The purpose of the Review of The Month feature is twofold. Top100GolfCourses has always aimed to salute and encourage those who are putting admirable effort into reviewing the world’s great golf courses. Moving forward, we are also looking to learn from these experts! We’ll be chatting with the month’s star authors and discussing topics such as golf in their area, what they like to see in a strong course review, and of course dig a little deeper into their own winning review.
February 2023’s Review of The Month comes from Harvey Thomas, who ate his first course at Woking Golf Club while exploring Surrey’s famous “Three W’s” feast. He’s eager to get back for seconds!
It seems from context that you've recently gotten the Heathland bug. Whereabouts do you hail from, and how does the golf in Surrey compare from a playing perspective?
I spent most of my childhood living in Southeast London, where golf was a sport for “posh people” (which we definitely were not). I have lived in South Hampshire for 30 years now and I got into golf about 20 years ago when my back stopped me from being so competitive with my tennis. I currently have home membership at Stoneham and an away membership at a nice club in Surrey, but have also previously had a country membership at Saunton in Devon, which I loved. Every time I used to drive through the entrance at Saunton I would get goosebumps down my neck as I saw the stunning linksland below.
Stoneham is by far the best course in South Hampshire and is a lovely roller coaster with lots of up and down elevation changes, through tree and heather lined fairways and every hole is memorable and different in its own way. As is the fashion these days, they have cleared a lot of the trees, although there are still a lot left and they have been trying to regenerate the heather. If they can restore the heather fully, it will make a very good track absolutely stunning.
The membership in Surrey has been a special treat for me and really got me into the Surrey golf scene, where there are a large number of fantastic heathland style courses.
Between Stoneham and playing tracks in Surrey, I have grown a real love for heathland classics. They are frequently very beautiful but I also have a big weakness for good links tracks, which make you feel like you are playing a game within a game, especially when they get firm and the wind gets up.
Photo credit: Jason Livy
You make it clear from the onset that Woking's greens are its primary defense. Do you think these putting surfaces allow it to offer a similar challenge to low handicappers as other longer courses do?
The fantastic greens at Woking are probably its strongest point, and they look like they demand well-placed shots into greens if you are to score well on them. My son played a match there recently too, and he is a plus handicap. He found the greens scorable, but definitely on the challenging and good side. High handicappers could definitely get humiliated by them, and single figure golfers will need to have a good touch with good green reading to avoid too many three-putts on them. The course is not as challenging as some long championship courses in terms of playing to par, but the course and slope rating is nowhere near as generous either, so playing to your handicap index on this track is just as hard in my view. The heather, a few ponds and streams, the bunker positioning and the remaining trees also add to the challenge on a visually appealing course, and I love the elevation changes on the front nine. This is definitely not a course for the beginner or high handicapper, who will find it too difficult, but mid to low handicappers will generally find it very enjoyable.
Have you had the opportunity to play many Tom Dunn courses and, if so, anything you've noticed in his style?
Other Tom Dunn courses I have played are Sheringham, and Goring & Streatley, but I never would have guessed they were by the same architect, as they are such different styles of course. Although I liked Sheringham, I do not personally put it in the Top 100 in England, and Goring & Streatley was pleasant but not very memorable. Woking, by contrast, was highly memorable and enjoyable too.
You mentioned how recent clearance work from Tim Lobb has improved the course. Do you have any gems in mind that would benefit from similar treatment?
I think tree clearance has become very fashionable in recent years as clubs with heathland traditions try to restore their style from days of old. I understand by contrast that in the 1970’s and ‘80s, many clubs were planting trees to have those tricky tree-lined fairways, although maybe that is just hearsay. It is perfectly possible to have tree-lined fairways and still be a fantastic course in my view.
Stoneham has done an excellent job with it, where a huge number of trees have been removed from the property while retaining a large number of large specimen trees, which add to the challenge. The views are more open across the course and it now has a great balance. The only thing I objected to was the clearance of the Rhododendrons. Although perhaps not in keeping with a heathland course, they were very pretty, especially when in flower in the Spring, and they also added some useful shielding to some of the tee boxes and greens in my view. Nevertheless, the course is now stunning and on balance all the work done has improved the course significantly.
By contrast, when I visited The Addington again last Summer soon after their clearance work, I found the course much less enjoyable than on my previous visit. So my jury is out as to whether it will be an improvement in the long term there, and only time will tell. They certainly will need to plant heather in the cleared areas if they want to make the tree clearance a positive in this instance. I felt that the trees added definition and challenge, as well as better seclusion between the holes on my previous visit.
I didn’t play Woking before its tree clearance, but certainly enjoyed it in its current form. From the pictures I have seen, it looks like it has been a good improvement and the member I played with that day prefers it that way.
I can’t think of any other tracks I have visited that need major tree clearance works, although I am always very happy when courses restore heather/heathland, which I find visually stunning except for when I am trying to play out of it!
Photo credit: Jason Livy
Now that you're a celebrated "Review of The Month" winner, let us know what factors you appreciate in a strong golf course review!
When I read a review the things I really appreciate are:
1. A fair score by someone who knows what a really good course looks like. Too often I see relatively inexperienced reviewers giving out five-ball and six-balls to courses that are certainly not good Top 100 material. It makes it very hard to work out whether the course is worth a visit if there are lots of over generous reviews. My own benchmark is that a six-ball would certainly need to be around the Top 50 in the world (not that I have played enough to know for sure) and a five-ball would normally be something that would be in the top few hundred globally. I give 4.5’s to courses that are around the 50-100 in England, although at the lower end I am sometimes considering a four. Scores of three and 3.5 would be good private members clubs that I am happy to play if in the area and I have the invite and would rate quite highly in their county, being in the top quartile or so.
2. Something that gives me a flavour for the feel of the course, and what makes it stand out compared with other good courses.
3. What the conditioning is like, as this can make a course not worth the time travelling to it and the cost if this is poor.
4. If there are no previous reviews with that level of detail, I am happy to see a hole-by-hole review and description, but not if someone has already done a good job on this previously.
5. Some good pictures if possible – something I need to learn how to do myself.
6. Something that does not simply repeat the reviews that have gone before, so that it feels worthwhile reading and it adds to the body of knowledge. If it is not able to do that because of the large volume of previous reviews, then I am OK with something short and sweet.
7. If it is really well written with elements of humour it certainly helps to hold the interest.
8. I am always interested to know how the etiquette of the other groups was on the day (do they play faster groups through, repair pitch marks, rake bunkers etc) and the pace of play. I hate slow rounds and anything over four hours drives me nuts, so information on how this was on the day is very good to know.
9. It is sometimes nice to see any debate compared with previous reviews. For example there are often holes that polarise opinion, and it is good to see any contrasting view on these occasions.
10. It would also be interesting to see some reviews that assess a course from what it is like to be a member at the club, and which really gets under the skin of what the club is like, warts and all. For example, I can think of a Top 100 in England course near London, which is a good 4 ball track but with all the slow corporate pay-and-play golf, I would hate to be a member there, getting stuck behind five or six-hour rounds.
What's one course that you're excited to write a review for in the upcoming year?
In the next year I am due to play Sunningdale Old, Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart, Woodhall Spa, Royal Worlington, Brora, St. George’s Hill, Bearwood Lakes, West Hill, Parkstone, Broadstone and Boat of Garten for the first time. We may also get to Rye, Hankley Common, Hayling and Silloth if we are lucky. I am very excited about playing all of them, and it is a flip of the coin between Sunningdale and Royal Dornoch as to which will be the biggest treat.
Top 40 Golf Courses in Surrey 2015 Surrey Best in County rankings updated One of seven Home Counties surrounding London, Surrey is estimated to have the best economic rating (highest GDP per capita) of any county in England. Armed with that impressive statistic, it’ll come as no surprise to learn that Surrey is reckoned to have the highest proportion of millionaires in the UK living within its boundaries. In such an affluent region, it seems only appropriate that Surrey should also be home to a significantly high percentage of prestigious, world class golfing establishments and this is certainly the case when you closely examine the Top 40 chart that we maintain for the county. Each and every one of the county’s top twenty courses currently reside within the Top 100 for England, with thirteen of those layouts also occupying positions in our Great Britain & Ireland Top 100. Indeed, at the very top of the tree, the four highest ranked tracks in Surrey all sit inside our World Top 100 rankings, indicating the level of golfing excellence in this region. At number 1 and 2 in the listings, we have the Old course and New course at Sunningdale where, as a combination, these layouts represent the finest 36 holes of golf on a single property in all of the British Isles. As one recent reviewer advises, “If you haven’t played here yet then do yourself a favour and treat yourself to a day here, fairly pricey but you won’t regret it.” Rising one position to number 3, the Red and Blue nines at St George’s Hill constitute what can only be described as a Harry Colt masterpiece. The fairways on both 9-hole circuits are laid out on the canvas of a heaving heathland landscape, with each nine returning to an imposing clubhouse that looms benevolently over the property. Swapping places with St George’s Hill, the Old course at Walton Heath drops down one place to number 4. A classic Herbert Fowler design, the heather-flanked fairways of the Old course invariably play firm and fast, allowing golfers to enjoy its links-like conditioning all year round. It’d hard to believe that James Braid was the club’s professional for almost half a century, a feat that will take some beating. The only other significant upward movement in the top half of the revised Surrey rankings involves Woking (up three to 8) which Bernard Darwin, a member for more than sixty years, spoke about as one of London’s “stars of sand and heather” and Hindhead (up two to 12), where the club has recently completed an impressive bunker upgrading programme. In the bottom half of the chart, a handful of courses make noteworthy moves in the right direction: the Willie Park-designed Old course at Burhill (up eleven to 23), the 18-hole Longcross layout at Foxhills (up nine to 24), the fabulous 9-holer at Reigate Heath (up thirteen to 27), the old J.H. Taylor track at Addington Palace (up eight to 29), and the Old course at the Royal Automobile Club (up six to 32). Half a dozen tracks make their debut in the lower reaches of the revised county listings: the Outer course at Royal Mid-Surrey (number 33), the old Tom Dunn-designed 18-holes at Richmond (number 34), Cuthbert Butchart’s West Byfleet (number 35), the James Braid redesign of Barnstead Downs (number 36), Simon Gidman’s New course at Burhill (number 37), and Bramley, another Braid redesign from 1935 (number 38). We’re grateful to everybody in the county who helped with our re-ranking process for Surrey. To view details of all the courses in our Surrey Top 40 rankings click the link. If you have extensive experience of playing across the south east region of England and would like to contribute to our next re-ranking exercise then please email Editor-in-Chief Keith Baxter at keith@top100golfcourses.com. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
Alex Frolish has been a pilot for approaching 20 years and now travels to all corners of the globe in his role as a commercial airline pilot. His passion for flight is only equalled by his passion for golf and golf travel. Having picked up a golf club over 35 years ago when aged just 3 years old, Alex has played over 550 courses across every continent on planet earth furnished with a fairway. Over the next few months you’ll be able to follow Alex’s golfing travels as he brings you anecdotes of his life both in the air and on the course. One thing about being a travelling golfer and panellist who is also an airline pilot, is that you can guarantee nobody will have played the same last ten rounds that you have. This always makes for interesting clubhouse conversations, although keeping tabs on exactly where you’ve just been can be a little troublesome. I’ll be honest, life can be chaos at times. To illustrate that exact point, May might have been my most jam packed and varied month in some time, with thirteen rounds played in three countries at some of the best courses those countries have to offer. Summer rounds, winter rounds, links and parkland. My golfing diary is a myriad of contrasts. The month started on Top100 regional duty, at Bristol & Clifton Golf Club, the final course I had yet to play in my home county of Gloucestershire in England. It has to be said that Gloucestershire isn’t blessed with an abundance of architectural heritage, but it is in the Bristol area of the county that you find the most historic and well rounded golf clubs. One such club is Bristol & Clifton, located just a couple of miles from the famous Clifton suspension bridge, where the members and staff are fiercely proud of their golf course. I was impressed with this place (particularly the conditioning), and would highly recommend a visit if you are ever in the area. Photo credit: Bristol and Clifton Golf Club My next outing was formed in friendship rather than in the hunt for architectural splendour. Rocco and I first connected in 2018 and shared a round at Pittsburgh Field Club in Pennsylvania. It had been five years but we had stayed in touch and I had vowed I would get back out to share another round with him. This time we played at a local municipal, Pittsburgh National, a course I knew little about. It turns out that when you come to a golf course with no expectations, you are often pleasantly surprised, and this ex Country Club layout demonstrated an abundance of interest and value. A first time visit to a quartet of gems of English golf followed, played over two of the finest weather days of the year so far. I will remember Broadstone for its magnificent land and the way in which the course wraps itself around and across the varying undulations. Ferndown was possibly the most supremely conditioned course I have played in the U.K. in the last twelve months; the vista looking down the effervescent 1st fairway will be imprinted on my mind for some time. Woking’s understated historical majesty charmed me nearly as much as the brunch on the terrace after the round. And Worplesdon, just a few hundred yards from Woking, completed an epic 48 hours of golf in emphatic fashion. Photo credit: Ferndown Golf Club Next to the clifftops of Oregon, to play arguably the most wonderful par 3 course on the planet. Coore & Crenshaw were presented with some piece of land to route Bandon Preserve across, but they have done one hell of a good job in telling a story in just 13 par 3 holes. Surely the growth of the game should be focussed on creating more golf courses like this one; playable, enjoyable and accessible to all. Then on to Old Macdonald, to complete the Bandon set (for now). I played the tips in a steady breeze and played one of the rounds of my life to shoot a few under my handicap and a couple over the par of the course. Old Mac might get some stick in certain quarters, but I found it to be a solid blend of beauty and playability, two key ingredients for the enjoyment of a golf round for me, and it was a round I will remember for some time. The Duchess at Woburn was quite the contrast to play just a couple of days after Old Macdonald. This tree-lined parkland layout in the heart of the English countryside places a heavy premium on accuracy rather than options, and I found the contrast in styles a leap too far, following my best round in some time with my worst in living memory. That’s golf I suppose, and as my golfing years pass, I seem to be able to more easily accept these ups and downs! The game is always bigger than your score. Let that be no slight on the Duchess though, which is a beautifully peaceful place to play and to take in the relative solitude that the dense avenues of trees provide. The Jockey Club in Argentina is revered as one of South America’s most prized golf clubs. It boasts two (yes two) original Mackenzie golf courses, routed across surprisingly spacious grounds on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. We played the Red course, the more highly regarded of the two layouts, and we visited in early winter after a sustained period of wet weather, the course was in simply stunning condition. The land here was as flat as a snooker table when Mackenzie arrived, and this is one place in the world where the good Doctor had to work hard to generate undulations and interest that felt at the same time, in keeping with its surroundings. Of course, he managed it with aplomb and in doing so, left Argentina with one the best dual course layouts in world golf. As an aside, if you ever get the chance to play here, make sure you order the steak. However your round has gone, this plate of food (and accompanying glass of Malbec) will send you home one contented golfer. Photo credit: Patrick Koenig Finally, a whistle-stop stay in New Jersey found me visiting another world-renowned 36-hole golf club, Baltusrol. This golf club is the stuff of dreams for the average golfer, boasting two world-class golf courses with facilities to match, and it was awe-inspiring to walk the fairways of the Lower course just prior to the LPGA Championship. My lasting memory will be my drive into the 18th fairway which rolled to within a few inches of the plaque, celebrating Jack Nicklaus’s famous 1-iron in the 1967 US Open. Slightly overawed with the potential for replicating such a heroic piece of golfing history, my wayward 3 wood did no justice to the drive that had managed to follow so closely in greatness's footsteps. It didn’t matter though; to have had the chance to attempt it in the first place was the greatest of privileges. On to June, which looks no less packed with golf. It all begins with a pilgrimage to a part of Scotland I have wanted to visit for most of my golfing life. After that, there is plenty of potential for some last-minute madness, with trips planned to Spain, India and Singapore. In the meantime, the golfing season in the Northern Hemisphere is in full swing, so wherever you are and whatever you have planned, I wish you the straightest of drives, well-negotiated four- footers and happy rounds.
Top 20 Golf Courses in Hampshire 2015 Hampshire Best in County rankings updated Situated on the south coast of England, Hampshire has every right to glory in its proud maritime traditions, with the major ports of Southampton and Portsmouth playing a large part in the prosperity of this affluent county. Inland, the New Forest and South Downs national parks account for almost half the land area of a region that’s also famed for its contribution to the world of literature as Jane Austin and Charles Dickens were both born in Hampshire. On the sporting front, the footballing fortunes of Southampton and Portsmouth are poles apart these days whilst the county cricket ground at the Rose Bowl continues to flourish, hosting a couple of England Test matches in recent years. As far as golf is concerned, there are more than sixty golf clubs scattered around the county – including eight on the Isle of Wight, which are affiliated to Hampshire’s male and female amateur golfing authorities – and we naturally include the region’s finest tracks in our Hampshire Top 20. Looking at the latest edition of our newly updated table, the top six positions all remain the same – indeed, they’ve been in that order since we inaugurated our regional rankings four years ago so we like to think this lack of movement at the top of the chart is a sign that we’re ordering the very best courses correctly. Liphook, which originated in 1922, is our number 1 layout and it certainly impressed a recent reviewer who posted this just the other day: “If you haven’t played Liphook before then you’re missing out. Take the time to play this wonderful venue.” A current average review score of 5 ½ out of 6 tells its own story. In the runner up position in our new chart, the old links at Hayling dates back to 1883. Subsequently upgraded by J.H.Taylor then Tom Simpson, the course is as natural an 18-hole layout as you could ever hope to play, with fairways deftly routed around a Site of Special Scientific Interest. At number 3, Blackmoor sits on the edge of the South Downs and it’s an old heathland course which celebrated its centenary in 2013. Set in two loops of nine, the layout retains sixteen of the original holes that were designed by architect Harry Colt. North Hants is at number 4 and it’s where Justin Rose learned to play the game. Dating back to 1904, the course is one of James Braid’s earliest designs though Harry Colt, Tom Simpson and Donald Steel have subsequently modified it. At number 5, Stoneham is another centurion layout, where Willie Park Jnr set out the fairways in 1908. Recently upgraded, the course is generally admired for its clever routing and its great use of the landscape with the par four holes (at 4, 11, 13 and 15, in particular) of special interest. Brokenhurst Manor at number 6 is another course from the prolific Harry Colt portfolio and it first opened for play in 1919, four years after the club was founded. Rather unusually configured with three returning 6-hole circuits, it’s an underrated heathland layout which flies under the radar of many golfers. A couple of courses make a prodigious leap up our Hampshire chart. The first one is Alresford (up seven to 9), established in 1890 as a 9-hole track with its current 18-hole layout only unveiled in 1993. The second big climber is the Army course in Aldershot (up ten to 10), where the fairways were laid out on an undulating, heavily wooded site in the 1960s. Two 18-hole layouts also make their debut in our new listings: The parkland course at Rowlands Castle, yet another old Harry Colt design, enters at number 13 and Tylney Park, which was extensively renovated in 2004, comes in at number 16. We’re grateful to all the clubs and professional golfers who helped with our re-ranking process for this county. To view details of all the courses in our Hampshire Top 20 rankings click the link. If you have extensive experience of playing across the south region of England and would like to contribute to our next re-ranking exercise then please email Editor-in-Chief Keith Baxter at keith@top100golfcourses.com. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
