient to say, from the downhill 1st right through to the long uphill par four at 18 that finishes just in front of the traditional clubhouse, playing the game of golf here is sublime.

A recent bunker improvement  program, and the thinning out of much rough beneath the many trees has made a slightly scruffy layout now look pristine, as this fine 115 year old course plans confidently for its future.