Worksop - Nottinghamshire - England

Worksop is a lovely fast running woodland course with sandy fairways and tricky greens.

The course is not particularly long but has putting surfaces that slope wickedly and it is these that act as its main defence. They ensure you must absolutely leave your ball under the hole with your approach shot in order to score well and avoid three-putting… or worse.

Many of the holes at Worksop are also quite tight, therefore, wielding the driver at every opportunity may not always be the wisest choice. The firm nature of the fairways means you can sneak a little bit more distance from the tee, with a long iron or three-wood, than you might initially think.

Lots of the holes on this very tranquil layout are lined with silver birch, gorse and bracken; to be avoided at all costs. The tree-lined nature of the course makes judging the wind difficult as you always seem to be switching direction and there are some nice changes in elevation, with a few of the fairways dipping down and then rising back up, that also creates indecision with club selection.

The opening four holes ease you into the round with a couple of medium-length par fours to start with, followed by a par three then a sharp dog-leg left-to-right two shotter. However, the course really comes to life when you reach one of the best examples of a three-tiered green you will find at the sweeping fifth; each tier poses a different conundrum and it is angled perfectly as it narrows towards the rear, a bunker also pinching the left side of the middle level.

The course doesn’t really look back after that.

Ed is the founder of Golf Empire – click the link to read his full review.

The course at Worksop has a lot going for it, especially the heathland turf that is a joy to play from when the weather is fine and has fantastic drainage when needed. There is a friendly welcome in a heavily membership based club and a great sense of the 'club' atmosphere that seems to be on the decline around the UK. The variation of the holes is a huge plus point and with some extra work on the course (bunkering especially), then this course will improve no end. As normal for me, I love the positions of the 1st tee and the 18th green as they are both right by the clubhouse. The opening hole is decent, an uphill par-4 at 370 yards with a fairly tight drive and then the 2nd is similar but back downhill this time. The first stand-out hole is the 4th; a sharp dogleg to the right with bunkers left and right at landing point - one thing to suggest here would be to improve the run-offs at the green, it is just a little flat and a little too easy to recover if missing the green. My favourite hole on the front nine is the 6th hole - very short par-5 with a double twist in the fairway - certainly in range in two shots and with some subtle obvious bunker improvements at the green, will make the hole even better. Something to work on are the par-3's at the 8th and the 11th... The 8th needs improving; just over 200 yards with a lone bunker at the green is not enough to call this a good hole. The 11th is a little dull and more importantly a bit unfair; two new bunkers at the front right of the green are actually not in view from the tee, which makes this a bad design - raise the tee or raising the bunker faces has to happen. Before this is another strong hole; the par-5 10th, dog legging to the right is a pleasure to play. A special mention for the 12th hole - a strong par-4 at 415 yards but it is the green that stands out - a real challenge with a big slope from right to left. The back nine continues with turns to the left a couple of times and right a couple of times too, ensuring that interest levels are kept high. The last hole is a par-3 of 170 yards with the green being a toughie - par is a very good score to end your round. Lasting thoughts of the course are pretty good with a lot of scope to improve - if this happens then a positive move of the county position of 4th is not out of the question. Worth a visit...

What a lovely course this is. Every hole is different and there is no end of enjoyment to be had. The best parts are out in the woods at the back end of the course - the holes from 9 to 15 are very special indeed. It was in great condition in mid September although the fairways were a little bare. Very tricky greens and a joy to play

I played this course on a beautiful sunny evening in July and can honestly say i was overwhelmed with its charm and unassuming difficulty. We played this in an interclub knock-out off the championship tee's to some exceptionally difficult pins but we actually found this enhancing our enjoyment as you were constantly posed questions as to where you needed to put either your tee shot or approach shot, sometimes both. The course is not overly long and with firm running ground a driver is not always required, which many will find a relief as fairways are tight and the well positioned bunkers will swallow up any loose tee shots. The greens can be severely sloping at times and control of pace is just as important as a good eye for the not so subtle breaks, get out of position on the wrong side of the hole and a 3 putt is the likely outcome. There are some highly rated courses in this area of Nottinghamshire, but they will need to go some way to bettering the test and all round excellent golfing experience on offer here. The clubhouse is welcoming and in homage to its favourite son, Lee Westwood, is packed with items of memorabilia but it would be unfair on Worksop to allow him all the limelight as this course is a star in its own right and one you should pay a visit to without delay.

This area of the country is blessed with some fantastic courses. Lindrick, Sherwood, Hollinwell and Coxmoor are all fantastic and I would put Worksop into this bracket. It isn't too long but makes good use of the terrain and woodland. The condition is fantastic and I feel that this is because it has a separate winter course so they can look after the course. I don't think the association with Westwood is what makes this club great, the course is good enough to sell itself.

Worksop is a great test of golf in a cracking location. When we visited in late February the greens were as good as most courses in the summer - fast and smooth. The start is a little understated but from the 4th through to 15 the routing is fantastic with doglegs, gorse, silver birch, changes in elevation and excellent bunkering. Worksop really challenges all elements of your game and yet will reward good play. I can't recommend this highly enough.