Keith Baxter

Parachute West Surrey ten miles to the west and it would comfortably sit in the Hampshire Best in County Top 10. Unfortunately, from a ranking perspective, the club is located in Surrey. Even a first-class Ken Moodie bunker renovation, which erased a former captain's half-moon folly bunker at #8 and replaced it with two delightful traps (one left and one right of the green, plus a steep apron) may not be enough to promote West Surrey into the county’s Top 20, such is Surrey's strength in depth.Parkland courses are Britain’s poor relations when compared to links and heathland tracks. Of course Surrey does not have a coastline, but it does enjoy a lion's share of sand that cuts swathe through the entire county. West Surrey therefore can't compete with the likes of Sunningdale, St George’s Hill, or a plethora of clubs with names beginning with W, but it could legitimately claim to be the second or third best parkland course in the county. If such a parkland list existed for say Britain & Ireland, West Surrey would sit comfortably within the Top 50. Incidentally, I played West Surrey with Jim McCann and T.P. Dean (four years apart), who posted the two reviews below this one, so I don't need to say much about the course, but a 4-ball rating (Good) may not at first glance appear to do the course justice. It’s certainly a better course than when I first played here with Jim in 2017, not least due to the terrific bunker renovation, but also as a result of an ongoing tree management programme. But for those eagle-eyed reviewers who actually read (and adhere to) Top 100’s rating definition, a 4-ball score is a perfect fit for West Surrey: “A good course to seek out if in the area, meriting a full day out.”N.B. Short par four 8th “before” and "after" bunker renovation pics below.

I didn’t find Hockley particularly quirky, nor did I find it overly up hill or down dale. What I experienced was a cleverly routed downland course that displayed some good old-fashioned architecture alongside some average fare.The two par threes on the front are knocked into a cocked hat by the two one shotters on the back. The 12th is an absolute gem of a short hole where there are few prizes for missing right.Unfortunately we caught the course on an off day yesterday condition-wise, the fairways were shaggy and the first cut way too long for my liking. The least said about the juicy rough the better. The greens have been redone to USGA standard at some point and were nowhere near their best. Marker posts would not go amiss on a few holes (e.g. #14 and #17).Minor conditioning quibbles aside, I enjoyed Hockley and would recommend a visit if in the Winchester area.

Unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to play Caversham Heath before it closed for a Tom McBroom makeover in 2019, which came about due to the sale of Reading Golf Club and the subsequent merger of the two clubs. The reincarnation officially opened in April 2021 sporting a new name – The Caversham. I remain unconvinced by the use of the determiner THE as a prefix for a golf club’s name, but it’s not yet a crime, so I decided to put my prejudice aside and take a look at The Caversham last week.
There’s been an awful lot going on and there’s quite a lot still to do around the clubhouse and car park areas, which will I’m sure be completed nicely in due course. The house itself sits proudly above the 1st and 18th holes whetting the appetite for what lies ahead.
The card of the course is interesting and at first confusing. There are five sets of tees. The Black markers measure 7,265 yards and the forward Orange tees measure 5519 yards. In between there’s Green (6003 yards), Blue (6445 yards) and Gold (6720 yards), but there are also three mixed courses that combine various tees – Gold/Blue (6584), Blue/Green (6180) and Green/Orange (5757). We decided (eventually) to play the Blue/Green combo and headed off up the hill on the dogleg right short par four opener.
The most striking aspect of the course is the bunkering, which is bold, irregularly shaped but not over the top for the relatively subtle Chazey Heath topography. The bunkering visuals at the first set the tone for what’s to come – the bunker shaping throughout is well done (as is the build) but maybe there’s a tad too much sand in the traps – the ones I visited were very deep.
I’m not sure whether the 6th green is a David Williams original or a new surface, but I liked it very much with a hump in the middle. I think the par five 7th (maybe the original 6th) is a really strong hole with its approach over a pond to a double green that’s shared with the par three 15th. I also appreciated the old-fashioned cross-bunker at the 10th where another interesting green lies beyond.
The refashioned layout has enough variation to create interest from the first to the last and will only improve as the construction blemishes heal over time. The new closing hole is also an excellent way to finish the round to a green that’s benched into the hillside below the clubhouse.
Only time will tell how far the re-imagined layout will travel in the rankings and if you’re an ornithologist you’re unlikely to see more red kites anywhere else, even at Huntercombe. I like the course more than I thought I might (and we did play from the wrong tee occasionally) however, one key question remains unanswered. How on earth did Canadian stalwart Tom McBroom land a renovation project in rural England?

I came across an old Forestry Commission booklet (No.25 of how many I don’t know) titled: Forests of Central and Southern Scotland by Herbert L. Edlin published in 1969… “Following the road along the coast, we pass the marshy bird sanctuary of Aberlady Bay, and beyond Gullane go past the Archerfield estate, which lies down towards the sea. Here there is an expanse of sand dunes which the Commission is now afforesting with pines, to check the inland drift of the sand. The three rocky islets of Fidra, Craigleith, and the Bass Rock, where the gannets nest each spring, rise sheer from the mouth of the Forth, while North Berwick Law stands like a sentinel over the flat coastal plain.”
The debate over Archerfield’s links credentials is moot point, largely due to the pines that frame half the holes. However, there’s no doubt the ground on which the courses are routed is sandy. As Mr. Edlin states, this is dune land that was “afforested” fifty years ago.
Anyway, it doesn’t really matter because the Fidra (played the week before last) is a very good course. The pines that remain have been thoughtfully used – they do not stifle the fairways (which have fair width without being runways) and attractively frame a number of green complexes. I really enjoyed the Fidra – it more than exceeded my expectations and I liked the routing.
We arrived at the 5th tee box next to the beach only moments after teeing off at the opener – so it seemed. We might have been in a time warp because the entire round whizzed by way too quickly. It was as though we were in a trance, maybe under the Fidra’s spell. Regardless it was a surreal experience.
I won’t detail any of the holes but will mention that the only poor hole was the 16th which played as a par three to a temporary green while the new green complex (which looked great) was settling in. I didn’t note any standout “signature” holes, just one solid hole after another.
I’ve yet to play the Dirleton, but if it’s nearly as good at the Fidra then that explains why Archerfield is such a popular venue which was positively buzzing with Edinburgh’s great and good.
Thanks to Brian for the pictures… I was so absorbed by the Archerfield experience I forgot to get my camera out.

Unlike Dumbarnie, which exceeded my expectations, The Renaissance Club unfortunately didn’t. The weather can’t be blamed – it was pretty much identical (sunny intervals) for both courses last week. I was so looking forward to playing a Tom Doak design for the first time, but I found the tee box visuals uninspiring and really struggled to find a focal point to aim at, which became frustrating. If this is what minimalism is all about, it’s not my cup of tea. I won’t mention the clubhouse experience but I will touch on the rather mediocre conditioning on the day. It was a surprise to find lack lustre maintenance at an exclusive facility. TRC felt rather unloved in places with spiky stands of marram grass growing through the grassy pathways and the lovely old stonewalls seemed in need of urgent repair before unkindly Nature reclaims them. On the other hand, the tee boxes must have been running at 8 on my imaginary stimp. Of course the signature 8th is a very good hole and I loved the infinity green at the par three 9th. Only the youngster in our group chose to walk the 250-yard round trip to the back tees at the 10th. Undeniably it’s a pretty coastal hole, but it didn’t flow and felt shoehorned into the routing. The scramble up the hill from #10 is less than ideal, especially if you take the wrong pathway to the left of the halfway cabin as we did, ending up exhausted at the 12th green (maybe we missed the sign). After the climb we were sorely tempted to skip #11 and #12 but we soldiered on stoically, which kind of summed up the general feeling on the day. I haven’t yet played the Castle course, but surely the lambasted greens on the opposite side of the Firth of Forth can’t be funkier than TRC’s? I would have liked the greens a tad faster, but they are certainly pure fun and in my opinion the facility’s saving grace.TRC is a challenging course, but it didn’t suit my eye. It came up short on joie de vivre, and on more than one occasion felt like hard work. I genuinely wanted to love the course but sadly I didn’t. The juxtaposition between on course minimalism and off course maximalism left me cold.

I think Kyle Phillips and his brilliant team of shapers brought the first “manufactured” Scottish links course to life at Kingsbarns in St Andrews. Since then a few other designers (and their shapers) have pushed sand around to create naturalistic links layouts, Gil Hanse in Inverness, Tom Doak at North Berwick, Martin Hawtree at Balmedie and now Clive Clark joins the party at Upper Largo. I’ve yet to play the course at Balmedie, but I teed it up at Dumbarnie on Tuesday and I liked it so much more than I thought I would.It’s easy to criticise, so I’ll get the negatives out of the way… First, I too am not keen on the conically shaped dunes – they look unnatural to my eyes. I can only think they were built that way to stand out (in photos) from the crowd and I hope they eventually calm down. Second, there are some long(ish) walks between greens and tees. Third, I found the mix of revetted bunkers (shame they used eco bunker) and blowouts rather awkward on the eye and a smidge jarring, where (on some holes) you could see both styles competing with each other from the tee. But apart from the usual issues with new course grown-in, I found little else to fault (although I didn’t love the water-laden 10th).Dumbarnie is set within a vast tract of land, the expansiveness of which is staggering. Clark was very clever in the way he used perspective to create illusions – on a number of occasions we were well and truly deceived by distances. There’s width to spare on most holes and the huge green complexes are all well done. Every tee shot, perhaps with the exception of the inland facing par three 14th, grabbed my attention. I loved the split fairways on #5, #13 and #15 and #17 made us all scratch our heads and reach for the course guide. The 17th is a unique short par four that played tricks with our minds. It reminded me more of a moorland hole than a links with its dry stonewall and sharp dogleg right. I couldn’t decide whether I liked it or not, in the end I decided I loved it. It reminded me slightly of a more extreme (and reversed) version of St Enodoc’s 4th. I’m sure the traditionalists will sniff at Dunbarnie’s in-your-face boldness, but if these naysayers can park their inverted architectural snobbery they too might laud Clive Clark’s finest hour. With a couple of year’s grow-in under its belt, Dunbarnie will be a World Top 100 contender – it’s already wall-to-wall fun from the first tee shot to the final putt and there’s also a pretty impressive outlook from the brand spanking new clubhouse.

To play or not to play? That is the question. A sense of humour, a good pair of lungs, the patience of a saint and more than a modicum of Lady Luck will help you navigate your way up, over, round and back down Painswick Beacon. If you start and finish with the same ball, frame it.The opening hole is probably the worst I’ve ever played – a short par four, straight up a precipitous hill with no redeeming features. When you reach the 2nd tee you’ll probably have time on your hands to catch your breath and for your heart rate to lower. The 2nd and the 3rd share the same Cotswold Way playing corridors with the 13th and 14th on the way home. The Cotswold Way is a very popular walking trail which traverses the escarpment for more than 100 miles from Chipping Campden in the north to the city of Bath in the south. It was busy with both serious walkers and rambling families when we played a couple of weeks ago. We waited for what felt like ages on the 3rd tee until a walker (who was carefully studying his map) was out of harm’s way. He was either oblivious to mortal danger or completely confident we’d wait for him to amble by.Painswick has more than its fair share of blindness… I’ve never before played a course with three blind (not mice) par threes, so this was a first for me. I felt the routing, especially around the beacon, to be bewildering and clumsy at best. However, there’s plenty to like… the green complexes are mostly good and the 200-yard par three 6th is an all-world one-shotter that would not look out of place at Ballybunion. I also liked the blind short par four 11th and the par three 15th played blind into a pretty glade. My main concern was that fairways and tee boxes were full of perennial weeds. Some of the tees were just bare earth and very, very uneven. These would be considered poor at any course. Thankfully my expectations were managed before I played here by a number of knowledgeable golfers. Tim Elliot’s review below set the bar at an appropriate level. What can you reasonably expect for a £20 green fee?Do I recommend Painswick? Yes I do. Do I consider it to be an English Top 100 contender? No I don’t. However, if there was a category for Top 100 Golf Courses under £25, Painswick would be very near the top. In the end, I couldn’t decide whether Painswick is golf or orienteering. But it actually doesn’t matter. It’s an experience that mixes fun and fear in equal measure. Take a few extra balls, an optional compass and sharpen your wits.

“Another new course of exceptionally good material is Blackwell, the work of Mr. Fowler and Mr. Simpson,” wrote Darwin in 1925. Having played Blackwell for the first time last month, I concur. The ground is ideal for golf with just enough ups and downs. Blackwell could be England’s best Golden Age parkland course, but it’s routed across sandy terrain where a heath-like course could emerge if the custodians so desired. Many stately pines are hidden behind ubiquitous deciduous trees. Frank Pont’s bunker renovation (or is it a restoration?) is progressing and is certainly upping the visuals on the completed holes. The sharp, irregular bunker shaping is at times rather too lary for my taste and the vast nest of traps on the 10th caught my eye, but seemed too bold and out of character with the rest of the bunkering. Hopefully when the refurbishment is complete, there will be softer consistency across the entire bunkering.Luke, the knowledgeable greenkeeper, told us there was once a ditch on the par five 12th where the incongruous line of straight bunkering flanks the right side of the fairway for around 200 yards. It’s quite peculiar, and I can only imagine that this linear hazard will be revised as part of the bunker upgrade plan. I don’t know why the club would care to proudly claim in their course guide that this bunker is the longest in golf. There are many other positive things the club should be proud of. Despite the bunkering and tree quibbles, Blackwell has excellent bones. There’s so much to like… a few short and quirky par fours combine with five compelling (and difficult) par threes along with a couple of enjoyable (and reachable in two) par fives.At the moment Blackwell is punching below its weight, even though it exceeded my expectations. At times I felt as though I was playing through an arboretum rather than through traditional parkland, and yet the ground felt exactly like heathland. I’m not sure I’ve seen a more impressive and diverse collection of specimen trees, except in a botanical setting.For the last few weeks I’ve been pondering what I might do if I happened to be custodian of this magnificent property. I think I’d try and emphasise the site’s heath-like characteristics (by removing weedy tree and scrub clutter) while maintaining the site’s arboreal magnificence. I’d also try and complete the bunkering work ASAP. I’d leave everything else well alone.

I have no idea why more golfers have not posted reviews for the Oaks course at the lovely Woodbury Park. I played it earlier this month in pleasant sunshine and it was a real treat to finally get to play one of the few Devon courses that had been lingering on my to-play list for far too long. The Oaks course was playing firm and fast in the middle of summer, but most likely it’s not a great winter course as the ground is clay, unlike the huge expanse of sandy heathland at nearby Woodbury Common.What I liked most about the Oaks course is that there is zero repetition. Every hole looks tangibly different from the tee box and there are no weak holes. The huge green complexes are what you’d expect from an early 1990s USGA build – gently contoured and rather predictable. But this really is a minor criticism as the build is high quality from the son of John R. Stutt who constructed many of James Braid’s courses.The late J. Hamilton Stutt clearly learned a thing or two from his work on the original course at St Mellion (now called the Kernow). The topography at Woodbury is very similar to the lay of the land at St Mellion, where there are a number of valleys to cross, which create excitement and a fair share of uneven lies. Only two tees were in play last Friday, white for men and red for ladies. The white tees were largely aligned with the yellow markers, so the course probably played around 6,300 yards, which for me is close to the perfect distance for an enjoyable round. However, the Oaks course clearly has scope to be a brutal test, as the black tee tips kick the yardage out beyond 7,300 yards.I liked the Oaks more than Braid’s parkland layout at nearby Exeter Golf & Country Club. I’d also argue that the Oaks is tad better than Colt’s cliff-top track at Thurlestone, so perhaps it deserves to be a place or two higher in Devon’s Best in County rankings. The bucolic nature of Woodbury Park is hard to beat from a parkland golfing perspective where long views across to the rolling Blackdown Hills remind you that you’re golfing in a lovely part of England.I do think the Oaks deserves more loving. It’s easily as good as the Manor House in Wiltshire but not quite as good as the Nicklaus course at St Mellion. I liked the Oaks a lot and would be very happy to be a member here if I lived on the east side of Exeter city. It definitely exceeded my expectations.

Trying to unravel true architectural provenance for golf courses laid out almost one hundred years ago is extremely difficult. But, let’s be honest, most golfers couldn’t care less about designers. However, some (like me) appreciate little nuggets of information, even if they can’t tell the difference between designs by John, Mick or Harry.
According to the club history, in 1929 Harry Colt laid out the Old course at Leckford and Longstock Golf Club (as it was originally called), but according to Fred W Hawtree, author of Colt & Co, the Old course is a 1929 John Morrison original. In The Architects of Golf by Geoff Cornish & Ron Whitten, the authors reckon it’s a Colt & Morrison creation that was later revised by Michael G. Fenn, who was the club’s first Secretary and Greenkeeper. Who’d be a historian eh, and what does it matter?
I played the Old course a couple of weeks before the UK covid-19 lockdown, directly after the wettest winter on record and biblical rain the day before, which incidentally closed virtually every course in southeast England. Leckford was bone dry and looking gorgeous in the late afternoon sunshine. Rain, what rain?
Providing a fair rating after just one play is never ideal, but most belt notchers don’t get the chance to play every course multiple times. My feeling from a single play is that I’d love to be a member at Leckford if I lived nearby. The club is unpretentious, has an unassuming clubhouse and a rudimentary car park on high ground overlooking the 9th green. It’s right up my alley.Rather like Mildenhall, the fun at Leckford is around the greens. Each and every one has interest with lovely contours and vexing run offs. But the visuals from some tees are uninspiring. Don’t get me wrong, this is a pleasant place to play golf and the ground game is 100% alive and well here, but some of the fairways are a bit too minimalist for my taste. The course might benefit from the repositioning of some fairway bunkers. A few are not in play these days, but if they were in play (as Colt & Co originally intended) the visuals from the tee would be heightened. One thing is for sure; Leckford Old is not trying to be something that it isn’t. It’s largely a lie of the land course with stellar green complexes and it’s around these dance floors where golfers will spend most of their time. And for that reason alone I’d be happy to invest many hours trying to master these wonderful putting surfaces.
There’s a parallel between Leckford and RW&N… nine holes, Colt provenance and wonderful greens, but there’s not quite enough going on between tee and green for waxing too lyrically. There are a good number of highlights though, the two par threes, the drive on #4, the approach to #7 and the 8th tee to green (especially to the green). Undoubtedly this little 9-holer deserves to be sought out, and when golf is this much fun, it really doesn’t matter whether it was designed by John, Mick or Harry.

Cheerless is one word I’d use to describe SAOL. Too many parallel holes run broadly in a north south direction making the going unpleasantly tough when the prevailing wind is blowing across the course. The monotony of the up and down routing is unfortunately only broken up by the par threes at the 3rd, 13th, and 16th.The 9th “Cannon” is a wonderful par three, of course, facing back at the clubhouse, set in a dune-cloaked amphitheatre, and so is “Keepers Trap” the brutal west-facing par three 16th with its crowned and well-bunkered greensite. Both these one shot holes would grace any Open Championship links course, but sadly there’s not a lot else here that tickles my fancy.Invariably in good condition, SAOL does play firm and fast, which I enjoy, but its unremarkable, flat canvas, flanked by a main road, a railway line, houses, an airport and the backdrop of Blackpool’s garish Pleasure Beach to the north, does nothing whatsoever for my personal sensibility. Many wax lyrically about SAOL and draw a comparison with its illustrious regal neighbour. In my opinion, the contrast between the two is marked. Both these links courses have drab suburban surroundings and both are laid out on flat ground. But that’s where the comparison ends. If SAOL had a fraction of RL&SA’s elegant shaping it might deserve to be in the discussion. Despite being a links lover, the main reason I’m not enamoured by SAOL is largely down to the incongruous mounds that masquerade as miniature dunes. In many cases these humps look like they were dropped off by a truck and then grassed over without any thought to shaping. Put simply, they look artificial. However, if you enjoy being tested on a tough, windy and well-presented links course, then SAOL will tick those boxes. And the two aforementioned par threes are stellar and more than worthy of the modest entrance fee.

Delamere Forest was one of my golfing highlights of 2019. I teed it up here immediately after the club’s hosting of the Women’s County Finals in September and the course was polished to absolute perfection.<img src="/images/Delamere-Forest-9th-hole.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Delamere Forest Golf Club" title="Delamere Forest Golf Club">Tom Doak drew an interesting parallel, suggesting Delamere is North West England’s version of the North East’s Ganton. It’s an astute comparison as both have sand to spare underfoot and both are laid out on a grand scale. In my opinion Delamere has more exciting topography than Ganton, but Ganton has better green complexes.There’s a real sense of stepping back in time at Delamere, where tradition is front and centre. The on course architecture follows a similar pattern to the club itself, there’s nothing brash, just delightful understated elegance. Delamere is right up my street, it has everything I like in a golf course.The tumbling ground is perfect and the thrills and spills build as the round progresses through a fascinating routing of twists and turns up and down the heathery valleys.I don’t know why Delamere has never been listed in our Britain & Ireland Top 100 before now. The club’s heartland location, off the beaten tourist trail, maybe a contributing factor. I’m sure if this course were set anywhere near the heathlands of London it would be a completely different story.

I’d love to get more of our raters to see Taunton & Pickeridge as I think it’s a course that has plenty going for it. Should you be passing Taunton on the M5 motorway you should consider making a short detour, I doubt you’ll be disappointed. The starting few holes and the closer are hardly noteworthy, but in between there's a lot of good stuff going on. The limestone workings (some say calamine) provide unrivalled inland interest, perhaps only matched at Yelverton. T&P flies well under the radar and I think this is one of Somerset’s best courses where Herbert Fowler was the driving force behind much of the design, assisted later by his associate Tom Simpson. You can see the join very clearly between the newer Hawtree holes and the old originals, which is a shame, as this course would otherwise be a strong contender for English Top 100 consideration… certainly Top 200 potential. The fairway and greensite at #9 is pure theatre and most of the six one-shotters are interesting holes. I also like the boomerang-shaped, 280-yard short par four 15th which is way more tricky than its yardage might suggest.T&P is unheralded, understated and underrated. Play it and beg to differ.

I played the Kigbeare a few weeks back in a society event. Frankly I wasn’t expecting much at this popular 600-acre golfing (and much more) facility. The cost for the round (with buggy, coffee and bacon rolls and a two-course meal afterwards) was £25. How good could it be for that price? I’ll remember the 340-yard downhill par four opener for a very long time and I’m very glad I put £2.00 in the twos sweep. We were the first group out – with a large audience I knocked my driver to two feet for a kick-in eagle. Naturally my score went deeper downhill than the opening tee shot. It was an unlikely start to say the least.Let me stress that you will 100% need a buggy unless you want to walk the length of the course (6,500 yards) twice. Some of the distances between green and next tee are ridiculous, so the routing is, let’s say, not very good. However, there’s a lot of good stuff going on in between which makes this course worthwhile playing. It's a rollicking ride up the hills and down the valleys... make sure your buggy has good brakes. You'll need them believe me.The elevation changes make for thrilling golf and some of the holes would not look out of place on many of Devon’s (non-links) higher ranked courses. Considering the course is a relative youngster you’d be pushed to guess as it’s routed (if you can call it that) through mature trees that formed part of Kigbeare Manor Farm. The one-shot holes are all decent but maybe I’d prefer a short par three on the card rather than four holes that measure between 172 and 216 yards (three are over 200 yards long). That said, the drop 3rd is a thriller with a long carry over a brook.Some of the greensites are rather mundane but there’s no shortage of thrills and spills on the Kigbeare. Although what goes down must go back up and the 18th (parallel to the 1st) is not a great finishing hole.The Kigbeare won’t threaten any Top 100 lists, but it’s well worth a look if you happen to be passing Okehampton on the A30 en route to St Enodoc or Perranporth.My £2 bet returned a handsome bag of cash (it was a rollover from the previous event). Nobody managed a birdie on any of par threes (testament to their difficulty). It was the best value golfing day I’ve ever had and I’d have enjoyed it every bit as much without a rare bird.

I’m very well acquainted with the second course at Gog Magog as I was a member here for a number of years and have played the Wandlebury (and the Old) in numerous competitions and friendlies down the years. It’s true that you can see the join between Fred W’s old holes and son Martin’s newer holes, largely located on the western side of the property. I don’t especially like the uphill short par five opener, but it’s a gentle handshake that offers a birdie opportunity and you can catch your breath when you reach the top of the hill at the 2nd. You reach the rarely open halfway hut at the par five 4th and begin the tumble downhill. I like the drop par three 5th to a narrow and well-bunkered offset green. The SI1 7th is not long on the card, but this uphill dogleg right plays into the wind and the green is deceptively hard to reach in regulation. #9 plays back uphill to the still closed halfway hut and #10 plays downhill parallel to #9 in an uphill downhill uninspiring reverse. The dogleg left 11th is a good par four that plays to a sunken greensite that is ringed with bunkers. I also like the short par four 13th with a nice green complex benched into the hillside and #14 is a pretty short par three – it’s the last of the new western holes.You play the next few holes on the plateau before toppling back down at the long par four closer, which looks almost as lengthy as the parallel uphill par five opener.Both courses at Gog Magog are rather uphill and downhill but both are solid. Although having some similarities both are also noticeably different. I prefer the Old course as the routing is coherent and there’s more quirk on offer, but the Wandlebury is a nice course. If it were to stand alone it would probably be more highly regarded.

One of the toughest and most intimidating opening holes in golf (especially from the Black tee tips) sets the scene at JCB Golf & Country Club. A 200-yard water carry will leave a long iron approach to a well-bunkered, offset green that’s also flanked on the left by the same lake encountered from the tee and cavernous bunkers. A par at the first will feel like an eagle for most golfers. <img src="/images/JCB-Golf-Country-Club-2nd.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="JCB Golf & Country Club 2nd hole" title="JCB Golf & Country Club 2nd hole">But even the bigger hitting mid-handicapper may have an eagle putt at the very next hole if the needle can be threaded through a plethora of bunkers. If the pin is back left at #2, likelihood is you’ll end up on the lower tier of a green that’s shaped in the image and likeness of a giant’s boot print. A 610-yard boomerang left par five follows at #3 and it’s not the longest hole on the card. The approach on this genuine three-shotter must avoid a canal-like water hazard on the right to a skinny 43-yard long greensite that’s wedged between canal, bunker and trees. <img src="/images/JCB-Golf-Country-Club-3rd.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="JCB Golf & Country Club 3rd hole" title="JCB Golf & Country Club 3rd hole">It’s an absolute stellar start, which is then cleverly letdown at #4 by a rather innocuous (from the tee) and bunkerless par four where the fun starts at the cape-shaped green with its treacherous run offs – a Huntercombe template. Just when you thought you’d caught breath, you then land at a drop-dead gorgeous 200-yard downhill one-shotter.Rarely do I describe five holes in any review, but at JCB virtually every hole is worthy of narration.Why do par three island greens regularly appear on penultimate holes? Only Pete Dye knows the answer and even he would smile at JCB’s #17. Play it from the tips if you’re feeling lucky – 255 yards was long enough for me to lose a ball. 204 yards from the middle tees was no walk in the park, but stick with it, as it would be shame not to putt out on one of the most enchanting green complexes I’ve ever seen. Three distinct depressions on the dance floor and three bunkers, two guarding the back and one front right, are set directly into the lake itself where the water gently laps the sand. I’ve never seen anything like it before.<img src="/images/JCB-Golf-Country-Club-5th.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="JCB Golf & Country Club 5th hole" title="JCB Golf & Country Club 5th hole">After putting out for a double on #17, step aboard the final tee that’s set on the same island and face a brutal uphill tee shot on this sweeping 462-yard par four.JCB starts tough and finishes tough. In between there are holes that will give you a chance and holes that will simply make you laugh (and maybe cry). The Double Plateau green at #14 is pure theatre. The greens are occasionally (#4) a mix of Willie Park Jr. and Robin Hiseman. Frankly, I have not seen a better set of green complexes on any English course built after the Second World War. Period.The ground is not ideal for golf, but even after torrential rain the course played reasonably firmly due to literally miles of drainage. However, my main criticism (apart from a longish walk between #13 and #14) is purely down to asphalt. The cart paths have been hidden from view wherever possible but they are a repugnant blot on what would otherwise be a near perfect landscape design. Asphalt aside, JCB is a fabulous golf course that’s primed for the Top 100. Which Top 100? We’ll simply have to wait and see.

Castletown is bound to be the reason why many intrepid travelling golfers head to the Isle of Man, but there’s some interesting golf to be savoured elsewhere on the island for those who’d like to mix things up.Following an eight course tour of the island last week, I might recommend almost all the Isle of Man’s courses, as each has something of interest – even for the most discerning golfer. Peel is undeniably an understudy to Castletown, but there’s plenty here to enjoy near the island’s west coast. Parkland-styled holes on flatter ground start and end proceedings and while these holes are fine, it’s the moorland cum heathland holes later in the round that will be remembered for the exciting ground movement which pitches and rolls dramatically. I simply loved the par four 4th played through a chute of trees to a greensite which is fronted by a stream and a boundary wall backboard. The 10th is a gorgeous short drop par three across a little valley to a sunken green that’s framed at the back by a copse of fir trees. The long par four 11th plays from a high tee across a valley where there’s a heroic carry from the tee across gorse bushes. Sod hedges, well-drained ground, solid conditioning and some genuinely entertaining holes make Peel a must-play course (for me at least) if visiting the island with golf clubs in tow. I haven’t mentioned the mountain views either, which are also pretty special. However, either mountain and coast backdrops come free of charge at most of the golf courses that are scattered around this delightful un-sung island.

Ed’s earlier review mentioned an itch that he simply had to scratch. I’ve been living with the Castletown itch for more than fifteen years and I finally got rid of the annoying irritation last Monday. <img src="/images/Castletown-Links-5th-hole.jpg" alt="Castletown Golf Links 5th hole" title="Castletown Golf Links 5th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">My appetite was immediately whetted as I drove beyond the hamlet of Derbyhaven along Fort Island Road towards the clubhouse with the bay to the left and the 5th hole – appropriately named “Road” to the right. The anticipation was genuinely palpable. Incidentally, the 5th may well be the hardest par four I’ve ever played, where anything hit too far right will end up on the road or the beach, both of which are out of bounds. Too far left is not ideal either.<img src="/images/Castletown-Links-6th-hole2.jpg" alt="Castletown Golf Links 6th hole" title="Castletown Golf Links 6th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">The location is idyllic – surrounded by the Irish Sea and its bays on three sides – where the only blot on the otherwise delightful landscape is the near derelict hotel lying directly behind the clubhouse. The course is routed across the Langness Peninsula (known locally as Fort Island) and along its isthmus where there’s a real sense of wild seclusion. <img src="/images/Castletown-Links-9th-hole.jpg" alt="Castletown Golf Links 9th hole &quot;Hog's Back&quot;" title="Castletown Golf Links 9th hole &quot;Hog's Back&quot;" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">It was a sunny day with a fresh breeze blowing across the course making life very tricky indeed. The gentle opener (the shortest par four on the card) is in no way indicative of what lies ahead – especially in a crosswind. I won’t get into hole descriptions in any detail, but suffice to say I really liked the front nine and was stunned by the enormity of the magnificent Hog’s Back fairway at the 9th. I enjoyed the short par for 10th and then felt there was a lull in proceedings with a few holes played over flatter ground before arriving at #15 “Langness” where an OOB wall runs down the right side of the hole and three pots lie in wait in the middle of the fairway. The run for home along the craggy coastline is stellar where the tee shot on #17 “Gully” is as dramatic as any tee shot you’re ever likely to encounter on a links course. The home itself is being remodelled. We played #18 from the old tee next to the coast to a fairway that’s routed towards the clubhouse away from the coast and we also hit from the new tee perched on a dune top. From the new tee there’s a new fairway hugging the coast. A decent drive will leave a longer approach on this refashioned hole to a reconfigured green that sits behind a rocky inlet. There’s an outrageous pot bunker just before the sea inlet which may catch a few errant shots. If you end up in this bunker you’ll face the most daunting bunker shot imaginable… a full 25-yard carry across the deep rocky inlet to the green on the other side. Some will lament the loss of the old 18th, but I found the new routing thrilling. By all accounts, Castletown was in the doldrums before the new owners acquired the property a couple of years ago. The newfound lease of life is tangible, from the enthusiastic greens team, the professional, the catering staff and the management. I loved pretty much everything about Castletown, although purists will sniff at the plastic revetted bunkers – but I’m assured these are being replaced over the coming years.Hats off to Castletown. What’s not to like? I’m looking forward to returning once all the course improvements have been completed.

If you look past the beauty of the Dornoch Firth and River Evelix setting, you’ll find a rather low-key lie of the land course at Skibo Castle, with modest ground movement. The bunkering is now much stronger than it was when I first played here in 2004 and there are some other improvements, including a lot less gorse, which on second play I found rather stark, as some of the holes – previously defined by yellow gorse – seemed to have lost their definition. However, there’s certainly plenty of width and therefore abundant strategy. The par three 6th and short par four 7th are two of my favourite holes in Scotland, in fact, the run from #6 to #10 along the lichen heath that flanks the Firth is, in my eyes, Skibo’s most compelling stretch. The short par four 17th is also a wonderful hole. From the elevated tee it seems unlikely that you won’t end up in one of the five bunkers that guard the right side. However, the par five 18th is not a good closing hole. It’s out of kilter with the rest of the course and wouldn’t look out of place in Florida. On both occasions I’ve played here, the early-season course conditioning has not been up to scratch when directly compared to nearby Castle Stuart and Dornoch. I can see why Skibo has a seductive effect on many golfers. There’s certainly plenty to enjoy and admire here, but it’s not my cup of tea. My golfing soul is much more at ease at Dornoch, Castle Stuart and Brora.

The Bann is the most exciting, fun and engaging 9-hole links courses that I have ever played. It’s truly a little diamond and one that should be savoured at least once by everyone who visits Castlerock. You need to think your way round this quirky layout to have any chance of scoring near handicap. The greens are small, fairways quite narrow and with the views over the estuary to contend with, it’s tough to stay in the zone. The Bann occupies a near perfect parcel of links land and the sweeping short par five 5th hugging the coastline is maybe the best hole of the 27 at Castlerock. Some will scoff at the Bann’s lack of bunkering and modest yardage. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Immediately after putting out on the 9th I headed back to the 1st to play it again.It would be a serious mistake to simply tick off the big names and overlook the Bann when visiting the Causeway Coast.

Authenticity is not a Vegas strong point. As a visitor it’s hard to differentiate between fantasy and reality in “The Entertainment Capital of the World”.I’m going to be a tad kinder in my assessment of Royal Links than my friend Mr. Ward. In Vegas things are not cut and dry. I think it’s fair enough to call your facility “Links” when you’ve tried to faithfully reproduce eighteen holes from famous Scottish and English Open Championship links courses in a completely alien landscape. Heck, they’ve even built a Swilcan Bridge. Where else can you play a Postage Stamp and a Road Hole during a single round?Calling your facility Royal is a tad disingenuous, but sincerity is maybe pants down in Vegas. The cost to play Royal Links is around 100 bucks so it’s not robbery with violence. If you don’t have the time or money to travel across the pond to experience the real thing, then why not try Royal Links and follow it up with a meal at the Eiffel Tower restaurant?Playing Royal Links was one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had on a golf course. The juxtaposition between weirdly familiar looking links holes and the searing heat with an arid desert backcloth was bizarre in the extreme.If you know real links golf, then I’d suggest you take a look if you're in town and judge for yourself. If you’re not familiar with links golf just enjoy the illusion. There’s only one real Paris after all.

Spring had apparently sprung when I played the PGA Centenary. It felt more like mid winter, a covering of snow capped the hilltops and it was damp and dreich. No buggies today, only shanks’s pony. Ah well, at least the course was empty.<img src="/images/Gleneagles-PGA-Centenary.jpg" alt="Gleneagles PGA Centenary course" title="Gleneagles PGA Centenary course" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Is this the fourth best course in Autotrader? Maybe. I’d perhaps be persuaded to replay it when there’s at least one full ball roll on the PGA’s fairways and the greens were a little less receptive. Until (or if) Ury Estate near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire gets off the ground, the PGA Centenary remains Jack’s only branded Scottish effort, with Ron Kirby being his able assistant. The Golden Bear and his design team have stamped the Nicklaus name on a few (six) layouts south of the border. Some of these are architecturally OK, but on the whole they’re synthetic, perhaps with the exception of St Mellion and maybe the old back nine at Hanbury.By our own reckoning Jack Nicklaus is one of golf’s greatest architects, with layouts such as Muirfield Village, Monte Rei, Cabo del Sol, Sebonack (with Tom Doak) and Harbour Town (with Pete Dye) in his bulging design portfolio. But, as yet, he has nothing in the UK – apart from his three Open wins – to write home about. Maybe his crowning glory will be Ury. Are cart paths really needed here in Scotland, and if so do they need to be so obtrusive? Those who’ve driven further north (by car) will have experienced narrower main roads. Jack still describes the PGA Centenary on his website as possessing “The finest parcel of land in the world I have ever been given to work with.” If that’s genuinely the case, the end result is disappointing, but frankly the land on which the PGA is laid out is not perfect. Yes there are some highs, such as the undulating angled green at #11 and the risk and reward short par four called “Nebit Knowe” at #14, but my fancy wasn’t tickled by much else. Ultimately I found it impossible to get over the scars of the hideous cart paths. Perhaps I’d have liked it more from behind the wheel, zooming along the curving motorways. However, I absolutely adore the Gleneagles experience and I can rejoice and pour more love over the “Palace in the Glens” now that the PGA is a dim and distant speck in the rear view mirror.

Temple Golf Club was where Henry Cotton served as club pro in the 1950s. The course is decent but not great. The layout sports a number of architectural nuances that would never be incorporated into a modern design. The opening par four hole involves a blind downhill drive with a green that’s reachable for even the average hitter. The 10th is a unique long and uphill par three to a green that’s hidden in a deep hollow – hit the ball firmly and on the right line and your tee shot will certainly end up on the green but many (including me on occasions) fail to find the sunken green.The par three 8th is perhaps my favourite hole which is a tough and long downhiller. This is where the Pro invites players to bet on hitting the green during corporate days and he’ll double your money. He normally does well on this hole, as it’s an inviting but tough tee shot. Temple has too many up and down holes for me to consider it a great course, but I admire it for its architectural quirk and am always happy playing here as it’s a fine and welcoming traditional members club.

I agree with Ed Battye, the Queen’s course maybe the best course in the world under 6,000 yards. Can anyone propose a better one? Yes, Gleneagles is expensive but you get what you pay for. I’d play the Queen’s ten times rather than subjecting myself (again) to the PGA Centenary.Some box tickers ignore the Queen’s in favour of playing the King’s, listed by some in the World Top 100, and the infamous Ryder Cup course. Who doesn’t want to play a modern Ryder Cup course once? I’d happily circle around the Queen’s and play it over and over again.Sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason. Yes there are a few “ordinary” holes but anyone who can’t appreciate “Drum Sichty” where the views become mesmeric and “Pint Stoup” with its green set enchantingly in a little dell, are comatose. If the outrageous green complex at “Hinny Mune” (the 250-yard par three 17th) and the elevated tee shot over the little loch on the home hole do not stir your soul then you are officially departed.

Pleasantly surprised by Cumberwell Park when we teed it up here last Friday. It’s a popular facility that was bustling even at 7 am and was positively kicking at 3 pm when we got tangled up in a wedding party.<img src="/images/Cumberwell-Park-Golf-16th.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Cumberwell Park Yellow 16th hole" title="Cumberwell Park Yellow 16th hole">There are definite similarities between Bowood and Cumberwell and I’d contest that there’s not much to choose between the two. In fact I’d say the one-shot holes on the Red and Yellow loops are stronger than what’s on offer at Bowood. Adrian Stiff has a number of West Country layouts in his portfolio. By a whisker, this is my favourite, although the Blue and Orange loops are hardly inferior – actually the Blue and Orange course is perhaps more dramatic and it’s a glaring omission from our current Wiltshire Best in County rankings.I’m not a big fan of some design traits from the 1990s where lateral mounding flanks the fairways – a few holes on the Red and Yellow course feature these rather unnatural humps. But apart from that minor gripe, there’s not a lot not to like. The greensites are well done and the bunkering, while not exceptional, is good enough… I liked the shaggy look on the top side of the traps down #15 for example.I’ve yet to play a course in Wiltshire which has really got my golfing juices flowing (Tidworth Garrison in part came closest) but if you’re looking for a solid 36-hole golfing outing, then Cumberwell should tick enough boxes to keep most golfers happy all day long.

Where has the time gone? By my reckoning fifteen years have slipped away since I last played here. Back in the noughties I didn’t fall in love with course or club. I felt it was a really good layout, a bit of a rough diamond condition-wise and the club was stuck in the rather stuffy doldrums of the 1980s. Fast-forward a decade and a half… how things have changed. It was as though I’d been transported to a different world, an inclusive clubhouse atmosphere, cordial and relaxed – and no jacket required at lunchtime on Sunday.I was incredibly fortunate a few weeks ago to be shown round the course by Bledge, the Course Manager. We played eighteen together and he proudly pointed out all the changes he and his team have undertaken under the watchful eye of Martin Ebert, who is also the consulting architect at nearby Royal St George’s and Prince’s.The opener is a tad ho-hum with a flat fairway leading to a huge green that’s protected at the front by a ditch, but the next five holes are out of the top drawer. New tees on the 3rd have created a much better angle and the short one-shot bunkerless 4th to an upturned saucer set next to the coast remains one of my favourite par threes. The short par four 6th doglegs hard right and it’s as good as any short par four gets.#7 and #8 are solid holes which are followed by three similarly shaped (right to left) par fours of varying length – the short par four 10th is my pick of the three where a trio of fairway pots threaten the drive leaving an approach to a stellar green complex. #12 is a brute of a par four to start the run for the house. Its green site with a gathering U-shaped surround is genius, very unusual and supremely testing. #13 is another brutal par four with a blind drive into the prevailing wind where another fabulous green site lies in wait. I love the comment on the course planner: “never give your opponent a putt on this green” enough said. #14 is a killer long par three where anything short will funnel left – its stroke index 15 belies its true difficultly as the green is rather too severe for such an “allegedly” easy one-shotter. The brutality continues at #15 where shallow diagonal ridges cut across the entrance to the green, pushing any short approaches offline – mere mortals play #15 as a par five.#16 was another brutally long par four that measured nigh on 500 yards from the tips. It’s now an excellent par five with a new split fairway and a green that is more receptive to receiving a short iron than a fairway wood. Take a par and move on. #17 is my favourite hole at Deal, a 390-yard par four where a drive down the right side looks to find the fairway plateau known as “Vardon’s Parlour” which leaves a short/mid iron to the smallest green on the course that’s foreshortened by two yawning bunkers and hidden dead ground before the outstanding green complex. #18 is not the best closing hole I’ve ever played but it continues the homeward nine’s tough theme. There are some commentators that don’t like Deal’s balance where most of the time the downwind front is said to be too easy and the back nine too tough. Frankly I don’t care. It’s just a privilege to play Deal and enjoy the ground contours and the outrageously good green complexes, which I don’t think can be bettered by any other course in Britain. Deal or no Deal? In my case it is emphatically Deal. I think RCP is underrated and I’d personally place it the World Top 100. It may not have the romantic allure of Royal St George’s, but it’s nearly as good in my book and has improved immeasurably since I was last here all those years ago. Hats off to the club and the greenkeeping team who are adding the polish and elbow grease, returning this classic to its Sunday best. The grassy pathways from green to tee and the newly installed sprinkler system to irrigate these walkways are a touch of pure class.

There’s no hiding the fact that the first few holes are new and to be frank I wasn’t particularly impressed with the start at Sherborne when we teed it up here bright and early in the morning last month. I was expecting an old-fashioned layout but found some modern looking holes with artificial mounding and few redeeming features among the openers.Thankfully things improved as the round progressed and I liked the par five 6th where you drive through a chute of trees along a tree-lined fairway towards a front-to-back sloping green that’s protected by a quartet of bunkers, two short left and two right short of the putting surface. The first of the three one shotters appears at #7. It’s a decent hole but pales into insignificance compared to the 9th where the elevated tee provides a daunting birds-eye view of the task at hand. Known as “Badger” the tee shot must carry across a terraced chasm, which resembles an old mine working. The back-to-front sloping green is offset to the tee and is hanging on the edge of a steep right to left slope. Two bunkers, one left and one right guard the entrance. It’s a striking hole that would grace any Top 100 golf course.#10 plays parallel to the 9th in the opposite direction and it’s a solid two shotter. An inviting downhill tee shot on #12, with its tee next to the pro shop, is a tough two-shot hole measuring around 450 yards. The fairways slopes markedly from right to left on this dogleg right and there’s no doubt that a par here will feel like a birdie for most golfers.I simply loved the one-shot 15th across a little valley to a green benched into the hillside and enjoyed the short par four 17th, but I definitely didn’t enjoy the precipitous closing hole which has no redeeming features whatsoever.All things told, Sherborne is a decent course and there’s not much to choose (apart from the much superior conditioning) between it and the nearby Old course at Yeovil. If you’re looking for a great value, no frills, double-dunt in Dorset, you could certainly do a lot worse.

I was really looking forward to playing the Old course at Yeovil Golf Club after recently establishing that C.H. Alison laid out the club’s original nine-hole course. It never ceases to amaze me that some clubs do not appreciate the worth of their architectural provenance. There is nothing documented, either online or in any of my reference books, to suggest who designed the course. After contacting the Manager, who kindly scoured the club’s centenary book, it was established that Colt was commissioned, but the project was given to Alison as he was in the area working at Burnham & Berrow. Alison’s original nine holes are now part of the 18-hole Old course – these are holes 1-3 and 13-18 – and they’re routed up and over ground known as Babylon Hill. The club pro later added nine new holes when additional land was purchased to extend the course.The club car park was packed last month when we arrived two hours before our tee time after scampering around Sherborne in record-breaking time earlier that morning. We hoped to bring our tee time forward after grabbing a bite of brunch. Unfortunately a big society was booked in. The only opportunity we had for an earlier tee time was to immediately run to the first and tee off ahead of the society. Hungry, thirsty and flustered, we jumped ahead of the queue and we were off. After a short and gentle par four to start we arrived at the uphill short par three 2nd which looked rather more ominous than the scorecard’s 150 yards might suggest. Benched into the hillside with a false front, bunker right and a scary drop-off to the left of the green… it’s not a hole for the feint-hearted (or hungry) golfer. It’s a great hole and perhaps Yeovil’s best. The tough par four 3rd continues uphill before the new holes start at the short par four 4th. You then cross over a lane to play seven holes on a separate parcel of land. I enjoyed the boomerang-shaped par five 5th and the two succeeding par fours. In fact, I quite liked the newer holes even though there are no real standouts among them.The short par three 13th heralds the return of the Alison holes but it’s the stroke index one 14th – following the course of the River Yeo River behind Potter’s Leaze Plantation – that sets the tone for what’s still to come. #14 is a tough uphill blind drive that needs to be accurate in order to avoid a well-struck drive running out into the trees. The thrilling downhill approach is to a greensite that’s protected by a gathering right-hand greenside bunker and a cross-bunker some 40 yards short of the green. It’s a memorable hole in a good way. The drop-shot long par three 15th is also a good hole, but the dogleg right short par five 16th with a green that terminates at the River Yeo is a shocker. The inviting downhill tee shot is fine, but then you’re left not knowing what to do. There’s a copse of absolutely enormous willows to the left and right of the valley fairway with a through gap of maybe as little as ten yards from 100 yards out to some 25 yards from the green. These vast trees make this 495-yard stroke index 18 par five almost impossible to negotiate. Pinpoint accuracy and a good deal of luck will maybe yield a birdie. The likelihood is that a bogey or worse will be carded. Stroke index 18? Shurely shome mishtake?#17 is a short (290-yard) uphill par four where the green is perched atop a precipitous bank. The direct route to the green is over this sheer bank, and it’s driveable for big hitters, but the risk of coming up short is blatantly obvious. The actual fairway climbs up to the right, which is the sensible line, but the club also seems intent to spoil this hole. Why plant a random copper beech on the elbow of the dogleg? Who knows?The par four 18th takes you back (in surprisingly orthodox fashion) to the clubhouse.I don’t know what to make of Yeovil Old. It has some things I liked and some things I absolutely didn’t like. Yeovil could be an Alison showcase but the club is doing its level best to ruin a quirky classic design.

If you’re looking for a decent and accessible parkland course en-route from Burnham & Berrow to Saunton or Royal North Devon (or vice versa), Tiverton is not a bad option.I wouldn’t recommend it in the winter, due its foundations being set on the well-known sticky red land of Devon, but for a spring/summer game, it’s a very pleasant parkland diversion from the sandy links.The short par five 3rd really does need to be treated with respect as the fairway slopes viciously towards the canal at the landing area of a decent drive. If you can shape the ball from right to left and hold the severely cambered fairway you might be tempted to go for glory, but more often than not the ball ends up heading towards the gathering canal from where a bogey (or worse) is carded with alarming regularity. The short par three 4th measures less than 120 yards, but its set on a rise with a significant drop off to the left and out-of-bounds on the right. It’s a cracking greensite and a great example of a demanding little one-shotter. The views from this high point of the course are glorious too.The course would benefit from a judicious tree-clearing programme, as is the case at many English parkland courses. The strategy of “simple” straight hitting is one-dimensional.Unusually there’s no fairway bunkering at Tiverton, the course relies on trees for hazards and the tilt of the land. The bunkering around the green complexes is decent enough.In summary, a nice members’ club that has enough interest to keep most golfers happy enough. Incidentally, if you’re into Gothic Revival architecture and lovely gardens, the National Trust’s Knightshayes Court is located just across the North Devon Link Road from the golf club.

While walking to the third tee at Tavistock early one sunny April morning, I was lucky enough to snap a photo of a pony basking in a gorse-sheltered hollow with her newborn foal just behind the tee. Golf has delivered many magical moments down the years, but never before have I witnessed anything quite so moving.<img src="/images/Tavistock-Golf-Club-3rd.jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto;" alt="Tavistock Golf Club 3rd tee" title="Tavistock Golf Club 3rd tee">She didn’t bat an eyelid as I drove off the third… the mare was clearly less impressed with my drive than I was with the encounter.
Tavistock is not a course that commands much attention, which is a shame as it’s a decent example of a fast-running, lie-of-the-land, moorland course that provides golfing interest with gentle orienteering.<img src="/images/Tavistock-Golf-Club-7th.jpg" style="display: block; margin: auto;" alt="Tavistock Golf Club" title="Tavistock Golf Club">In truth you don’t need a compass as the routing is intuitive, but there are a few ups and downs to negotiate which present awkward stances along with scattered stones that can also cause problems. There’s not a lot of topsoil on the fairways, so the firm turf generates more than enough roll shortening many of the holes. If the wind is down a good score is there for the taking.
An exception is the 205-yard uphill par three 14th, which shares a double green with the par four 6th. I found myself short-sided to the left of the green on this tough one shotter and left myself with an impossible up and down.
Overall I enjoyed Tavistock and firmly believe it’s worth a look if you’re in the vicinity.

I’m sure I’m not the only one to have driven straight through Camelford on the A39 en-route to St Enodoc, Trevose or Perranporth and completely ignored Bowood Park, which is set only a mile or so away from the Atlantic “super” Highway. Last Friday I returned to Bowood Park after a gap of more than twenty years. Back then the course was very new and I thought it was rather average. What a difference a couple of decades make. I was genuinely impressed with Bowood Park last Friday. I feel that it’s not inferior to its namesake in Wiltshire, but I’m sure the two West Country Bowood namesakes serve only to confuse people.The old deer park in Cornwall is pretty much ideal for golf. There’s plenty of rolling ground movement to keep you on your toes and a good number of exciting golf holes, some of which (particularly around the turn) reminded me of the Nicklaus course at St Mellion that’s located only a dozen miles or so to the south east of Camelford.The first three holes feature greens that are set below the fairway (or tee in the case of the par three 2nd). I was wracking my brain to recall another course that started in a similar manner and drew a blank. The overhead wires on the 4th are not ideal, but the downhill tee shot on the 5th is cracking driving hole where you’ll do well not to be intimidated by the pond and the small copse of trees, which sit slap bang in the middle of where you’d ideally want your drive to finish. <img src="/images/Bowood-Park-Golf-12th-hole.jpg" alt="Bowood Park 12th hole" title="Bowood Park 12th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">The back nine is, in my opinion, stronger than the front. It’s here where you’re transported to St Mellion-esque terrain – there are even a few houses of a similar vintage dotted here and there. The star of the show is the gorgeous par four 12th where a pretty water lily-clad pond sits to the right side of a gorgeous tree-lined valley. If you miss the fairway, a lay-up is sensible play as the approach is all-carry across a babbling stream that front the green.A course planner would have stood me in good stead on the par five 13th which will be unlucky for most players. I walked off unhappily with a seven. It’s no surprise that this is rated the hardest hole on the course. A pond guards the inner elbow of this acute dogleg right. A good drive should favour the left side – I of course went down the right and was blocked out by trees. Having punched out to the left side of the fairway I was left with 200 yards to the green. Playing for a fade, I managed a double-cross and drew the ball directly into the pond set short left of the green. It’s a really interesting (hard) hole that’s like no other I’ve seen before. You then enter fairways flanked by houses for a couple of holes to a complete character change after the former two holes which play in splendid isolation. I enjoyed the driveable short par four 16th where I should have taken a driver having run out of fairway into an awkward lie after hitting a peach of five wood. Somehow I managed to get up and down – more luck than judgement.It was nice to talk to Max in the pro shop after the round and then meet Ross Cobbledick who turned his farm over to golf in the early 90s. Learning all about the stresses and strains at the start of the project made me realise that we should never take golf courses for granted. You need persistence and be prepared for blood, sweat and tears in order to end up with a product as solid as this one.

Playing parkland courses in the depths of winter is never ideal but we decided to take a look at the leafless skeleton of Orchardleigh last month after a spell of dry winter weather. The setting in the heart of the 500-acre gated Orchardleigh Estate is gorgeous, but you wouldn’t want to be dropped off at the gates, as you’d be faced with a two-mile walk from the public road to the clubhouse. I can’t think of any entrance drive in the UK that’s longer than Orchardleigh. Unfortunately the course left me more than a tad uninspired. The fairways looked lovely, but the ground was incredibly sticky considering the preceding weeks of dry weather. The fact that the tees on every hole were playing off mats, which were at least 20 yards in front of the ladies tees, did not help one eyeota. The bunkering is pretty decent and some of the holes are good, but too many are humdrum. Maybe in the summer when the leaves are out and the course is presented at its verdant best, my opinion might be different. I’m glad I played Orchardleigh but it failed to get my golfing juices flowing despite an enjoyable round in pleasant winter weather.

I’ve been umming and ahhing over this review for some time. It’s not easy to be objective about a course that isn’t your cup of tea.

My feeling is that Simon Gidman has done a good job with land that has plenty of interesting movement. The routing is actually very clever – it’s effectively out-and-back, in anything but a straight line. Eight holes occupy two completely separate parcels of ground, linked by two connector holes at #5 and #14.

The more compelling holes, through the pines (which crop up in most photographs), occur at the start of the round. These would be better suited to appear at the end of round, but the location of the clubhouse is a constraining factor. The closing holes are not bad, but they just don’t compare favourably with the opening holes. So instead of finishing on a crescendo you come home on a diminuendo.

As I already said, the closing holes are decent enough, but they’re not holes that will stick in the mind for very long, except perhaps for the exciting water-protected closer.

I enjoyed my day here on a blustery sunny day last summer, but left feeling underwhelmed. The wind direction on the day was blowing the adjacent M1 traffic noise constantly across the course and the bent grass greens (that were part of the club’s early marketing promotion) are not quite as pure as I’m sure they were when the course first opened for play.

Clearly the club is pitching at wealthier clientele, and I can absolutely see why the upwardly mobile might choose to be members here, but it’s not to my taste.

The 2019 Somerset County Championship is returning to Mendip Golf Club later this year. We noticed lots of preparatory work being done in readiness for the event when we teed it up here ten days ago on a decent (in part) mid-January weather day. Bunkers are being revetted and ground works are underway for changes to the 17th and 18th holes. I’m unconvinced the new 17th and 18th will be ready this year but only time will tell. I do hope the 17th, a lovely short par three drop hole, isn’t compromised when they move the green further back. The 18th, on the other hand, is undoubtedly the weakest hole on the course and is in dire need of change. There’s nothing to like about this blind short par four closer, except for the countless birdies that are no doubt carded here (not by me I might add as I failed to get up and down).<img src="/images/Mendip-Golf-Club.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Mendip Golf Club" title="Mendip Golf Club">The rest of the course really surprised us – in a good way. The course was as dry as a bone mid-winter and the greens were running pretty well for the time of year. Views are only a canvas but they are spectacular from the highest points on the course.In some ways Mendip reminded me of a more treed Kington. Both are played over hilly terrain and both are good winter courses. Mendip is billed as a heathland course but I’m not wholly convinced by that moniker – I’d personally pitch it in the “downland” category, if such a classification exists. The member who posted the review below prompted our recent visit and he’s not far off the mark. We may not completely agree that Mendip is the best course in north Somerset, but it’s at least a position (or two) too low in our Somerset rankings. There’s no doubt it’s a quality course and a delightful club. I’d certainly be very happy to be a member here if I lived locally.

The alarm went off at 4.15am and I was in the car by 5 o’clock heading to Woodbridge. Four and a half hours and 325 miles later I pulled into a relatively empty car park and by 10 am we were on the 1st tee. A gorgeous late December morning with hazy sunshine and a very light wind provided the perfect conditions to finally complete the Suffolk heathland quartet of Aldeburgh, Purdis Heath, Thorpeness and, at last, Woodbridge.I may well have saved the best until last. I’m really not sure I could reasonably pick a favourite between Aldeburgh, Purdis and Woodbridge. Thorpeness is a decent course, but it’s not quite in the same league as the other trio. In some ways Woodbridge’s undulating topography reminded me of Broadstone, but on a slightly gentler scale. What I liked most here in Suffolk is the variation between the par fours – they are all quite different in character and yet the flow is seamless from hole to hole. St Andrews Hill (#14) has the best greensite visually and if I were to table one criticism it would be that the green complexes are not quite from the very top drawer, but that’s really a small quibble in the grand scheme of things. The routing is excellent with only short walks between greens and tees, and the one shot holes are really very strong – I especially liked the 15th named “Punch Bowl”. Sure you could argue that the front nine is perhaps too short, and some claim the three short par fours in the first four holes are rather too benign. But who doesn’t like a bit of flattery from time to time, especially when the golf is this good?I had to re-read Darwin’s assessment of Woodbridge from the mid-1920s and I quote: “There is a delightful feeling of being on a hill-top, there is a fine big view, and there is peace and quiet and rusticity.” I didn’t notice the fine big view, nor did I feel I was playing on a hilltop (I felt the same after playing Huntercombe for the first time earlier this year). The trees have no doubt been and gone and come again down the years. There’s evidence of work being undertaken to regenerate heather and gorse is being removed here and there. I think there’s scope to continue to open things up much more and perhaps reclaim that fine big view.I’m genuinely bewildered that Suffolk remains a largely forgotten golfing destination. This area of East Anglia is lovely and sound value for money. Four unsung heathland courses within a twenty-mile radius (all set reasonably close to the coast) seems rather too good to be true. Worlington is also in Suffolk, and Darwin suggested that Woodbridge is the best course in the county. My guess is that many golf course aficionados haven’t made the trip to Woodbridge, which is a real pity. I’m glad I made the long journey – better late than never.

I played in the Dutch Senior Masters at The Dutch near Rotterdam last autumn. The main event is a similar format to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship where an amateur is paired with a pro and the best score counts in a two-day (Fri-Sat) team competition.
<img src="/images/The-Dutch-KLM-Open.jpg" alt="The Dutch - KLM Open" title="The Dutch - KLM Open" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">My game largely deserted me for the two days but the slothful pace of play over the rounds gave me plenty of time to study the course and subsequently vent my frustration generally about slow play: <a href="/news-item/from-the-cradle-to-the-grave">From The Cradle to the grave</a>
I’ve been debating whether or not to write a review for The Dutch, as I don’t like the course. Given that I was graciously invited it felt rude and ungrateful to write a negative post. Having thought about my experience for twelve months, I now feel able to stick my head above the parapet.
There’s no denying The Dutch is a good course, which has been well built. The location and the land are unremarkable for golf, comprising of two dull, flat fields set several metres below sea level with a peat substructure. Remarkably the course drains well. It rained cats and dogs on the Saturday and there was no standing water whatsoever. The build comprised of lightweight air-filled concrete under greensites and polystyrene filled mounds to reduce weight. Millions of cubic metres of soil was shipped in to raise the low-lying ground and for shaping. The result is high quality and should be generously applauded. However, there’s nothing compelling about the architecture, although I felt the greensites were well done. Everything is quality through and through, from the tee boxes, bunkering and greens to the wonderful clubhouse. But I found the course soulless and lacking in character. <img src="/images/The-Dutch-great-coffee.jpg" alt="Can't complain about the coffee" title="Can't complain about the coffee" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">It’s a “been there, seen it before” kind of experience which left me both impressed (in terms of what has been achieved) but distinctly underwhelmed.
The client company, Made in Scotland, may well have commissioned two Scots to design the course (Colin Montgomerie and Ross McMurray of European Golf Design) but The Dutch is diametrically opposed to Scottish golf and I think a trick was missed. The design is supposed to be a nod to an inland links – I saw nothing remotely reminiscent of a links course, either in look or playability. Maybe they should have taken a 200-kilometre trip east to Germany. The Links course at Winston (whose owners coincidentally are also Dutch) may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly looks like a links and will be remembered. Which is more than can be said about The Dutch. On the other hand, the coffee was excellent, but more impressive was the patience shown by my pro partner, Mark Davis, who not only carried me like an awkward sack of potatoes but was also great company.

Despite being beaten by my daughter Rachelle (aka Baby Baxter), who rubbed salt into the wounds by holing a ridiculously long putt on the 18th to receive a standing ovation from the members who were packed onto the terrace, I really enjoyed Thorndon Park when I teed it up here a couple of weeks ago. <img src="/images/Thondon-Park-GC1.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Thorndon Park Golf Club" title="Thorndon Park Golf Club">Don’t ask me why, but this was the first time I’d played Thorndon Park, even though I lived in Essex for a dozen years and played most courses in the county during that period. Parkland courses generally don’t receive much love in the UK but this is certainly one of the better ones. Its position in the lower quartile of the English Top 100 is bound to be questionable, especially given that there are so many other great English courses that are on the cusp of this very competitive ranking list.I only have two criticisms and both are perennial qualms that haunt many Golden Age English courses. 1. Tree encroachment and 2. Tired bunkering. Thankfully the club is tackling both these issues under the progressive management of the new Secretary and the Course Manager and his team. The bunker renovations are underway and work will be completed in time for the club’s centenary celebrations in 2020, also many trees have already been felled.It’s not clear what Lancelot “Capability” Brown envisaged when he remodelled the park at Thorndon Hall for the 9th Baron Petre in the 18th century, but the great landscape architect most definitely created New Hall Pond which has to be carried in a “how much dare you bite off” kind of way at the wonderful par four 3rd hole (par five for the ladies), which sweeps left around this lake. <img src="/images/Thondon-Park-GC18.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Thorndon Park Golf Club 18th hole" title="Thorndon Park Golf Club 18th hole">As with most Harry Colt-designed courses the one shotters are very good. The greensites are thought provoking without being too wild and the pleasantly undulating topography provides more than enough engagement. I was most surprised and delighted by the lack of traffic noise – it’s a quiet spot – even though the M25 motorway and the busy A12 are close by. I’d say Thorndon Park deserves its place in the English hundred and has the potential to cement its spot in the rankings once the bunkering and tree removal programmes are complete. Probably a 4.5 rating at the present moment is how I’d rate the course, but I’d liked it more than enough to round things up rather than down.

Back in 2006 we formed the first English Top 100 ranking list online and we then went to print and published a book the following year. For some unknown reason Blackmoor didn’t make our inaugural England Top 100, but the course has appeared in every iteration of our biennial rankings since then. Last Sunday I finally made the trip to Bordon to play Blackmoor and I genuinely wish I’d made the journey sooner.<img src="/images/Blackmoor-Golf-Club-1st.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Blackmoor Golf Club 1st hole" title="Blackmoor Golf Club 1st hole">It’s a lovely Golden Age Harry Colt-designed heathland course which has a touch of parkland about it in places, largely due to the sheer number of trees. Set in a quiet spot, not far from Liphook and Hindhead, Blackmoor goes about its business, flying under the radar in a quiet and unassuming way.We played off the white tees on Sunday (6,164 yards, par 69) and despite its modest yardage it didn’t feel too short. The greensites at Blackmoor are nothing short of stellar. Never before have I seen so many false fronts on one single 18-hole course. The contouring of the greens ranges from subtle to rather wild (especially the 18th) and they are exactly my cup of tea. The routing in places is a bit awkward and I suspect this is not the original flow. No doubt the club decided to alter the routing at some point to allow the course to return to the proximity of the house after nine holes. The course clearly must have looped back in some form originally, but probably not as it does today. I found some of the bunkering slightly uninspiring and there are too many trees that have smothered the heathland characteristics in places, but overall I enjoyed the course immensely and would recommend Blackmoor to be included within any heathland itinerary. <img src="/images/Blackmoor-Golf-Club-18th.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Blackmoor Golf Club 18th hole" title="Blackmoor Golf Club 18th hole">The elevated par threes are quality, as you would expect from Harry Colt, and even though the yardages at #6 and #15 are identical, the holes point in opposite compass directions. The par four 5th is an intriguing 404-yard par four that features a deep ditch at the elbow of the sharp dogleg right. The tee shot needs not only to be long enough to avoid being blocked by trees, but also as tight as possible to the line of the ditch to leave the shortest approach to a wonderful bunkerless greensite that seems to be cut into the land and so creating an attractive amphitheatre effect. I understand Tim Lobb is consulting at Blackmoor and will be using old aerial photos to help in the restoration of this Harry Colt classic. I wonder which bunkers are original and which have been added at a later date? My bet is that the three long and narrow, diagonally offset traps, which are set some 30 yards from the 10th green, are not originals. This is a long 448-yard par four and these traps seem overly penal and out of character to me, unless the hole was perhaps formerly a par five. Blackmoor has the potential to be a strong 5-ball rated course. As it stands I believe it’s still a worthy 4.5 rating, but it could be better and I’m sure it will improve over time, as the club seems to be progressive. Currently ranked #75 in England Blackmoor has the prospect to threaten the English Top 50 in my humble opinion. A magic wand would make the overhead high voltage cables disappear, but that is not a criticism of the course itself. After all, I liked it. I liked it a lot.

With the exception of Perranporth (which I last played eighteen months ago) I’ve replayed all of Cornwall’s coastal courses in the last three months. I was especially keen to see Trevose again after the renovation work that’s being undertaken by Tom Mackenzie.<img src="/images/DD-KB-Trevose.jpg" alt="David and Keith on the 1st tee at Trevose" title="David and Keith on the 1st tee at Trevose" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">
Despite its Brabazon credentials and its gorgeous setting, I’ve never really warmed to Trevose. It’s a long course that can be stretched to nearly 7,200 yards from the blue tees, but it has always felt like holiday golf.
Sadly the new raised green on the signature par five 4th hole was out of play last Thursday, it played to a temporary green. The new fourth green looks excellent and I’m sure it will cement this hole’s place as the best on the Championship card.
The club is working hard with Natural England to clear the scrub from the dunes. The work in progress is to be commended but unfortunately there isn’t quite enough duneland to go round the whole property.
The new irregularly shaped, rugged bunkering has improved the aesthetics on many holes, but to my eyes these new traps don’t yet look completely at home. Hopefully in time they will settle into their surroundings. Currently there’s a mix of revetted and rugged bunkering in play and the plan is to remove all revetted traps and return the course to its apparent former rugged look by 2019. It’s seems a shame to lose the excellent revetted traps as their sharp lines suit my eye better in this relatively gentle landscape.
Something was required to breathe life into the flat and uninspiring holes on the backside (14-16). These are much better now with the new traps adding focal definition and strategy.
I’m still not a fan of Trevose, despite all the good work. Maybe once the programme has completed next year I’ll warm to it. There’s no quirk here, unlike Trevose’s Cornish counterparts at St Enodoc, West Cornwall, Perranporth and Bude. It’s hard to know what strategy the club is aiming at. Is it a championship layout or a holiday course? The club seems to be focusing on the latter rather than the former, but maybe I caught Trevose on a warm, benign, late spring day and I’d like it more in the wind.

There isn’t a course comparable to St Enodoc. It’s sui generis. I played here last Friday after being too long away. There are some courses that grow on you and St Enodoc is one. <img src="/images/St-Enodoc-10th-hole.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Threading the needle on the 10th hole at St Enodoc" title="Threading the needle on the 10th hole at St Enodoc">I always loved the front nine and the closing stretch, but felt things took a downward turn at #10 and didn’t recover until #16. I don’t know whether the 10th hole is or is not a favourite of Peter Alliss – it’s undeniably a tough par four which I managed to par for the first time on Friday after landing a five wood in the middle of the fairway bottleneck and then finding the heart of the green with a five iron. It’s a dramatic hole but the drive is too penal for my liking – the fairway is less than ten paces wide where I landed my drive. <img src="/images/St-Enodoc-14th-hole2.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="St Enodoc 14th hole" title="St Enodoc 14th hole">You simply have to tip your hat to John Betjemen before you turn your back on the church and hit your tee shot on #11 – “How long it flew”. Previously I thought this was a filler of a long one-shotter, but it’s a solid hole in its own right. I also enjoyed holes #12 to #14 much more than the previous occasions I’ve played here. The greensite on #14 is stellar. What’s not to like about the 15th? We witnessed a near hole-in-one effort while standing on the 10th tee. #15 is a wonderful one-shot drop hole. The 16th runs along the Camel Estuary and it’s one of best links holes I’ve ever played. St Enodoc is currently enjoying a renaissance and for good reasons. It is by some distance the best course in England’s South West, and its position in the World Top 100 is thoroughly deserved. It’s a course that stirs my soul. I wish I lived a little closer – I’d beg to become a member.

When the alarm went off at 3.30am yesterday morning I did question my sanity as I dragged myself out of bed, staggered into the shower and then jumped into the car for the 200-mile drive to Nuffield for a 7.30am tee time. Maybe I should have stayed locally the night before? Nah. I like a challenge.
<img src="/images/Huntercombe-18th-Green.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Huntercombe 18th green and clubhouse" title="Huntercombe 18th green and clubhouse">
Huntercombe has been on my to-play list for decades since Darwin first wrote about it, “once the home of Willie Park, and the pet child among all his golf courses”. I reread the mixed bag of reviews posted below and wondered why the reviews for such an icon are so few and far between.
Modern day architecture pundits wax lyrically about Huntercombe and I was intrigued by Tom Doak’s assessment in his latest edition of The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses: “Modern designers would benefit from seeing how to create interest with sparse bunkering and a quirky, cunning set of green complexes… It reminds us more of Garden City Golf Club than any other course we’ve seen, and deserves to be better known than it is. Hopefully, one day they will gain permission to cut down the trees… opening up the long views of the countryside from the hilltop setting...”
When I pulled into the near empty club car park at 7am, the Red Kites were soaring overhead and the sun was shining. There is no indication whatsoever that the club is set on a hilltop. Glimpses down the avenues of trees suggested a flat parkland setting.
<img src="/images/Huntercombe-17th-Green.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Huntercombe Golf Club 17th green" title="Huntercombe Golf Club 17th green">
Grant Stewart the Course Manager greeted Fergal and I on the first tee. Poignantly Grant recently moved here from Sunningdale, so his connection with Willie Park continues. After the chat we were off. A short par three to start with a green of enormous proportions set the scene for the morning.
There’s nothing to get too excited about at Huntercombe. There’s no signature hole, there are no thrilling elevation changes to add drama, there’s no water and there are only thirteen bunkers (and three of these front the raised green on the quirky short par four 17th). Instead you encounter one solid but unassuming hole after another.
<img src="/images/Huntercombe-4th-Green.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Huntercombe Golf Club 4th green" title="Huntercombe Golf Club 4th green">
The excitement and interest centres on the greensites. Each and every green has complexity, either on the putting surface itself or at the surrounds. We were both wrong-sided on the outrageous two-tiered 4th where, if you end up on the punchbowl-like right hand side, it’s nigh on impossible to avoid a three putt. There are not many courses that I can recall which have such an amalgam of fascinating greens.
Grant caught up with us midway through the back nine and we talked about the greens and he also told us that he’s already removed 400 trees and pointed proudly to the reawakening of a long view. Many hundred more trees could easily be removed without compromise and this course would then comfortably be a very strong contender for the GB&I Top 100.
As it stands, Huntercombe is unpretentious, engaging and a genuine throwback to the Golden Age. It’s a club I’d love to join if I lived around the corner. It’s a course I’d like to get to know more intimately. It’s an understated charmer and in my opinion currently too low in our English Top 100 rankings.

I’ve played Minehead and West Somerset twice in the last twelve months, most recently at the end of January 2018 after one of the wettest autumn and winters on record. It’s a great course to play for not a lot of money when the going gets muddy at most other courses in the region. It’s not quite pure 100% links, as the soil on a few of the park-like holes further inland is heavier and the grass coarser. <img src="/images/Minehead-West-Somerset0.jpg" alt="Minehead and West Somerset Golf Club 3rd hole" title="Minehead and West Somerset Golf Club 3rd hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">There’s nothing championship or particularly taxing about Minehead, it’s just enjoyable seaside golf. I liked the opening trio of holes, which play on links ground, before the routing moves away to the softer more lush terrain adjacent to the River Avill. These holes (4-9) are not from the middle drawer but none are a pushover.The course really gets going at the par three 10th which would benefit greatly from the removal of the scrub trees which obscure the bold bunkering and the interesting greensite. The 11th tee is where you get the first uninterrupted view of the beach and sea. It may only be a short par five, but its stroke index of 6 tells a story which isn’t totally apparent from the tee – however it’s blatantly clear that your tee shot mustn’t drift too far right or it will be beached. The two-tiered 11th green is one of the most unusual I’ve seen which is not tiered from back to front, but deeply tiered from side to side. Meaning you really do need a short iron in hand for the approach because finding the wrong tier will almost certainly result in a three putt or worse. <img src="/images/Minehead-West-Somerset2.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Minehead & West Somerset Golf Club 18th green" title="Minehead & West Somerset Golf Club 18th green">The remainder of the back nine is honest links golf that is not world beating, just enjoyable and the par three closer is a strong hole. There are some commentators who would place the 9-hole Channel course at Burnham & Berrow in the Somerset Top 10 ahead of Minehead & West Somerset. I personally think Minehead more than edges the Channel course and deserves its place in Somerset’s Best In County rankings. Maybe it should be higher than #10? Rating: 3.5 balls rounded up to 4 because I like the 11th green, despite the fact I didn’t par the hole on both occasions.

If a league table for flying under the radar existed, Newquay would be near the top of the list. I’m sure Newquay has been dismissed by many as holiday golf, after all, the course is set above Fistral Beach and even if you have no interest in surfing you must have heard of Fistral?<img src="/images/Newquay-Golf-Club2.jpg" alt="Newquay Golf Club" title="Newquay Golf Club" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">If you’re into golf and surfing, there’s probably nowhere better in the southwest of England, except of course Saunton, which wins comfortably from a golfing perspective, but Fistral surely has the edge surfing wise.The opening hole has played into the prevailing wind on each occasion I’ve teed it up here… and that was the case a week last Monday. It’s a short par four on the card but it certainly doesn’t play short, where the approach shot has to carry a series of unusual humpy ramparts in order to reach the green set on higher ground. The long par three second (more than 200 yards from the backs) is a brutal uphill hole that’s ringed with bunkers, both sand-filled and grassy. Pars here will be few and far between. The greensite on the 3rd is the star of this short par four but the SI 2 4th not only has a lovely greensite benched into the hillside (miss right at peril) but also a series of raised cross-bunkers to negotiate en-route. I think Newquay’s start is very strong and there is little respite on any hole, especially when the wind is up – as it usually is.The par four SI 1 13th is a favourite hole which sweeps to the left where the Headland Hotel forms a backdrop. The green is also benched delightfully into the hillside and three diagonal cross-bunkers must be negotiated for the approach shot creating a dramatic hazard, which I can’t remember noticing anything quite like this on a links course before.<img src="/images/Newquay-Golf-Club.jpg" alt="Newquay Golf Club" title="Newquay Golf Club" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">The club has used every last inch of available space from the modest acreage and frankly there’s little to criticise. Being picky, the turf on the higher ground is rather coarser than the fine sward found closer to the beach, and there are more daisies growing in the short grass than I’d like to see, but these small agronomic quibbles apart, I think Newquay is a fine, honest links course that really should be better known. And the midweek twilight green fee at a mere £22 is an absolute steal.

I’ve wanted to play Mullion for a number of years, as my local home course is also a member of the 1895 Club. Last Tuesday morning I finally made it down to the southernmost golf course on mainland Britain. It was blowing a gale and raining when we eventually pulled into the car park – ten minutes late for our tee time. With only half a dozen or so cars parked up, we didn’t think time would be an issue. Wrong. It was ladies’ competition day and we were ushered straight out onto the course. No time for coffee… Ah well.I was frankly underwhelmed by the first five holes and then quite shocked when I arrived on the 6th tee. The wind was howling off the left and we both bade farewell to our golf balls, as they no doubt joined their friends in the adjacent rough down the right side of this impossibly tricky and rather unreasonable downhill short par four. The fairway of the 7th, billed as “one of Cornwall's finest stroke index one holes”, was partially under water, so it was playing as a long par three from what appeared to be a permanent forward tee box. Apparently this hole regularly floods. At this point, bewildered by the hype surrounding Mullion, we arrived at the pretty and well-bunkered uphill par three 8th, before taking on the par five 9th, fondly known as “Cardiac Hill”, an unattractive hole with few redeeming features except for the jaw-dropping coastal view looking back down the hole from behind the green.By now the rain had stopped, the sun was shining but the wind was still blowing hard. I was certainly unprepared for the splendour of the 10th hole. This was the best hole I played during a short 90-hole trip, which included Bude & North Cornwall, Newquay, Lelant and Ilfracombe. If I called Mullion’s par four 10th “stellar” it would be an understatement. A solid downhill tee shot (into the teeth of the wind) left a knee-jangling approach to a green that seemed to be clinging for its life to the very edge of Great Britain – pure unadulterated magic and a hole that will always be remembered. Jake S describes the 10th nicely in his review below.#11, #12, and #13 are good holes and #14 was probably also good, but the main green was out of commission due to the greens staff top-dressing the surface. This hole played to a small and very scary temporary green that seemed way more permanent than any temporary winter green I’ve seen before. This tiny little putting surface seemed to jut out into infinity and beyond. The wind was blowing hard across the hole towards the cliff edge and all we could do was aim well left and hope for the best. It was one of the most daunting approach shots I’ve ever played. Needless to say we didn’t actually go for the green in two. The excitement of #10 though #14 quickly disappeared at #15 as the routing returned inland to the rather pedestrian terrain shared by the opening five holes.Despite a few ball-searching incidents we remained ahead of the ladies. Their lead twosome tried their best to catch us – the women don’t hang around here at Mullion. I find it almost impossible to rate the course – it’s Jekyll and Hyde. A few of holes are truly brilliant but more than a few are mundane. Would I recommend Mullion? Absolutely. I’d make the return trip just to play #10 to #14 and I’d keep my fingers crossed that the entirety of #7 was in play.

There’s a parallel between Teignmouth and Yelverton – both courses are lie of the land and both have their clubhouses located on the opposite side of the road to the course – although Teignmouth does have its opener on the clubhouse side. Additionally both courses have a mining heritage – tin mines at Yelverton and quarries at Teignmouth – and these man made hazards are incorporated brilliantly into the design at each club.Cards on the table – we have Teignmouth currently placed too low in our Devon Best In County rankings. A couple of years ago the course was far from well maintained, but when we teed it up here today in early November it was immaculately groomed – the greens were among the best conditioned I’ve seen all season. Hats off to the greens staff for turning this rough diamond into a gleaming jewel.<img src="/images/Teignmouth-Golf-Club.jpg" alt="Teignmouth Golf Club" title="Teignmouth Golf Club" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Being negative is usually easy, but there’s very little to grumble about at Teignmouth. There’s a wonderful flow to the course and an exciting mix of holes – I especially liked the six par threes which are all varied in distance, ranging from 125 yards to 225 yards. Occasionally, as at Cleeve Hill, it’s easier to play to handicap from the back tees. Not so at Teignmouth. The par is 71 off the regular men’s tees, but two of the par fives (#6 and #10) turn into brutal par fours off the competition tips. Some might complain that Teignmouth is too short for the modern era (6,082 yards from the back tees), but I’d say it’s just right as it is. If you’re a big hitter then you have the chance to fill your boots. But you won’t, because these authentic Dr Mac greens are simply fantastic and were probably stimping at around 10 today. Anything much quicker would render the course virtually unplayable for the average handicap golfer.Bunkering can be a weakness at old golden age clubs where things have changed over the years and the traps have come and gone. Teignmouth has solid bunkering and most are in the right positions to penalise. I found three greenside traps today and the sand was perfect.A minor disappointment was that there was no course planner available and there’s at least one hole where it would have come in handy. Ironically we both hit the green on the wonderful par three 11th, “Vardon’s Mount”, and we were both shocked by the deep quarry on the left before the green with its yawning bunker down below. You wouldn’t know this was a Biarritz from the tee, which would benefit from being raised to strike the fear of God into golfers. You simply can’t see the intimidating hazard from the tee, which is a shame.<img src="/images/Teignmouth-Golf-Club-16th.jpg" alt="Teignmouth Golf Club 16th hole - Hell's Mouth" title="Teignmouth Golf Club 16th hole - Hell's Mouth" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">There’s another quarry to cross on the final par three 18th (“Last Quarry”) which is also Biarritz-like. Many golfers don’t like a one-shot finish, but this is the toughest of all six par threes and a really good hole. The distinction of the prettiest par three goes to #16 (“Hell’s Mouth”), which again features a quarry. It’s visually a wonderful short par three which would grace any Top 100 golf course (see picture right). Teignmouth is underrated and a very good golf course. I’m embarrassed that we haven’t flown the flag fairly for this cracking little moorland course. If you haven’t played it then do so immediately. If you don’t like it then you should sell your sticks and concentrate on Tiddlywinks. Keith Baxter

“Bohemian” is how my playing partner described Royal North Devon when we teed it up here a week ago. “Interesting description” I replied and it sums up RND rather well in that the course is unconventional, idiosyncratic and eccentric. <img src="/images/Royal-North-Devon-Golf-Club-6th.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal North Devon 6th hole" title="Royal North Devon 6th hole">I’m not a member here and I’ve played RND many times, but I’ve never teed it up at 07.30 on a glorious autumnal morning with the course completely empty. It was sheer joy.My partner and I played Burnham & Berrow (both courses), Saunton (West), Bude and North Cornwall, Bovey Castle and RND in the space of four days. To my surprise his favourite was RND. Why? <img src="/images/Royal-North-Devon-Golf-Club-16th.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal North Devon 16th hole" title="Royal North Devon 16th hole">Despite the inauspicious start and finish my partner stated that he could remember every hole. Although the horses were absent last week the sheep certainly were not and it’s hard to forget the spiky rushes and the moonscape and bunker that appears before you at the Cape.RND will never compete with St Enodoc or Saunton when it comes to conditioning, but RND competes with both and wins when it comes to that certain something. Westward Ho! is England’s golfing Stonehenge and long may it remain that way.

Those that admire greens hidden in punchbowls, greens raised onto plateaux, blind drives, blind approaches, stirring topography and hard and fast surfaces need look no further than Bude and North Cornwall. Tom Doak’s “quick reconnaissance failed to find any holes worth delaying our arrival at St Enodoc” proves that making an assessment based on a quick recce can overlook something that’s totally unique and at times thrilling. The first five holes at Bude are nothing to write home about. The short dogleg left par four 3rd is not a bad hole with its elevated undulating greensite but that’s about it on this small triangle of linksland over the road on the western side of the clubhouse. The fun starts at the SI 1 6th.A solid blind drive over the marker post will leave a mid iron approach across a valley to a narrow raised plateau green which is protected by two “hill” bunkers benched into the left-hand side. #6 would not look out of place at St Enodoc.<img src="/images/Bude-and-North-Cornwall-Golf-Club.jpg" alt="Bude & North Cornwall Golf Club 7th hole " title="Bude & North Cornwall Golf Club 7th hole " style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">#7 is one of the quirkiest holes I’ve ever played (in a good way I might add), a short par four where finding the fairway is essential, but easier said than done as the ground is more rumpled than Sandwich or Rye. The approach shot to the raised green that’s sitting twenty or thirty feet above the fairway is scary, even with a short iron in hand. It too would grace St Enodoc. The photograph was taken from behind the 7th green looking back towards the town and the invisible fairway far below the plateau. The short par five 9th is half links (for the drive) and half parkland from thereon in and #10 is a nice par three that’s set in a wooded glade with the green half-ringed by a stream. #11 takes you back directly to the links for a blind drive on this short par five and the short par four 12th features one of several punchbowl greens on the way home.My playing partner was less than enamoured with Bude when we teed it up here last Saturday, but he wasn’t that keen on Royal St George’s either. Quirky courses such as Bude are not everyone’s cup of tea, especially the first time round when you’re not sure where to hit the ball. But I’m a huge fan of audacious lie of the land courses and I’d gladly be a member here if I lived closer – it ticks all my boxes.

Tidworth Garrison and High Post are regional downland rivals and “Royal” High Post as it is locally referred is currently ranked higher than Tidworth in the Wiltshire Best In County rankings. There’s no doubt in my mind which course is best.“Tidworth combines some of the best qualities of a seaside links with an inland, heathery course, and is, in fact, one of the best downland courses in the country,” wrote Frank Pennink in 1976. Since then, and perhaps prior to that, trees have matured and some have been planted in bizarre places. <img src="/images/Tidworth-Garrison-9th-hole.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Tidworth Garrison 9th hole" title="Tidworth Garrison 9th hole">The par five 6th hole has a wonderful greensite which drops off sharply at the back. A few yards behind the green a row of incongruous conifers hide an old marker post somewhere within the branches. The green was likely to have been designed as an infinity concept on this semi-blind hole – the conifers have both blocked the far-reaching backdrop of the downland and the next fairway and compromised the character of the greensite. The scrub hawthorn trees down the left side of the 9th spoil what could be a much better hole. As for the large random tree blocking the route to the par three 11th green, I have to say it’s one of the most peculiar arboreal hazards I’ve seen and it’s memorable for the wrong reasons.<img src="/images/Tidworth-Garrison-Golf-8th.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Tidworth Garrison 8th hole" title="Tidworth Garrison 8th hole">Tidworth could once again become one of the best downland courses in the country as Frank Pennink described more than forty years ago; it’s one of the more authentic Colt examples I’ve seen for some time. The opening holes are a tad nondescript and the finishing few are not from the very top drawer, but there are a good number of holes in the middle that would grace any English Top 100 course. The par four SI 1 12th is a peach and the one-shot 13th with its raised green and trio of bunkers cut into the left side is a real pearler.Despite my feelings about tree interference, I enjoyed Tidworth. There’s a Golden Age gem hiding under the Garrison’s camouflage.

The most notable feature of the course at High Post is the grassy mounds and hollows that surround some of the greens and also run alongside the occasional fairway. This is my overriding memory from last Friday morning when I played here in lovely autumn sunshine.The condition of the course (especially the greens) was good, but sadly many tees and fairways were scarred by the seasonal leatherjacket problem instigated by birds and then exacerbated by badgers. Who’d have thought that daddy-long-legs could cause such heartache for greenkeepers?Far reaching views over Salisbury Plain are countered somewhat by the busy A345 that borders the course.A handful of good holes make High Post a venue worth visiting. The sweeping dogleg right 9th and the closing 18th are my picks, both of which are strong par fours. The routing is also clever in that there’s elevation change with easy walking and the turf is excellent and fast running. High Post is a good members’ club that’s clearly very popular locally but the course didn’t get my golfing juices flowing as much as I hoped it would.

Reigate Heath is right up my alley and I’d happily be a member here if I lived locally. I have an affinity with 9-hole courses (I’m a member of a 9-holer in Devon). In this busy modern world it’s much easier to find a couple of spare hours than it is to earmark half a day for golf.<img src="/images/Reigate-Heath-Golf-9th.jpg" alt="Reigate Heath Golf Club 9th hole" title="Reigate Heath Golf Club 9th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">In my opinion Reigate Heath is probably the best 9-hole course in England. The first five holes are from the top drawer – the long par three 6th is not quite as stellar, but I’d love to own the delightful lodge house behind the green. #7 and #8 are two solid short par fours and the 9th is perhaps the prettiest one shotter I’ve played in a long time, where the windmill and clubhouse provide the loveliest backdrop.Mildenhall (a course I know well and appreciate) would not be so highly regarded by the cognoscenti if not for its engaging green complexes. Reigate Heath does not have the same St Andrews-esque greensite subtlety as its Suffolk cousin, but it does share a simple, unfussy and less-is-more essence.Reigate Heath boasts genuinely stirring topography – there’s ground movement here creating real golfing excitement – and the surrounding bucolic landscape is drop dead gorgeous. The heath is a designated site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its wildlife and acid grassland. And how many courses can boast Bronze Age burial mounds? It’s where many non-golfers walk with their kids and dogs and I’d happily join them without my golf clubs in tow.Probably the most enjoyable two hours I’ve ever spent on a golf course and the putt dropping on #9 to halve the match was entirely equitable.

I certainly enjoyed The Addington when I teed it up here alongside Jim (and Richard & Ruth Smith) on a scorching hot Sunday afternoon earlier this month. I was amazed at how browned off some of the fairways were and I feared they were on the verge of being lost after such a long, dry and very hot spell of weather (thankfully the rain came soon afterwards). The greens on the other hand were lush and rather too soft and spongy for my liking, but that’s a minor quibble because I think The Addington is an inspirational treasure in the heart of South London’s uninspiring and incredibly busy suburbia.
By some distance this heavily doglegged course was the toughest challenge we encountered while Jim and I were on a whistle stop six-course Surrey tour. The fiery hard and fast fairways made the course shorter but by no means easier. If the greens had been a tad firmer it would have been a scary golfing test. In places the tumbling topography is genuinely stirring and, as Jim has already mentioned, the bridges are The Addington’s trademarks and I made a point of using each and every one.
The opening five holes failed to get my golfing juices flowing. Even the much-lauded 4th didn’t stir my golfing soul (despite being a strong two shotter). But then, bang! You encounter the ravine on the right of the approach to #6. I couldn’t help but think that the bunker set menacingly in the depths of the ravine was a tad too cruel. I’ve never seen anything like it before and I doubt I ever will again. From here on in, The Addington just gets more and more interesting.
<img src="/images/The-Addington-Golf-9th.jpg" alt="The Addington Golf Club 9th hole" title="The Addington Golf Club 9th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">The 7th is a drop dead gorgeous short hole and the 9th is nerve jangler from the tee and also for the approach. Actually, there are far too many good holes to mention but the short par five 12th is a conundrum – why would anyone bench steps into the hillside midway down the hole? We pondered this and came to a conclusion, thinking that maybe it was once played as a short par four from the terraced area adjacent to the steps.
Having referred the puzzle to Darwin, our theory was quickly proven to be wrong and perhaps a little bit right, “the twelfth, though very nearly the most magnificent hole in creation, has blemishes. If you an place your tee shot on the small plateau built to receive it, then there is no shot in the world having a more glorious zest and relish than the second across the big valley to the narrow green with the background of fir trees. But that plateau is small and on either side of it and beyond it are lies something too sloping and the element of luck plays too great a part. Nature has tantalized the architect by dangling before him the prospect of one of the great two-shot holes and then leaving him in the lurch with a hole that is only great fun.” <img src="/images/The-Addington-Golf-13th.jpg" alt="The Addington Golf Club 13th hole" title="The Addington Golf Club 13th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Presumably, back in Darwin’s day, #12 was played as a par four. I cannot imagine how difficult this hole would have been as a two-shotter one hundred years ago.
There are still rather too many trees that are preventing the course from reaching its full potential. The tough 220-yard par three 13th is an example where the beauty (and daunt) of the greensite is shrouded by foliage. A tree-clearing programme is being undertaken (especially evident at the 9th) but there’s still a way to go.
<img src="/images/The-Addington-Golf-14th.jpg" alt="The Addington Golf Club 14th hole" title="The Addington Golf Club 14th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">The Shard London Bridge is the line for the tee shot on the short par four 14th.and I’ll bet there are not too many golf holes in the capital where you can say that!
Abercromby certainly created something very special and daring here at The Addington, but despite the drama (and some world-class golf holes), I personally find his collaboration with Willie Park Junior at Worplesdon more agreeable. However once the Croydon tree-clearing programme has completed, who knows? All bets are off.

I was rather impressed with Brokenhurst Manor when I teed it up here yesterday afternoon in warm sunshine. The routing is slightly quirky but rather intriguing with three six-hole loops that cleverly return you back to the clubhouse. The downside is that there’s a bit of a hot spot around the 1st and 5th greens and the 2nd and 6th tees, but this is a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things, as I can’t think of any other course that has a routing like this.
<img src="/images/Brokenhurst-Manor-5th-hole.jpg" alt="Brokenhurst Manor - 5th hole" title="Brokenhurst Manor - 5th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">
There’s undeniably a heathland look and feel to the entire layout but there’s a distinct lack of heather (they are trying to introduce it in places), and despite a tree-clearing programme, I still feel there’s an opportunity to open the site up a little more. However, its meagre yardage and fast running fairways meant that many holes played short – five par fours under 350 yards is perhaps one too many (and I love short par fours). The two par fives measure a fraction more than 500 yards and both were comfortably reachable with a driver and mid iron due to the firm conditions.
Did I play to my handicap? No I didn’t. Which just goes to show that short doesn’t mean easy. The greens at Brokenhurst are big. If you find yourself on the wrong side of the pin, getting down in two requires a deft touch.
<img src="/images/Brokenhurst-Manor-12th-hole.jpg" alt="Brokenhurst Manor - 12th hole" title="Brokenhurst Manor - 12th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">
The stars of the show are the one-shot holes. Harry Colt often designed the par threes such that they look longer than they actually play and this is 100% true at Brokenhurst. The quartet of short holes (despite three of them being of a similar length) are nothing short of fabulous, as you’ll see from the two images of the 5th and the 12th, which require forced carries across valleys. I didn’t notice the heart-shaped bunker on #12 until I studied the photo after the round, which just goes to show how easy it is to miss these little architectural nuances when you have a golf club in your hand.
Brokenhurst has a feeling of Hankley Common in places and a sprinkling of Swinley Forest here and there (at least at the par threes). It doesn’t have the grand scale of Hankley Common (but it’s every bit as peaceful here in the New Forest), nor does it have the style of Swinley Forest (but it does share the architectural simplicity and the woodland). And I was surprised that this gem is clearly better known than I gave it credit for, as a big group of Korean golfers teed off behind us.
For me Brokenhurst Manor is 4.5 on our rating scale. It’s most definitely one of the best courses in the region and worth travelling miles to play (just ask those Koreans) and I’d be very happy to be a member at Brokenhurst if I lived in this neck of the forest.
<img src="/images/Brokenhurst-Manor-ponies.jpg" alt="Brockenhurst - where the ponies have right of wayi" title="Brockenhurst - where the ponies have right of wayi" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">
As a final word, I was most surprised on the way back from the golf club to see a group of ponies ambling down Brockenhurst high street. I snapped the picture from the car window while waiting in a long queue of traffic for the horses to slowly cross the road, oblivious to the vehicles.

I have never seen a better site for a modern inland UK golf course in more than thirty years of looking. The land on which Remedy Oak is laid out is truly magnificent and I have to say that the course exceeded my expectations.Dorset still remains one of my blind(ish) spots golfing wise, but I’m slowly but surely working my way through the list (it will take a little more time).There’s more than a hint of Woburn here (Remedy Oak is better than any Woburn course in my opinion) and there’s a dash of Bearwood Lakes, which Remedy Oak easily surpasses in my view.In my review for Ferndown, which I posted some eighteen months ago, I said: “ If the Old course at Ferndown Golf Club is the fourth best course in Dorset then Broadstone, Remedy Oak and Parkstone must be out of this world.” For me, Remedy Oak is a better course than Ferndown, but not by a country mile. The reason I think Remedy is better than Ferndown is purely down to the site which I’ve already stated is magnificent. The land has the perfect amount of movement and I’d struggle to identify a weak hole. There’s a great mix of short, mid and long par fours, a couple of reachable (in two for the handicap golfer) par fives and one-shot holes that vary in length from more than 200 yards to less than 150 yards. For me this type of configuration is perfect as it offers engagement and variation throughout the round.<img src="/images/Remedy-Oak-9th-tees.jpg" alt="Remedy Oak 9th terraced tees" title="Remedy Oak 9th terraced tees" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Too many modern courses are a slog for the average golfer, but not so at Remedy Oak. We played from the white tees (6,466 yards) and felt it was a perfectly manageable test. Open Qualifying will be staged here in a week or so and the 7,010-yard tips will no doubt test all the aspiring Open champions. The yellow tees measure 6,053 yards and ladies tees 5,395 yards. Remedy Oak really is a course that can be enjoyed by every standard of golfer, but be prepared for a number of forced carries over water, which messed with my brain on a couple of occasions.There’s so much to like at Remedy Oak. Width and scale is evident on virtually every hole, and small things, such as false-fronted greens and the wonderful terraced tee boxes on #9, endorse the fact that you’re playing at a quality venue.<img src="/images/Remedy-Oak-7th-hole.jpg" alt="Remedy Oak 7th hole" title="Remedy Oak 7th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">If I’m being very picky, the routing is a tad awkward in places, with a couple of longish walks from green to tee, but it’s still a very walkable course, and the bunker shaping, while well positioned and of high modern quality, is a tad uninspiring.These may be very small personal niggles, but we’re talking fine lines between the very good and the excellent. For me Remedy Oak falls into the very good category with the caveat that excellence is by no means out of reach.As an aside, it always intrigues why clubs feel it’s necessary to annex a “headline” designer. I’m sure the late John Jacobs, who was instrumental in getting the European Tour off the ground, had plenty of input into the design here at Remedy Oak some 12 years ago – I can certainly see a similarity between the Dorset bunkering and the traps at The Buckinghamshire – but I think Jonathan Gaunt routed the Remedy Oak layout. Whoever was involved should be very proud indeed; it’s a cracking golf course.

One of the biggest golfing mistakes I’ve made was failing to play Yelverton Golf Club when I lived just around the corner on the Bere Peninsula some ten years ago. I’ve driven past this golf course on countless occasions but I failed to stop the car in my haste to do other stuff. Thankfully, I remedied the situation last Wednesday on a bright but rather chilly day.<img src="/images/Yelverton-Golf-Club-1.jpg" alt="Yelverton Golf Club" title="Yelverton Golf Club" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed the course and wholeheartedly recommend this charming moorland/heathland track, which showcases Herbert Fowler at his minimalist best. There are echoes of Aldeburgh here at Yelverton but the Dartmoor views knock the scenery at Aldeburgh into a cocked hat. And in my book there’s more interest and variety here with an eclectic mix of long, medium and short par threes, fours and fives. Coupled with Knole Park and Cleeve Hill, Yelverton is one of the most enjoyable new (for me) courses I’ve played in recent months.Some will scoff at Yelverton’s modest yardage (a tad more than 6,000 yards from the yellow tees) but let me tell you that what Yelverton lacks in length it makes up for in sheer entertainment. The greensites at first glance look quite subtle but they are adroitly fashioned with some wicked slopes. Often the greens appear flat but they all seem to cant down from Dartmoor and approach shots must take these slopes into account otherwise you can rack up a seriously high score. <img src="/images/Yelverton-Golf-Club-2.jpg" alt="Yelverton Golf Club" title="Yelverton Golf Club" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">The hazards are truly unique and I’ve never come across disused and collapsed tin mines before. Nor have I come across leats and so many ponies, which have morphed into a rather more amorphous equine style than purebred Dartmoor ponies. This understated course was playing incredibly firm and fast after a dry April and it was an absorbing test which I largely failed to pass. If you’re heading to Cornwall on the A38 and want to play a top quality course that oozes interest, you’d be wise to consider stopping off at Yelverton. It’s currently underrated in our Devon rankings and deserves to be higher. I’d go as far as to say that it is a potential English Top 100 candidate course. Yes, it’s that good in my humble opinion. I believe it’s better than a few courses that are enjoying ranking positions within the lower quartile of our current England hundred. In fact, I’ll stick my neck out and suggest that it’s marginally better than Bovey Castle (my home course), which is set within the heart of the Dartmoor National Park some 20 miles to the north east of here.

Wildernesse was the last course we played during a mini Kentish break that included Prince’s and Knole Park. I squeezed 63 holes, a 600-mile round trip and an evening’s Masters viewing into 40 hours. It took me a lot longer to recover.<img src="/images/Wildernesse-Golf-Club.jpg" alt="Wildernesse Golf Club" title="Wildernesse Golf Club" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Currently we have Wildernesse two places ahead of Knole Park in the Kent rankings. I can understand why some people prefer Wildernesse to its next-door neighbour because Wildernesse is what most golfers expect a parkland course to be. It’s manicured, tree-lined, and undeniably pretty with a fine collection of specimen trees, generous greens, and flash-faced bunkers with fine, lightly coloured sand. Presentation wise, Wildernesse is as good as it gets, gently undulating cross-mown fairways provide the sensation of quality and care, although the greens were running slower than the other courses we played on the trip.There’s absolutely nothing not to like about Wildernesse but the course failed to get me excited. It’s certainly a good solid parkland course that I very much admired, but it didn’t stimulate my golfing senses. Perhaps I was feeling tired by this point of the trip.<img src="/images/Wildernesse-Golf-Club-18.jpg" alt="Wildernesse Golf Club 18th hole" title="Wildernesse Golf Club 18th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Considering their close proximity, Wildernesse and Knole Park are chalk and cheese. I personally preferred the cheese, but would wholeheartedly recommend that any visiting golfer play both courses for different reasons. Play Knole to see something extraordinary and experience Wildernesse to see how your home parkland golf course could look if managed this well. Wildernesse was firing on all cylinders in early April and I’m sure come summertime it will be even better presented.I was impressed but not blown away because ultimately a golf course is only as good as the canvas on which it is laid. Wilderness is a lovely property, but being blasé, numerous other parkland courses in England also have similarly agreeable canvases.

[Knole Park] “is still very new, but I think, when it is a little older, few, if any, park courses will be better. Certainly none will be prettier.” Wrote Darwin in The Golf Courses of Great Britain in 1925. <img src="/images/Knole1.jpg" alt="Knole Park 3rd hole" title="Knole Park 3rd hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">“There are the loveliest holes down winding forest glades, full of romantic possibilities in the shape of gentlemen in Lincoln green shooting the deer on moonlight nights. The more open holes are very good too, for the ground is all undulating, and when we emerge from the woods to the ‘plain’ in front of the house, we need not expect a flat lie or a flat stance. As with all Mr. Abercromby’s courses, there is great richness in the matter of short holes and if we are very lucky or very skilful we may get six threes. However, we shall get plenty of fives to make up for them.”Those who know me are aware that I am a great fan of Bernard Darwin’s musings. I think he is the best golf course writer to have ever put pen to paper. Additionally, I rarely disagree with his golf course assessments and his short passage above is still absolutely valid nearly one hundred years later. <img src="/images/Knole2.jpg" alt="Knole Park Golf Club" title="Knole Park Golf Club" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">I played Knole Park last Monday morning in glorious early April sunshine with a chilly, two-club wind blowing. It was simply magical to finally get to play here after years of wanting. The “Park” moniker could perhaps be better named, “Deerpark”, which for me has a slightly different connotation and represents more accurately the essence of Knole.After completing the first six holes, I said to Brian Ward my playing partner that this is the best parkland course I’ve ever seen in England and by the time I putted out on the 18th (after we’d both absent-mindedly dumped our approach shots into the pond) I was sure my earlier assertion was correct. <img src="/images/Knole3.jpg" alt="Knole Park Golf Club" title="Knole Park Golf Club" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">I have no idea whatsoever why it has taken me almost three decades to play here and I can promise you I’ll be back. There is more drama here than at any other park course I’ve ever seen and there are hole designs that would never be attempted today (even if land like this was available). The ground on which Knole is routed is exceptional and (at the first time of playing) you could never best guess what to expect next, as virtually every hole has its own unique and often thrilling character. Five of the first six holes could be signature holes on any parkland course. The whole experience is palpable and I urge everyone who is remotely interested in Golden Age designs to visit pronto. And if you are disappointed by the golfing experience, you should sell your golf gear and take up crochet. In my opinion Knole Park (currently #8) is way too low in the Kent rankings and frankly it’s a better course than a good number of layouts in our current English Top 100. It’s seriously underrated.

There’s no doubt in my mind which is the best 18-hole configuration at Prince’s. I finally got round to playing all 27 holes last Sunday on a gloriously sunny shirt-sleeved day. Only Old Musselburgh now eludes me for the full set of Open Championship venues.<img src="/images/Princes Golf Shore.jpg" alt="Prince's Golf Club" title="Prince's Golf Club" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Prince’s was absolutely bursting at the seams with golfers last weekend – this is clearly one seriously popular club and quite rightly so. The golfing test on the main two 9-hole loops is brutal, especially in the 3-club southerly wind that we had to do battle with. Unfortunately we played each of the three loops out of sequence. We tackled the Dunes first, followed by the Himalayas and then the Shore. The anti-clockwise Dunes loop was playing directly into the wind for the first five holes, and right from the off our scores reflected the difficulty. The opening hole is a killer par four that played like a par six into the wind. Not one of our group (including a pro) could salvage even a par on this hole. As we turned at #6 with Royal St George’s and the wind at our backs we started to score.The Himalayas was a welcome letdown after the brutality of the Dunes, but this nine felt disconnected and rather awkward with more trees and vegetation flanking the holes. This loop was also a little unloved condition wise but the General Manager later told us that Mackenzie & Ebert has been commissioned to completely remodel the Himalayas. I just hope the Himalayas green complexes don’t change too much as I felt they were really good, a notch better in places than some greens on the Shore and Dunes. <img src="/images/Princes-Golf-Shore-2.jpg" alt="Prince's Golf Club Shore course" title="Prince's Golf Club Shore course" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">My favourite of the three circuits was the Shore, which we played in the late afternoon/early evening. It may be that the shadows were lengthening and the wind had dropped a few notches. I loved this clockwise loop that follows the Channel going out and I really enjoyed the 5th with its green next to the lodge and virtually at the boundary of Royal St George’s. The bunkerless raised greensite is one the best on property and I didn’t realise until after the round that this is one of the original greens and it was the post-war 18th when Gene Sarazen won the Open. <img src="/images/Princes-Golf-Shore-3.jpg" alt="Prince's Golf Club Shore 9th hole" title="Prince's Golf Club Shore 9th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">6,600 yards from the yellow tees was more than enough yardage for me and I glanced back at the (7,300-yard) tips on numerous occasions thinking no way, not in this lifetime. It’s a stern test, even from the forward tees. Visit Prince’s to be examined but don’t expect too much drama, just anticipate tragedy, especially if you choose the wrong tees boxes.Prince's is the third best course on this wonderful stretch of Kent coastline but that's purely down to the sheer quality of its two Royal neighbours.

A decade has passed since I last visited The Berkshire and I took great pleasure reacquainting myself with the Red course last Friday on a pleasantly warm and sunny mid February day. Despite the heather not being in flower and playing towards the end of a long winter, the experience was truly engaging.Some will bemoan the fact that the Red course is too short to test the best golfers, but it was certainly long enough for me. The greens were running at a healthy pace and the condition was remarkable for February – most clubs would be thrilled with playing surfaces this good in mid summer.Nobody could possibly accuse the Red course of being dull. Its exciting 6-6-6 configuration keeps you on your toes and there’s only one consecutive pair of holes with the same par values at the back-to-back short par fours (11 and 12) and both these holes are set magnificently on the higher ground. <img src="/images/The-Berkshire-Red-10th-hole.jpg" alt="The Berkshire Red course - looking back down the 10th " title="The Berkshire Red course - looking back down the 10th " style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Clearly the standout hole is the one-shot 10th which has many similarities to the legendary 14th on the Dunluce course at Royal Portrush. Sadly this hole was calamitous for me after I slapped my tee shot into the steep heather clad gully. Still, there’s usually an opportunity after you’ve taken yourself quickly out of a hole – I was able to catch this pretty image looking back down the 10th.I honestly don’t think there is a single weak hole on the Red course. The green surrounds are wonderful, the layout has width and there’s a great mix of large greens on the longer par threes and fours coupled with smaller greens on the shorter holes and the three shotters (which are reachable for bigger and straighter hitters than me). Being picky, the closing par three is not in the same league as the preceding one-shot holes, but #18 is certainly not a bad hole.The Berkshire is a wonderful club and surprisingly understated. Its more glamorous neighbours shadow it but beauty is only skin deep – there’s genuine character and quality here, even when being critical.

Anyone remotely interested in the Ryder Cup should visit Verulam Golf Club, home of Sam Ryder. I’ve played Verulam numerous times with a member, a certain Mr Peter K. There are so many mature parkland courses in North London and Verulam fits slap bang into the category.Verulam is by no means the best park course in North London (Hadley Wood and Moor Park need not worry) but Verulam represents an enjoyable golfing experience away from the area’s busy hustle and bustle. Undoubtedly the most memorable hole is the 17th and it’s not called the Road Hole for nothing. Unlike its namesake at the Home of Golf, Verulam’s penultimate hole is a short par three, which requires only a mere flick with a wedge. However, you need to clear a back road that cuts across the hole, halfway between the tee and the green, which is protected by a high fence (the road is out of bounds). The inclination is to take one more club, but if you end up beyond the green a devilish up and down will lie in wait.The rest of the course is pleasant parkland fare which doesn’t really get my pulse racing, but it’s a fair enough course that has always been in great condition when I’ve played here. It’s well worth visiting Verulam, birthplace of the famous Ryder Cup and for its quirky Road Hole.

Enmore Park wasn’t on my to-play radar, but it was one of only a few higher ranked West Country Best In County courses that both Brian and I hadn’t seen. So we settled on the venue and made the trip – Brian travelled all the way down from Cheshire, and I had a mere 70-mile drive from North Devon. Was it worth it? I’d say yes and no, even though it was mid December and the course was obviously not at its polished parkland best.I called the pro shop and was told to just to turn up on Tuesday morning “there’s nothing happening, it will be quiet”. The club doesn’t operate a tee time booking system. Quiet is not the word I’d have used. When we arrived, the car park was full and the first tee was chock-a-block with queuing veterans – we waited for 30 minutes wincing as we watched 10 old boys hacking their way slowly up the first and I quickly turned into Mr Grumpy Pants before even hitting a shot. We then followed them all the way round. The three old boys in front of us were friendly and apologetic but were not sufficiently courteous to let the two of us through… heaven forbid.So, to the course – please let me say that despite my frustration, the course was remarkably good. I had to remind myself I’ll be a veteran soon, and in any case I’d never mark a layout down because of a club’s lack of tee time management and the slothful play of some of its older members. A topped tee shot up the first fairway didn’t help my karma and then we had plenty of time to take a look at the 2nd hole while we waited patiently by the tee, by which time the group behind us had joined the happy queue. The 2nd aptly called Church is a cracking downhill par three, ringed with bunkers, which was playing off a mat set deep in the trees behind the normal grass tee (the first half dozen holes were playing off winter mats). The bucolic backdrop of the parish church and Enmore Castle reminded me that I’m deep in rural Somerset and my grumpiness slowly began to diminish – at least it wasn’t raining.The greensite on the short par four 3rd “Castle” is narrow, slightly offset and benched into the hillside where missing left will leave a tricky up and down. “Lapwing” the sharp dogleg left short par four 4th was playing from very forward tees that caught us both by surprise. I took a long iron off the tee, which was way too much club, but the golfing gods were smiling. My ball smacked into a tree way beyond the fairway and bounced back kindly into the fairway middle. Another short par four at #14 is a virtual mirror of #4 but doglegging in the opposite direction. They’re both good holes.Brian won the match on #16 after my short game vanished, by which time I’d pretty much already decided that Enmore Park is a solid and enjoyable parkland course with a couple of interesting holes interspersed with expected parkland fare. There’s elevation change aplenty to keep things interesting. The greens were a tad slow, which was anticipated in mid December, but I’m sure they are fast and true in the summer as the grass sward is dense. Overall I’d recommend the course if in the area but check first that the vets are not on their weekly day out.

Dartmouth is much more popular with sailors than it is with golfers and there’s a great deal to like about this upmarket sailing port. Dartmouth Golf & Country Club is the only UK layout that French-based Brit, Jeremy Pern, has designed and it’s one of the more exciting modern layouts in England’s southwest. I wouldn’t recommend it for the traditionalist but if you’ve got a sense of humour, more than an ounce of stamina and you’re prepared to lose a few golf balls then it comes with a cautious recommendation… take a buggy unless you need the workout. The Championship golfing moniker is overused when naming courses but this is a proper golfing test that deserves more than a modicum of respect. Leave the tips alone unless you’re feeling lucky or are a long hitting single digit golfer – the West Region PGA Championships have been hosted here half a dozen times for good reasons. It’s tough and in places rather too tough for comfort.In many ways DG&CC reminds me of the Nicklaus course at St Mellion, there’s elevation changes (Dartmouth is more severe than St Mellion), lots of variation, some average holes that are counterbalanced with a good number of exciting holes. Architecturally you won’t find much that you haven’t seen before, but there are more than enough thrills to be had to bring a smile to the face. My first grin appeared at the drop shot par three 3rd which is lovely medium length one shotter that’s almost quarry-like in appearance, requiring a forced carry over a lake to a green some sixty feet below the tee. To be honest, I’d go as afar as to say I enjoyed all four par threes.For me, the front nine (with three par threes, three par fours and three par fives) is more interesting than the backside, which has six par fours on the spin with more than a touch of brutality at #11, #14 and #15 where pars will be few and far between. The closing par three reminds me a bit of the last hole on the Arden course at the Forest of Arden – a long par three across water.There’s just about enough interest in the greens to confirm that DG&CC deserves its place in the Devon Top 10. There’s also a very reasonably priced Best Western hotel on site which caters well for golfers.

East Devon flies under the radar because it’s out on a limb at Budleigh Salterton near Exmouth on the Jurassic Coast. There are no other courses of great repute nearby, so you need to make a special trip to play here – most therefore don’t bother. Touched by Herbert Fowler and Harry Colt it’s a course that really should be better known. It’s a subtle routing that tracks in every compass direction but it’s let down by a rather prosaic parallel starting duo of holes. #6 was one of Henry Cotton’s favourite par fives where OOB runs down the right and the fairway slopes unkindly towards it. A grassy hollow eats into the fairway for the approach and the green is tricky to hold. The short par four 11th is an interesting risk/reward driving hole across a valley where you need to decide how much of the dogleg to take on. There are plenty of other holes of note from here on in that are routed across the high ground. I’m a fan of the greensites here and I love the wonderful feeling of spaciousness where there’s plenty of generous width to most fairways which are divided by broad sweeps of heathland. The width provides a multitude of angles for approach shots and I admire this about Budleigh. There’s nothing at East Devon that will blow your socks off (except for the views on a clear day), it’s a course that is simply solid and it gently lulls you into a false sense of security. It hasn’t got length by modern standards, but it’s not easy on which to score and it plays firm and fast. I doubt many will match their handicaps here first time round. If you like fun golf and appreciate the subtleties of Golden Age design, then East Devon is worth the detour.For me, East Devon is a tricky one to rate. It’s not quite a 5-ball but it’s better than a 4-ball. It’s a course where the round seems to come to an end all too soon and my glass is half full.

I too have a sentimental association with Felixstowe Ferry – nowhere near in the same league as Bernard Darwin, who might have had very good reasons to award Felixstowe the highest rating. I used to play Felixstowe regularly when my home courses in Essex (where I used to live) were deep in mud during the soggy winter months. I always enjoyed playing Felixstowe, largely due to the respite from the Essex sludge and the fact that the condition of the Martello course was (and probably still is) unusually good all year round. Design wise Felixstowe is not links excellence. To counterbalance the last two rather fawning ratings, I assert that Felixstowe is a good course but not an excellent one. Brancaster and Hunstanton, further to the north, are significantly better courses and there may even be one hundred links courses in Great Britain and Ireland that are superior to Felixstowe. Our rating scale is available online for all to see and I urge other first-time reviewers to read our <a href="https://www.top100golfcourses.com/ranking-rating">Ranking & Rating</a> page before allocating a score to avoid disappointing travelling golfers whose expectations have been artificially raised. Keith Baxter

I reckon it has been at least 14 years since I last played Hankley Common and I was keen to go back last month to establish whether or not my original thinking was correct. My feeling was that Hankley was not as good as many others seemed to think and yet I couldn’t put my finger on why… until now.First off, this was a special visit to Hankley Common and the club was extremely gracious on this lovely warm autumn day. I was privileged to play with Brian Ward and this game heralded a significant bucket-list achievement for our Midlands and North of England Correspondent. We’ll have more to say about that separately, but suffice to mention that this round at Hankley brought up a <a href="https://www.top100golfcourses.com/news-item/brian-ward-the-double-century">double-century</a>, which I think is a first. I don’t understand why Bobby Locke described the course as having a “close resemblance to a seaside links”. Perhaps the trees in those days were young or even non-existent. I don’t think Hankley has any links-like characteristics but I also think it’s unlike any other heathland course in the Surrey/Berks/Hants area. <img src="/images/Hankley-Common-Golf-Club2.jpg" alt="Hankley Common 7th hole" title="Hankley Common 7th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">The topography is actually relatively flat and I couldn’t help but drool over the glorious expanse of heathland that disappeared into the distance around the hill to the east of the magnificent (not flat) one-shot 7th which in my view is Hankley’s best hole, crossing a heathery valley to a raised, two-tiered green. <img src="/images/Hankley-Common-Golf-Club1.jpg" alt="Hankley Common - 15th hole" title="Hankley Common - 15th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">The home hole is wonderful too, especially for the second shot that’s a bit of a knee-knocker. I also enjoyed the boomerang-shaped short par four 15th, with its tricky-to-read green. To be honest I didn’t consider any hole poor, I just felt too many were a tad underwhelming.My notion is that a couple too many fairways run long and straight with relatively few and rather weak looking bunkers, which fail to break the monotony. The greensites, while good enough, are not from the top-drawer and a number of the putting surfaces are flat – I actually found myself reading too much break into putts that simply went dead straight. These things combine to make the course rather less strategic than numerous other heathland courses that are better bunkered and topographically more exciting. Some of these are currently ranked behind Hankley, for example: Liphook, Wentworth East, Woking, Worplesdon and West Hill. <img src="/images/Hankley-Common-Bridlepath.jpg" alt="Hankley Common's bridle paths" title="Hankley Common's bridle paths" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">I love the abundance of heather and, oddly, the bridle paths that flank many holes – I didn’t remember these sandy tracks from my previous visits. On this glorious autumn day these bridle ways were being enjoyed as canter tracks and let’s be honest, these pathways form rather formidable sandy hazards for wayward golfers as the horses neglect to rake them. The most enjoyable element of Hankley Common for me is the majesty of the setting, which is quiet and genteel in the classical English mould. If I lived locally I’d apply for membership (not that they’d want me now) and I’d then hassle the committee to engage an architect (with an emphasis on light tough) to draw up a bunkering masterplan, which would elevate this sleeping beauty to an entirely different level. In fact, I’d take them to Stoneham and show them what good, modern-build (but classically designed) bunkering looks like.

Cleeve Hill is a course that will surely polarise opinion. The Marmite “Love it or Hate it” effect was coined for antiquities like this. I’ll put my cards face up on the table… I loved it. Thank you Sean Arble. Your recommendation put a smile on my face (although it took me ten years to get to play it) and your main article above is bang on. It’s magical to play a course for the first time with no great expectations and leave feeling delighted to have made the trip. <img src="/images/Cleeve-Hill-3rd-Green.jpg" alt="Cleeve Hill 3rd Green " title="Cleeve Hill 3rd Green " style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">We got lucky with the weather – a glorious November blue-sky day with a three-club wind blowing from the southwest. We were wrapped up like Eskimos, I even had to wear my jumper and I’m a northerner. The proprietor, Hugh Fitzsimons, who joined us for the round, elevated the experience. Now in his mid seventies, Hugh not only knows Cleeve Hill like the back of his hand, but he was also great company and a fine player who still strikes it solidly.Having played Kington for the first time earlier in the year, I was expecting a certain level of sedate orienteering at Cleeve Hill but, despite Sean’s innocuous comment, “covering some 1,000 acres,” nothing, and I repeat nothing, prepared me for the sheer scale of this golfing property. At one point on the front nine (I forget which hole we were on), Hugh pointed to a lone tree on the horizon in the distance, “We are going over there, that’s by the 12th” he said. I looked at him in amazement, “Really?” I replied, “Isn’t that tree in a different country?”Yes it’s hilly and yes there are number of blind, uphill drives (and some thrilling drives from elevated tees, for example the 9th), but surprisingly the walk doesn’t feel especially taxing and the holes are routed cleverly around, up and down the hill. It’s largely a second and third shot course – the wind was so strong that a number of par fours were unreachable into the wind. We played it from the tips, which as Sean pointed out, are definitely easier to play to handicap (or even below handicap as Brian achieved yesterday).I loved Cleeve’s greensites every bit as much as I loved Kington’s greensites. The difference is that Cleeve has enormous scale and even vaster, jaw-dropping vistas. After putting out on the 12th, take a moment to walk up to the stone that marks the highest point on Cleeve Hill, where there’s also an etching that points to landmarks in every conceivable compass direction. The views are truly gobsmacking and genuinely 360-degree.<img src="/images/Cleeve-Hill-13th-Approach.jpg" alt="Cleeve Hill 13th approach" title="Cleeve Hill 13th approach" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Nothing prepared me for the approach to the signature 13th (the backdrop is pretty spectacular too) and the image will stay with me for the rest of my life. At first glance it appears as though the green is set in an opening that’s ringed with dunes. The false-front to the green bridges the gap, but the entire putting surface is set inside an Iron Age fort. The ramparts of the ancient settlement are fronted with a dry moat-like ditch from where any short, misaligned approach shot will end up, leaving a recovery that even Phil Mickelson would find tricky. The back-to-back par threes at 15 and 16 are excellent, where a couple of the property’s numerous old Cotswold quarries are used to wonderful effect. I’ve never seen a par three quite like the 16th (“The Grip”), which requires a forced-carry to a blind green (you can see the flagstick) that is set in a narrow gap between two steep hills.<img src="/images/Cleeve-Hill-18th-Green.jpg" alt="Cleeve Hill's home green" title="Cleeve Hill's home green" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Overall there are many elements at Cleeve Hill that I’ve never witnessed before. It’s a bit rough and ready due to the gazing stock that keep the grass munched down to a level whereby you can find your ball if you’re off the fairway. Thankfully the sheep and cattle had been removed from the common for the winter and the electric fences from around the greens had also been taken down.Don’t expect a manicured walk. Expect some poo (actually expect a lot of poo) and then expect the unexpected. I liked Cleeve Hill a lot. Keith Baxter

I played Exeter Golf & Country Club last week in lovely shirt-sleeved autumn sunshine. The purpose of the visit was largely to see the changes that Mackenzie & Ebert had implemented last year to reduce the impact of new housing..The condition of this mature parkland course was simply stunning from tee to green. Kind early October weather allowed the course to dry out and it was running firm and fast. We played from the white tees (5,837 yards) and it felt rather short with significant run on the ball. Largely these firm and fast conditions didn’t help scoring as drives ran out fairway on occasions and into trees – perhaps that’s more about our questionable game than the firmness of the course.<img src="/images/Exeter-Golf-Country-Club.jpg" alt="Exeter Golf & Country Club" title="Exeter Golf & Country Club" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">The opening holes set the scene for what is largely pleasurable parkland golf, with two shortish par fours that are routed around pleasant suburban Topsham properties. Flash-faced bunkering is bold on these (and many other) holes, especially protecting the greens. The putting surfaces are generous, but the subtle slopes, combined with healthy speed, accounted for my torrid putting stats. My pick of the one-shot holes is the downhill 6th with a tough-to-hit upturned bowl-shaped green, which is flanked by bunkers. Left, right or long will leave a devilish up and down.You cross under the road to #11, which presents a tough uphill blind drive through a chute of trees. This hole and the sharp left dogleg 15th are the best two holes in this rather tight and quirky section of the course. The parallel nature of the quartet of par fours and the rather prosaic par three 12th is an uninspiring interlude which includes two similar short par fours (each less than 300 yards from the tips) that feel rather shoehorned in the middle of this small parcel of land. A short par three and another short par four precede the signature par five 18th with its pond-protected greensite that’s sited in front of the Georgian mansion which houses the Wear Park Spa and Restaurant. It’s a really good closing hole.All in all, Exeter Golf & Country is a nice parkland course that’s well worth playing, but I was expecting a layout on a grander scale. It was a bit too tight in places and its modest yardage (5,554 yards from the regular tees) certainly deserves the “accuracy rather than length” cliché.In my opinion, the new routing hasn’t necessarily improved the overall experience, but it has been implemented relatively seamlessly. As far as I can tell, four holes have been reversed in playing direction (requiring four new greens) and five new teeing areas have been built in order to safely accommodate the new housing, which actually looks very nice indeed and is in no way obtrusive. I’d like to play the course again when there are fewer fourballs in front playing Texas Scramble at a leisurely pace, but that’s a rather insignificant gripe as Exeter Golf & Country Club is probably near the top of Devon’s parkland courses list.

The modern links course at the Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links was the best conditioned of the four courses I played around Dublin last week. The greens were running fast and I was most impressed with the grassy pathways running from many of the tee boxes. As a test of golf I found it a little easier and more forgiving than either The Island or Baltray, which was no bad thing, as I missed my fair share of fairways but found my ball each time. <img src="/images/Portmarnock-Hotel-View-2.jpg" alt="Portmarnock Hotel Links - view from room 236" title="Portmarnock Hotel Links - view from room 236" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">This has to be the perfect base destination for all the Dublin courses, including Baltray, which is a 45-minute drive north. The beauty of staying and playing here at least once is that you can play the course at the weekends when the likes of Old Portmarnock are reserved for members. The Hotel Links is an excellent foil to the old-fashioned layouts, but you’d be hard pressed to guess it’s only twenty years old.Firm and fast fairways went hand in hand with greens that didn’t reveal a single pitch mark, despite my best efforts to make one. I found the course more accommodating scoring-wise than the two aforementioned layouts but it’s by no means a pushover. The wind was light and the sun was shining and apart from one other player, I was the only golfer on the course last Thursday morning. I felt like a millionaire.<img src="/images/Portmarnock-Hotel-View-1.jpg" alt="Portmarnock Hotel Links - view from room 236" title="Portmarnock Hotel Links - view from room 236" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Naturally, the vast majority of visiting golfers want to play the old classic links courses in the area, but just like its modern counterpart further down the coast at Brittas Bay, do not overlook Portmarnock Hotel as this is the real links deal, which genuinely surprised me… in a good way.Incidentally, I stayed in room 236 and the images show the view from the double-aspect bedroom windows. It doesn’t get much better.

In my view, a rather prosaic start and finish marred what is nearly an outstanding course. Don’t get me wrong, Baltray is a very good links and it’s supremely challenging, but it’s a notch away from greatness. County Louth has been on my to-play list for more than 20 years and I played it in the company of Fergal who is getting married near here on Tuesday. His delightful fiancée, Karen (and her mum), joined us on the front nine. We had an absolute blast in the sunshine and my overnight stay in the simple dormy accommodation concluded a memorable day.The expansiveness of the Baltray property took me by surprise. The acreage here is vast and there is a genuine feeling of solitude, perhaps even isolation at the outer reaches. I agree with the previous reviewer, the golf is better the further away you are from the clubhouse in dunes and along the coastline. The routing zigzags in all compass directions, allowing the wind to conduct proceedings. Its loose figure of eight layout for both the outward and inward halves is a clever way to return the golfer to the vicinity of the clubhouse after nine holes.There is nothing quirky about Baltray, it’s pure links golf which I adore. However it’s quirkiness that sticks in my memory and despite solid hole after solid hole, Baltray didn’t quite capture my imagination – possibly due to the fact I played Baltray directly after experiencing the thrills of The Island.Never before have I seen so much bracken flanking links fairways, the club has even taken the decision to place marker posts in the rough to help with wayward ball spotting. These deep green swathes of ferns create a feeling of lushness that a links course doesn’t need.These small gripes aside, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Baltray and felt the first three of the four par threes to be excellent and the par fours, except perhaps for the 1st, to be very strong. Not quite an icon in my opinion, but a true classic links that thoroughly deserves its high ranking.

The Island eluded me for many years but I was lucky enough to play it last Wednesday. Bathed in sunshine and with a two-club wind, this was perfect weather to experience one of the most underrated links courses in Ireland.<img src="/images/The-Island-13th.jpg" alt="The Island 13th hole" title="The Island 13th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Eight back-to-back par fours on the outward nine could be considered dull, but each and every one is different and in no way monotonous. Ironically, the tee shot on the one-shot 9th (Bowl) appeared innocuous, but the Biarritz-like greensite and bunkering is outstanding. The signature par three 13th was playing directly into the wind and we were called up on this 215-yarder by the group in front. Fergal hit a 1 iron to 10 feet and I sliced my drive majestically into the sea – c'est la vie. <img src="/images/The-Island-14th.jpg" alt="The Island 14th hole" title="The Island 14th hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Many don’t like the pencil thin, short two-shot 14th, but I’ve never seen anything like it before and I loved its quirkiness and its beachside setting. With the wind behind, it needed only a 7-iron and a 9-iron approach, but I still failed to make par. Despite being held up by two groups of members (3-ball and 4-ball) who didn’t care to let our two-ball through, the back nine seemed to conclude in a flash. There’s so much variety here at The Island which captivated me from start to finish.By some distance, even though the greens were running a tad slow for my liking on the day, I had more fun here than on any other East Coast links. John, the new General Manager, told us after the round that Mackenzie & Ebert are advising the club. Fergal suggested cutting a high tee (or two) into the gigantic dunes to create an outward par five – this would give a thrilling driving platform and generate even more theatre on a layout that already stimulates all the senses.

Time flies and a decade has passed since I was last at Swinley Forest, so last month I joined Jim McCann for a morning forest ramble. Bad comments posted over the past few years surrounding conditioning problems caused me great concern, so last year I called the new Secretary to get his perspective. He told me that there had indeed been conditioning issues, caused by neglect and lack of investment, but the situation was in hand and a multi-year plan was in place to return this Colt masterpiece to its former glory.<img src="/images/Swinley-Forest-Golf-Club.jpg" alt="Swinley Forest Golf Club - 18th green and 1st hole" title="Swinley Forest Golf Club - 18th green and 1st hole" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">The morning sun was shining on the clubhouse terrace as we enjoyed a pre-round coffee last month. Things looked different as I gazed up and down the first hole and last hole, but I couldn’t put my finger on what had changed. I would never have described Swinley as a big course, but it is now expansive, wider, firmer and faster. Gone are most of the evergreen rhodies and straggly birch trees. The majestic pines now stand proud affording open views across the course. This clearance work has optically created a sense of greater scale. Swinley no longer feels cramped or hemmed. There’s a little way to go before the club achieves all its objectives, but Swinley remains my favourite Southern England heathland course. If I lived near Ascot, I’d beg to become a member. Keith Baxter

I returned to Burnham and Berrow on Monday for the second time this year. The primary purpose of my visit was to play with Paul (aka Rudo) who many people will know from his blogging. Paul is set to become the first person to play the all-time World Top 100 ranked courses from every list. His marathon is nearly complete and I shudder to think how many air miles he’s racked up in the process. B&B appeared on Paul’s bucket list due to it being mentioned on perhaps the first ever World Top 100 – Tom MacWood’s 1939 Spoof Top 100, which listed 101 courses of which five no longer exist. Yes, Paul’s playing the MacWood chart too!<img src="/images/Burnham-&-Berrow-18th-Green.jpg" alt="Burnham & Berrow 18th green" title="Burnham & Berrow 18th green" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Monday’s weather was perfect for golf, sunny, warm and a two-club wind. I’m of the opinion that Burnham & Berrow is under appreciated. Some do not like the water holes before the turn which run alongside the Channel course, but put me down as one who does like these holes, which have been improved down the years – I’m not usually a fan of lakes and ponds on links courses. The holes I like the least are the “sleepers” (#10, #11 and #12) where I usually nod off because they are not visually appealing to my eye, especially off the tee – invariably I play these holes poorly. The rest of the course is pretty much from the top drawer and I’m a big fan of the one-shot holes which are not only strong but very attractive and expertly bunkered. Unfortunately the greens were not in the best shape on Monday, having recently been verticut, but they ran reasonably well and had enough pace to keep you on your toes. It’s a shame Rudo didn’t see these putting surfaces at their best, because Burnham’s greens are usually among the best in the west. It remains to be seen whether or not Paul liked B&B enough to support its inclusion in a future World Top 100. My feeling is he thought it fun and relevant, only time will tell.

I’ve been meaning to get to Kington for many years but for some reason failed to make the journey, which for most will be a trek. I was lucky enough to finally make it to Bradnor Hill last Monday and played the course on a gorgeous sunny day with Brian Ward, who also hadn’t seen Kington before. Tom Doak waxed lyrically about Kington in his new Confidential Guide to Golf Courses – I think Sean Arble must have insisted he make the trip as this is one of Sean’s favourite tracks (Sean wrote our introduction) and I now know why he loves it. “Here is a course which will not appeal at all to some observers, yet might well be a favorite for those who appreciate its charms” wrote Doak. Put me down largely in the latter category, but only because Kington has some of the best and most interesting greensites I have ever seen. Take away the greensites and Kington would fall into the bracket of best left for the orienteers, sheep and hill walkers.<img src="/images/kington-golf-course-review-KINT007.jpg" alt="Kington Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Kington Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">Sure there are some dramatic drives from hilltop tees to fairways that cant this way and that, which provides excitement and thrills, but the site is rather too extreme to be ideal. However, there are quirks to be seen at Kington that I’ve never seen anywhere else and Mr Doak quite rightly said, “if you enjoy seeing something different, you’ll remember Kington long after you’ve forgotten some of the championship links.” Never before have I seen so many tiny little moguls on some fairways. I have no idea what might have created these fascinating bumps. Could it be geology, sheep or man, who knows? These moguls, tightly mown by sheep and man, create some of the most awkward lies I have ever come across and I was intrigued by them from the word go.My short game early in the round was more akin to a blacksmith than Phil Mickelson. I ended up on the wrong side of the greens for the first few holes and found my ball on incredibly tight and uneven lies, requiring delicate pitches over the unique raised ramparts that encircle the low side of the narrow greens. Needless to say I failed to master any of these shots and ended up three down after three holes.<img src="/images/kington-golf-course-review-KINT008.jpg" alt="Kington Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Kington Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">It soon became apparent that many greensites adopted these raised ramparts or “berms” as Tom Doak describes them. It seems to me that once upon a time there were many bunkers that surrounded many greens and the spoil from digging these bunkers was used to create the ramparts. Whether or not sand was ever placed in these bunkers is unknown but they are effectively now grassy hollows, some with table top flat bottoms. I’ve never seen anything like it before and my feeling is that these are way harder from which to play than any conventional sand bunker.Did I enjoy Kington (even though I lost 4&2…I never recovered my poor start)? You bet. Would I go back? Most definately. Would I place Kington in my own personal English Top 100? I’m not sure. I think if it were just down to the greensites, I’d have Kington in my Top 10. Regardless of ranking, Kington is an absolute must-play for any lover of quirky golf course architecture. Would I change anything? No is the definitive answer. It’s unique, incredibly enjoyable and set in a landscape that affords some of the most glorious inland views I’ve ever seen. Make the journey, play it and disagree with me.

It has been a fair while since I played Bishop’s Stortford, but I can remember the last time very clearly. It was a rotten summer’s day, pouring with rain and a stiff breeze. I had been invited as a society guest and I played with my host Colin. The course was in excellent condition and I was impressed by the greens which are nicely contoured and very tricky to read for the uninitiated. The par five 6th really grabbed my attention and I was genuinely surprised by the elevation changes and the rolling topography. The one-shot 8th is a strong downhill hole across a pond to a truly tricky green that cants significantly at the back half, which was where the pin was cut that day – unfortunately I three putted from less than 20 feet. A score is to be made going out as the two par fives (#3 and #6) are reachable, I found the back nine to be much tougher, despite another short par five at #12. #14 is a tempting 250-yard par four that enticed me into having a crack at the green only to find one of the greenside bunkers which protect the front. From here to the last (two par threes and two par fours) it’s one good hole after another where the brutal par four 16th is followed by what I thought was a card wrecking par three (I took five). I carded a four on the last as the rain began to ease. The reason I remember this round so clearly is because my score was good enough to win the society’s guest prize. After dinner I collected the biggest and most hideous plastic golf trophy imaginable. I do beleive it has pride of place in a box in the garage.There are a good number of decent parkland courses on the northern outreaches of London and Bishop’s Stortford is one of them. The proximity to the M11 and Stansted Airport is not ideal but nobody could complain about accessibility. Keith Baxter

I’ve been meaning to get to Hayling for years, but for one reason or another I’ve never made the trip. Yesterday I remedied the situation and was pleasantly surprised, even on a cool and overcast late winter’s day. There’s often misrepresentation that Hayling is the only true links course on the south coast between Rye and Cornwall – poor old Dawlish Warren is always overlooked; even the authors of True Links missed that particular Devon links. Can anyone think of any others? Anyway, Hayling is undeniably the best links course on England’s south coast to the west of Rye, some think it’s even Rye’s equal.
<img alt="Hayling Golf Course" hspace="5" src="/images/hayling-golf-course-review-HAYL035.jpg" align="right" vspace="5" border="1">Hayling gets off to a rather prosaic start but that’s not to say the opening handful of holes are easy, because they are not, it’s just that the first few are flatish and not particularly exciting. The best holes are in the dunes at the western periphery of the property and any of these would complement a Britain & Ireland Top 100 golf course.
Over the years it’s obvious that the bunkering has been tweaked and there’s a combination of wonderful revetted traps and not so wonderful irregularly shaped bunkers that would look fine on a heathland course, fringed with heather, but seem out of character to my eyes. If the bunkers were uniform and the opening stretch of holes could be strengthened, perhaps by incorporating #14A into the routing, Hayling would be a permanent fixture in the GB&I Top 100. As things stand, despite its subtle greensites (and a couple of huge St Andrews-like greens), it’s likely to stay on the cusp of the very competitive GB&I ranking table. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my short time on Hayling Island and I’d recommend the experience to anyone. It’s a solid, understated, varied and immensely enjoyable links course. Keith Baxter

I stayed at the Biltmore in September 2006 and played the course twice – I was less than impressed. Clearly this review is based on the layout prior to Brian Silva’s $5 million restoration – I’m sure the uncovering of seventy or so bunkers must have immeasurably improved the aesthetics of the layout. <IMG border=1 hspace=5 alt="The Biltmore Hotel golf course " vspace=5 src="/images/Biltmore-Golf-Course-350.jpg" align=right>However, I found nothing particularly inspiring about the course apart from a couple of boldly bunkered greens as shown in the photograph. Pancake flat topography doesn’t really get my golfing juices flowing and I’ve seen plenty of better courses in Florida, many of which don’t yet feature on the Top 100 website. I didn’t recognise anything even remotely Donald Ross like about the design – even the greens I thought were ordinary. Would I return? Yes I would. The hotel is exceptional and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay, even though it cost a king’s ransom. I’d like to see whether the restoration has returned the very dull course that I played in 2006 into a classic gem. It also remains to be seen whether the Biltmore makes the Florida Top 100 at some future point.

It’s hard not to compare Ganton with the Hotchkin course at Woodhall Spa. Both lie on the east side of the country and both sport trademark cavernous bunkers. <img border="1" hspace="5" alt="Ganton Golf Club" vspace="5" src="/images/Ganton-Golf-Club-350KB.jpg" align="right">Undoubtedly the Hotchkin’s bunkers are deeper, but the bunkers at Ganton are still too deep for many golfers to escape from first time – they are beyond penal and I wonder whether they really need to be so yawning. However, I think Ganton’s bunkering is consistent and each adds definition and character, especially on the two-shot holes. Which is the best course? Well, I’d argue Ganton because it has more interesting greens in terms of slopes, contours and run-off areas (the Hotchkin greens are pretty flat). There’s also a feeling of “bigness” at Ganton, which is somehow missing at Woodhall Spa, couple that with more graceful movement in the Yorkshire land in terms of fairway undulations and my feeling is that Ganton is a clear winner over its younger Lincolnshire counterpart. Ganton’s first four holes (although not in any way poor) didn’t inspire me and I felt the course came alive at the par three 5th and it continued to hold my attention until the final putt dropped. Until last Saturday, Ganton was the highest ranked English course that I’d not played, and my feeling is that it’s a very good course that richly deserves the high praise it receives from most quarters. I agree with the point made in Jim’s review below regarding the long par three 17th. As a par three from the yellows, I think it’s a good hole, but making it a par four from the whites, 16 yards further back, is rather strange, as the penalty for laying up and finding one of the numerous bunkers short of and flanking the landing area is likely to be greater than attempting to drive the green. Keith

I played Castle Stuart back in early June with Jim McCann, alongside Brian and Simon from the Top 100 team. I’ve been deliberating whether to post a review, as more than enough people have extolled the virtues of this modern links since it first opened in 2009 and I was unsure whether I could add anything fresh to the mix. More than four months on, I’m still not certain there’s anything original to be said but was nevertheless compelled to put pen to paper.
First off I love links golf but some links golf I love more than others. There’s links golf that’s flat, stark and cheerless where you simply have to grind it out and there’s links golf that has elevation changes, is inspirational and makes you glad to be a golfer. For me, Castle Stuart falls into the latter category (it plays across two distinct levels) and the reason why I like it so much is that it’s incredibly beautiful (I prefer to play golf in lovely surroundings), it has topographical interest (I’m not a lover of flat courses) and it’s engaging from start to finish. Mark Parsinen (who also developed Kingsbarns) has somehow found the recipe and reputation for creating masterpieces where others have come up short. Mountains of earth were moved here at Castle Stuart but you wouldn’t know due to the artistry of the shapers. These are wide fairways but they’re not runways and you still need to find the right angle for the best approach to the greens which undulate to perfection. The green surrounds are even more admirable. The par threes are all from the top drawer and the infinity 11th is one of the best one-shotters I’ve ever played. I’m sure Gil Hanse must be proud of his creation at Castle Stuart and rightly so. Let’s hope the Arnold Palmer Signature course (due to open in 2019) is equally good. With Nairn around the corner, Skibo, Dornoch and Brora further up the road, the Highlands of Scotland is perhaps the best golfing destination in Britain & Ireland.

If the Old course at Ferndown Golf Club is the fourth best course in Dorset then Broadstone, Remedy Oak and Parkstone must be out of this world. I played Ferndown yesterday and it’s embarrassing for me to admit that this was my first golfing round in Dorset despite the fact I live in an adjoining county (albeit more than 100 miles away). <img border="1" hspace="5" alt="Ferndown Golf Club" vspace="5" src="/images/Ferndown-Golf-Club-KB-350.jpg" align="right">Naturally, I was therefore unable to input into our recent re-ranking of the clubs in Dorset, but my feeling is that we may well have served Ferndown more than a modicum of injustice. The club has commenced a five-year plan to return the course to its heathland roots. Many deciduous trees have been cleared leaving stately pines flanking immaculately groomed fairways that frankly were in better condition than any I’ve seen this year. A number of bunkers have been fringed with heather and the plan is to continue this work over the coming winter. The putting surfaces were simply outstanding and I found myself on the wrong side of the hole on numerous occasions and paid the consequences. There was nothing much I didn’t like at Ferndown. Perhaps I’d pick the blind short par four 16th as a weaker hole, which is an acute dogleg right where there is a sign on the tee stating that if you do take driver and go for the green you are liable for any damage to adjoining properties (of course I played an iron). Perhaps the property doesn’t have vast scale and some of the greens and tees are close together. Apart from these minor points, I think Ferndown is a very good golf course and if I lived in the vicinity I’d apply for membership. As a final point there are some who have stated that Ferndown has a disdainful approach to visitors – if that was the case I did not experience anything other than charm and friendliness from the members and staff I had the pleasure of meeting yesterday. Keith

The Point at Polzeath surprised me when Rachelle and I played the course last month. I teed it up at Roserrow soon after it opened back in the 1990s but I can’t find my original scorecard, nor can I remember anything about the round other than recalling the weather was cold and drizzly. Things have certainly changed after the passing of two decades and I now have plenty of stored memories following our recent visit. The opening four holes (routed around the new practice ground) are not particularly sparkling and I was worried that I’d again come away remembering little. The short par five 1st offers an early birdie opportunity and then three rather mundane par fours (despite new bunkering) precede a fair one-shotter at the 5th. A blind drive at the uphill par five 6th didn’t prepare me for what is over the brow where you’re faced with an unusual stonewall that ask questions for the second shot. The 6th green is tucked away at the bottom of the hill and you can’t see the target with your second, but it’s reachable for big hitters (not for me though). I liked the 6th hole and The Point continued to impress from thereon in. The terrain is very undulating although I wouldn’t describe it as overly hilly nor did we find it a tough walk. There’s plenty to keep even the best golfer occupied and the greens on the day we played were true, pretty fast and also very tricky to read with subtle and not so subtle borrows. We met the new owner after the round and he is a low single figure player who’s passionate about the property and also committed to continually improve the course. My feeling is that there’s more than enough to enjoy at The Point at Polzeath. Keith Baxter

As the crow flies I live a mere 2 miles away from Westward Ho! I haven’t played Royal North Devon since 2011. Please don’t ask me why. On Sunday morning I returned to England’s oldest links to meet Yuji (one of our Japanese contributors) who was travelling with his friend Matt (a member at Ballyneal) and Nobhiro (a Japan Tour Pro). They were in the middle of an epic European golfing adventure that included Sunningdale, Rye, Royal St George’s, Morfontaine, Haagasche, Royal Porthcawl and St Enodoc. Fourteen rounds in nine days in four different countries – just a quick glance at their itinerary made me go weak at the knees.

<img border="1" hspace="5" alt="Royal North Devon flooded Jan 2014" vspace="5" src="/images/Royal-North-Devon-Jan-2014.jpg" align="right"> It was busy at RND last Sunday. The car park was full and we teed off behind a men’s competition in completely calm and warm conditions. As you may know, the first three holes and the two closing holes lie on flat ground that’s intersected by burns. The last time I clapped eyes on these flat holes was in January 2014 after much of the North Devon coastline had flooded. My rather poor photo shows the 18th green (behind the practice green’s bunker) completely surrounded by water. Thankfully the 18th green was not surrounded by water on Sunday, only sheep.

Put me down as a fan of Westward Ho! How could you not love the only town in Britain that shouts with an exclamation mark after its name? The course conditions were excellent considering horses gallop across these sacred greens. The crew do an amazing job on common ground that is shared with dog walkers, hundreds of sheep and dozens of horses. In fact the greens on Sunday were as quick and true as any golfer could desire (even Nobhiro was impressed). As many have already said, the first three flat holes are rather ordinary (but few can card a good score on them). However from the 4th (Cape, Table, Alp, Life Boat, Bar and Dell) you’re in links wonderland where I once again felt vitalised. You start to encounter the rushes before you reach the 10th (Rush) and then you’re in the thick of the most unusual spiky grassy hazards in golf.

Negotiate the rushes with your card intact and you’re heading for a score, which can be made at Royal North Devon. But cast your eyes back on a few holes and you’ll see some tough back tees which stretch this old girl out beyond 7,000 yards for the West of England Championship.

The Northam Burrows (now a Biosphere Reserve) lie in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it’s also a Site of Special Scientific Interest that just so happens to have the oldest golf course in England routed through it. There is nothing artificial about Westward Ho! Those that don’t like golfing heirlooms, preferring pristine courses, might prefer to golf somewhere else. In my opinion, RND is an architectural microcosm because it has a little bit of everything that is good and inartificial about old fashioned golf course design (for example greensites in hollows, on plateaux and on level ground. It is not the best course I’ve played, but few have more charm and fewer still were seemingly established by Providence. Throw aside prejudices, open the mind and prepare for an experience never to be forgotten. Perhaps one day soon I’ll submit the membership application. Keith Baxter

I played Lelant last Thursday with Rachelle on one of the wettest days of the year (the wind was also blowing at 20 mph). Unfortunately it was so wet we called it a day on the 11th and skipped across to the 17th and headed back down the home hole to the inviting clubhouse.

Exciting changes are brewing for West Cornwall Golf Club. Some new land to the northwest of the property may become available and plans have already been drafted to create some new holes, reshape some of the existing holes and lose three holes (5,6 and 7) in the “triangle”. I studied the plans with Hon Secretary and at first glance the changes look very sensible. The round starts strongly with four engaging and very memorable links holes (the par four 2nd could easily be from Ballybunion with its plateau green set between two giant dunes).

I’m glad the club moved the 1st tee forward, as the original back tees stretched this opening par three to well over 200 yards with buildings to the left and the road to the right with houses beyond, it would definitely be a nerve-jangling opener from back there. The 3rd and 4th play across some wonderfully undulating ground that pitches and rolls in a similar vein to the Old course at Ballyliffin. Two of the three “triangle” holes are one-shotters and have little to commend, although the par four 6th is a great hole which will be surely be missed if the plans do get off the drawing board.

The holes around the turn reminded me of some of the quirky elements from Prestwick, North Berwick and Cruden Bay with blind drives and greens benched into the dunes. Due to the weather, the course was quiet and so the tight routing did not cause problems – a different matter I’m sure on a busy sunny day. Despite its short yardage West Cornwall is not an easy course on which to score and its quirk and glorious seaside views are undoubtedly its strength. I’m unclear as to who originally designed the course but I doubt much has changed since it began and I’m unsurprised that the club has developed so many good golfers, with none better than Jim Barnes. My hope is that any redevelopment maintains and perhaps even builds upon the fun and excitement that Lelant offers. It’s up near to the top of my personal “quirky course” list, which I feel is the essence of seaside golf. Keith Baxter

In terms of value, a day at Saunton Golf Club is hard to beat anywhere in England. Billed as the country’s best 36-hole links venue, it’s impossible to argue that claim. However, can anyone think of another 36-hole links club in England? I can’t.

I’m a lover of links golf and a strong supporter of England’s southwest. This is where I’ve chosen to live but as yet I have not joined a golf club in North Devon. The dilemma I face is that I can’t decide which club to join – Saunton or Royal North Devon. I’m still deliberating but it’s more likely that neither club would have me as a member.

The West course is more fun than its older sibling the <a href="/golf-course/saunton-east" target="_self">East</a>. There’s more variation, with three par fives (albeit short ones) compared to the East’s two short par fives. There are five par threes on the West (only three on the East) and every one of the West’s one-shotters capture my attention and fuel my imagination starting at the downhill 4th (“Covey”) and concluding at the home hole (“Rookery”), where I threw my match away against Richard Smith when I played here last Monday.

The East is undeniably the stronger course at Saunton Golf Club, but if the West course belonged to separate club I’d probably choose to join it rather than joining the East’s club. The reason for this is that the West is a course that always entertains me from start to finish. It’s a course that surprises me because I’m always amazed that the round finishes so quickly such is the engagement throughout. The course would benefit aesthetically and in terms of challenge from a few more fairway bunkers (as would the East) but this is a small criticism because the West course is simply a little charmer in my eyes. Keith Baxter

I returned to Saunton last Monday to meet up with Richard Smith from Knoxville, Tennessee. Richard is one of our <a href="https://www.top100golfcourses.com/htmlsite/reviewer.asp?id=660" target="_self">Top Reviewers</a> and a fine golfer who has visited Britain & Ireland regularly over the last thirty years or so. The southwest of England was a gap in his golfing CV, so I persuaded him to make the trip to see for himself what this area has to offer.
It was a lovely day for golf, with an unusual northwesterly breeze. After tackling the underrated <a href="/golf-course/saunton-west" target="_self">West course</a> in the morning, followed by lunch on the wonderful terrace that affords panoramic views over the Braunton Burrows, we headed for the East’s elevated first tee that is perched atop a sand dune. As I stood on that first tee, I decided that I really should get out more frequently to experience the seaside delights that lie on my doorstep. I last played Saunton almost five years ago.
Most male golfers with a reasonable handicap should choose the white tees. The club allows play from either the yellows or the whites and the whites represent a sensible challenge at 6,444 yards with par set at 71. The first is not a gentle start. This 465-yard par four requires a solid drive followed by an approach across a ditch that lies 50 yards short of the green. The pro’s tip is very true: “A 5 will win the opening hole more times than not. Keep this in mind.” The East’s 1st (“Gullpit”) is certainly one of my favourite opening holes. The first of only two par fives arrives at the 2nd hole and it’s reachable for big hitters, measuring only 34 yards longer than the 1st. Fowler’s green sites are usually interesting and the second green is set in a table-like style that is protected by bunkers left and right but has an opening that caters for the ground game. “Homeward”, the other par five, does not arrive until the 15th and it’s even shorter than the par four 1st.
“Tiddler” the par three 5th is the only one-shot hole on the outward half and as its name suggests is the shortest hole on the card. Short certainly does not mean easy – miss the green long and you can be in a world of trouble as I painfully found out. “Sandhill” the par four 8th is an old school par four that has a totally blind drive over a tall dune to a generous fairway on the far side. The green site on 10 is set on a high “Plateau”, hence the name and it’s an engaging short par four that is all about the approach shot to a wickedly tiered green. It’s one of the best holes on the East course. The 11th “Field” feels rather weak compared to 10 but from hole 12 to the last, it’s one solid links hole after another.
There is no doubt in my mind that Saunton’s East course is big enough to host an Open Championship. But as we all know that is unlikely to happen for a multitude of reasons. Assuming the East was chosen by the R&A, many extra fairway bunkers would be required as these are currently relatively thin on the ground. I prefer Saunton to a number of current Open venues but if the East course had a genuine par five I’d be even more impressed. Keith Baxter

Martin invited me to play Hindhead earlier this month and so, after being too long away (some 8 years), I returned to sample one of Surrey’s delights. A gorgeous, shirt-sleeved autumn day set the tone for yet another engaging round.I’m impressed with the changes… the greenkeeping team here at Hindhead are something else. The programme of heather regeneration is working really well. Far too well for my rather wayward game I must admit - I left a couple of my Srixon’s in the purple stuff for the members to find and then lose at some later date. The work to the bunkers and green surrounds belies the reality that these renovations are so very recent. But the most impressive change in my mind is the raising of the 14th tee, which has transformed the tee shot’s value and is an aesthetic triumph.Despite torrential overnight rain, the course played well and it was useful to see how the bunkers were holding up under such difficult conditions. The short answer is that the bunkers played really well. But I do hope most sincerely that the club decides not to adopt the grey sharp sand, which is being trialled across a number of bunkers. The sand is perfectly good to play from, but is entirely the wrong colour, and in my opinion will jar with the natural colour palette of this unsung course. Finally, I concur with the previous reviewer. I too would want to be a member here at Hindhead if I lived closer and they’ve got a pretty good club team too. Hindhead were runners-up to Southport and Ainsdale in the 2014 English Champion Club tournament. Keith Baxter

I returned to Wentworth last month and played the West course for the first time since the renovations. Clearly the West divides opinion with Colt purists furious about the changes, while other more open-minded golfers are delighted to try and tame a 21st century course that is an incredibly challenging test. For me (an out of practice mid handicapper), the West course was way too hard and I found it brutally tough, even from the yellow tees. I doff my cap to those professionals who make this course look easy. I think, if my memory serves me well, that the heather is rather in decline and indeed the course is becoming even more parkland in nature, but the turf was dry and springy despite overnight torrential rain and the greens were true and fast. Put me down as an admirer of the changes. I think the water feature, which has been significantly extended on the 8th hole, is simply stunning and the water in front of the 18th green has created a thought-provoking home hole. Judging by some of the comments printed in reviews and responses on this website and recalling comments made by some of the Tour pros I was expecting a monstrosity. What I found was an improved West course that is still very much the West I fondly remembered but possessing even more features that are simply unforgettable. If you want to play the most famous course in the country then you will have to dig deeply into your pocket, but it would appear that most golfers don’t pay the full green fee and some play here for free, in which case there is nothing whatsoever to moan about.

I wasn’t overly impressed with the Amelia Island property when I stayed here a good few years ago, it was tired and in desperate need of updating, but I understand that renovation has now completed, so it could well be a classy resort these days. I enjoyed all three courses at Amelia Island, far more than the overall resort and found Fazio’s Long Point to be an interesting and varied challenge that played tough in a stiff breeze despite its modest yardage, I thought the one-shot holes were particularly enjoyable with the mid to long 3rd my favourite among the pines and oaks but the short 15th along the shore was memorable for the ocean vista and the fact I carded a two! Pete Dye’s Oak Marsh is at least the Long Point’s equal in my view.

I stayed at Jebel Ali only a handful of years after the course opened for play, so this review is far from current. However, I wanted to share my opinion that this is a quality venue both from a golfing and accommodation perspective. Jebel Ali is located in its own Freezone, about 20 miles to the southwest of central Dubai. 40 miles further on along the E11 highway is Abu Dhabi, so Jebel Ali can serve both locations comfortably. I felt the Jebel course itself, albeit nine holes, was every bit as enjoyable as the <a href="/golf-course/emirates-majlis" target="_self">Emirates Majlis</a> and <a href="/golf-course/emirates-faldo" target="_self">Wadi</a> (as was) and <a href="/golf-course/dubai-creek" target="_self">Dubai Creek</a>, which I also played on this trip.
One of the reasons for posting this review is to share a tale that amused me. I went to the Jebel Ali golf office ahead of one of my numerous rounds to check in and one of the staff told me in a delightful broken English/Arabian accent that I was paired up with a certain Mr & Mrs B. Rooking. Fair enough I thought – no problem and I wandered off to the first tee only to find that I’d been paired with one of my childhood football heroes, Sir Trevor Brooking and his lovely wife Hikka. It was my most memorable nine holes as the Brookings were not only engaging company but also great fun.
When I return to Jebel Ali I won’t expect to play with Trevor Brooking, but what is likely to happen is that I’ll find an enjoyable 9-hole course at a quality hotel that is in easy reach of all the new courses in this region that I’d like to sample at some future point… including <a href="/golf-course/yas-links" target="_self">Yas Links</a>, which everyone tells me is worth the trip to the UAE alone.

I have many happy memories of playing the Old course at Essendon during the summer months after knocking off work early. Rushing from the office to the first tee that was adjacent to the manor house was always a thrilling experience. The Old was considered the poor pay-and-play relation to the private <a href="/golf-course/essendon-new" target="_self">New</a> course and it took me quite a few years before I eventually managed to play the New and, if I’m honest, I like the Old course best. The reason I prefer the Old is that it is an interesting and fun parkland course which is none too arduous and basically plays the same way (weather permitting) each day. The New is more complicated due to its dual greens which only served to muddy the focal point for me on approach shots. The New could be better than the Old, but not in my eyes until the club reconsiders the architectural merits of the dual greens.

I very much agree with the comments made in the review below. Thurlestone was a thoroughly enjoyable experience when I played here a week ago in glorious but rare summer sunshine.<img border="1" hspace="5" alt="Thurlestone Golf Club" vspace="5" src="/images/Thurlestone-Golf-Club.jpg" align="right"> The greens were a pleasure to putt on and rolled out very well indeed, in fact they rolled out better than they looked like they should. For me, the original nine holes of the front nine are the best holes, as a few too many holes after the turn are rather bland and a little too uphill and down dale for my liking. However, I really liked the closing few holes, which left me walking off the last green with a pleasant feel good factor. Thurlestone is a very welcoming club which seems to be doing lots of things right. This is one of the few golf courses where you can see the sea from every single hole. I’d certainly include Thurlestone in any South Devon golfing itinerary… it also gives <a href="/golf-course/east-devon" target="_self">East Devon</a> a run for its money in a few places.

Chingford and its near neighbour West Essex are two of my favourite North London clubs, but for me, West Essex is the better course. Both have mature parkland similarities but West Essex, especially the front nine, has dramatic topography which makes for more exciting golf. The small greens are devilishly hard to find and just as difficult to read when you do eventually reach them. I’ve played here many times and always enjoy the challenge.

After being too long away, I returned to play Royal Porthcawl some eight years after my last visit. The reason for the relatively short trip from my home in Devon was to <img border="1" hspace="5" alt="Fergal at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club" vspace="5" align="right" src="https://www.top100golfcourses.com/images/Fergal-Royal-Porthcawl-350.jpg">meet up with Fergal, our US Consultant, who is significantly more than mid-way through an epic journey, whereby he’s aiming to become the youngest person to play the World Top 100. The recent inclusion of Royal Porthcawl in a notable American magazine’s World Top 100 rankings made me smile, as we were the first publication to rank Porthcawl in our World 100 back in 2006.Playing golf with Fergal is firstly a pleasure; secondly it’s a rather daunting experience for the average golfer (of which I fall squarely into that category). My rather paltry 10 handicap is no match for a +1 golfer who wants to see every course from the back tees. Under normal circumstances, I play off the regular mens tees or perhaps, if I am feeling lucky, off the mens competition tees. Fergal naturally wanted to experience the Walker Cup course, so off we went on the first, all the way back along the side of the pro shop to the tips where only fools and scratch golfers care to tread.Since I last played Porthcawl, David Williams extended the course and, more recently, Mackenzie and Ebert have been advising the club on various aspects including bunker changes and greens modifications. Indeed, both the 5th and 9th greens were out of play in March 2012 as they have been reshaped and re-laid over last winter. These latest changes are sure to make Porthcawl a wonderful test and will stretch the field when the Senior Open Championship comes here in 2014.There are so many things I love about Porthcawl… the uninterrupted sea views, the revetted bunkering, the topography (which is an easy walk but could never be described as flat), the magnificent greensites, the one-shot holes, the brutal closing stretch and, last but not least, the conviviality of the wonderful club itself. If I lived within a 30-mile drive of Porthcawl, I’d join. It’s the best course in Wales by a comfortable margin and it’s perhaps the best Welsh golf club too. A worthy World Top 100 course and, in my book, it’s outstanding. 9/10. Keith Baxter, Editor-in-Chief

I know a member here at Knebworth, so I’ve played the course many times over the years. It’s not your usual Hertfordshire parkland course due to the elevation changes and I think it could be a much better course if only the bunker sand consistency could be resolved. The 1st is a really tough opener and I’ve only managed to par this hole once with many bogeys being the norm. Despite Glaxo, I think the ground and the holes at the far end of the course are the most interesting but overall it’s a course that I’m always happy to play, especially in the spring and autumn when the ground is at its best. As the main article has already mentioned, the par threes are really good, even the two shorter ones (8 and 10). While the 1st may be the hardest hole due to the fact that it’s the 1st, I think the 9th is a really tricky par four where position off the tee is crucial. The closing hole is a brilliant par four and many of my approach shots have ended up down in the crater 80 yards or so short of the green. My bogey hole apart from the 1st is the 6th which is more about getting the tee shot through the narrow avenue of trees. Good course, great club, fabulous food – Knebworth is a real member’s club.

We played Bude & North Cornwall yesterday in sunny but windy conditions (25 mph). The car park was jammed full and people were everywhere when I arrived. This is clearly a popular little club.<img border="1" hspace="5" alt="Bude & North Cornwall - Putting Green" vspace="5" src="/images/Bude_Putting_Green_350.jpg" align="right"> The clubhouse itself is comfortable and more than adequate. I adored the little putting green which sits directly next to the clubhouse from where there are stunning Atlantic views… next stop North America.The first tee is across the road from the clubhouse and five holes (four relatively short up and down par fours and one par three), are routed across a small parcel of triangular land that is bordered on every side by roads. The 4th hole, not a bad par three to be fair, is across another road at the furthest western extremity of the course. There’s a 250+ yard hike from the 3rd green to the 4th tee which is literally set in the point of the triangle where you’ll find holidaymakers keen to watch you swing away. I didn’t like the routing and it looks like they are putting in another par three here, hole 4A perhaps, which I think is a great idea.The first five holes are not the most salubrious start to a round but the ground is pure links and the turf is excellent. After putting out at the 5th green which is being extended and will look great when it has bedded in, you cross the road back to the clubhouse and the 6th tee, which is an excellent par four with a blind tee shot which rises up to the brow, from where you get a great view of the narrow stage-like plateau green which is guarded by two bunkers. From this hole onwards, the golf is really good. This is the real links deal with holes that tumble across, round and over the dunes.<img border="1" hspace="5" alt="Bude & North Cornwall Golf Club - 6th green" vspace="5" src="/images/Bude_6th_Green_350.jpg" align="right">The only issue over this side of the road are a series of footpaths that snake across the course. The course is bordered on the north by the town of Flexbury and Bude town lies to the south, consequently these footpaths are shortcuts for residents and are well trodden.Footpaths aside, there are some great holes at Bude and the one-shot holes are especially good. The course moves inland at 9 and this is a short par five that plays towards farmland. The approach is from a high fairway where the hole narrows and the green itself is located in a glade-like setting. The 10th is set in the trees and it’s an unusual short par three (SI 18) that features a burn that wraps around the front and right side of the green. It’s really very pretty.After the first five holes I had virtually dismissed Bude as a holiday course that had no rightful claim to an English ranking position, but by the time I’d putted out on the 18th, I’d long since decided that this is a tough little links that is great fun, quirky, old-fashioned and a course I’d play again, I’m not convinced that a 6,000-yard course merits being a par 71 but it throws up genuine birdie opportunities on the three par fives, however the P5 18th (454 yards from the backs) was playing into the teeth of a 3 or more club wind and was a bit of brute. Additionally there are only two par fours over 400 yards, but somehow the birdies were few and the bogeys were frequent at Bude & North Cornwall yesterday.

I played Royal St David’s last month for the first time during a trip that included <a href="/golf-course/aberdovey" target="_self">Aberdovey</a>, <a href="/golf-course/nefyn-amp-district-old" target="_self">Nefyn</a> and <a href="/golf-course/conwy" target="_self">Conwy</a>. There’s nothing particularly negative to say about RSD except that the 220-yard par three 14th needs re-thinking as Jim McCann has already mentioned. It’s not often the case, but this par three is a far better hole from the ladies tee. Unfortunately I doubt the club will want to shorten the 14th because that would drop the total yardage from the back tees to less than 6,600 yards. St David’s is certainly not short however, and it is indeed a very tough par 69 but I actually think that is the heart of the issue which will prevent RSD from moving much higher in the Britain and Ireland rankings. The course is not well balanced, with the only two par fives on the card coming back-to-back at holes 7 and 8. RSD relies on the strength of its long par fours for teeth. With no fewer than seven 400+ yarders this is no easy course on which to score and it’s plain to see why many call this the toughest par 69 in Britain. But variation for me is more important than long par four after long par four. If the club could find another couple of hundred yards to create two more par fives on the homeward nine then RSD might give <a href="/golf-course/royal-porthcawl" target="_self">Royal Porthcawl</a> a run for its money. Porthcawl offers a much sterner test on a more conventionally configured course and, of course, fantastic sea views from virtually every hole. I enjoyed RSD very much and recommend it thoroughly, however, on balance I think Aberdovey is my pick of the north Wales courses… but only just. Both are well worth the trip from wherever you live in the world.

For me Aberdovey was the highlight of a recent golfing trip to north Wales that included <a href="/golf-course/royal-st-davids" target="_self">Royal St David’s</a> and <a href="/golf-course/nefyn-and-district-old">Nefyn</a>. <img border="1" hspace="5" alt="Shut that gate!" vspace="5" src="/images/Aberdovey_Gate.jpg" align="right">There’s something magical about Aberdovey, from the drive to the little seaside town on the road from Machynlleth, to the walk across the old Cambrian railway line to the clubhouse. I must admit that the sign on the gate over the rail crossing struck fear in my heart but it served its purpose… I dutifully closed the gate!I’ve been meaning to make the pilgrimage to Aberdovey for many years to see for myself whether Bernard Darwin’s affections were simply romantic or founded on real substance. Well I can say, in a similar vein to <a href="/golf-course/rye-old" target="_self">Rye</a>, there is still a little bit of Darwin’s soul here and Aberdovey is the real golfing deal.Aberdovey is understated in every way but the quality and challenge hits you hard in the face from the opening tee shot. The back (black) tees are called “Darwin Yards” and the course measures some 200 yards longer from these tiger tees. I watched numerous people tee off on the 1st from the clubhouse balcony and nobody got anywhere near the green in two on this monster 400+ yard hole, which was playing into a two club wind on the day I played here. The second hole is one of those joyful short par fours requiring a much more subtle approach than the one I adopted. The elevated 2nd tee in the dunes got my adrenalin going and I duly pulled my drive into dunes down the left and then carded a triple with a second ball. Then you come to the infamous, bunkerless, blind par three, the “Cader” hole. In my opinion this is the best blind par three I’ve ever played and pushes the Dell at <a href="/golf-course/lahinch-old" target="_self">Lahinch</a> into second place. Don’t come up short on the Cader otherwise you’ll have a blind chip too.Things get a little easier when you reach the pulpit tee on the 4th but par is never easy at Aberdovey. The home holes, from the excellent risk-and-reward short par four 16th, to par fours at 17 and 18 (both measure more than 400 yards) are supremely testing. I was expecting Aberdovey to be a gentle test of links golf on an old-fashioned course. What I found was a thoughtful, entertaining and challenging course that simply does everything rather well. Finally, I must mention the par three 12th which is one of the best short par threes I’ve ever encountered on a links… it gives the Postage Stamp a run for its money.I’m sure Darwin would have been chuffed to bits had he seen the new clubhouse, which is a fitting recent addition. I really enjoyed the trip and recommend the golf, the value and the welcome. I will venture back to the Principality of Wales but I’ll probably spend a little longer at Aberdovey than anywhere else… I’d like to get to know this course a lot better.

Conwy is perhaps the unsung gem of Welsh golf. We played here in lovely June sunshine and found the course in excellent condition with all the playing surfaces running fast and hard. It’s tricky to find fault with Conwy with the exception, perhaps, of road noise from the busy A55 on the 16th, but that aside, this is the real links deal. There’s nothing spectacular about the course but the coastal views are simply stunning. The course rewards solid ball striking which, thankfully, I managed to achieve on the par five 12th. I threaded a drive between the fairway bunkers and then hit a surprisingly good rescue club to fifteen feet and single putted to mark a very rare eagle on my card. On reflection, I cannot disagree with Jim’s comments regarding the crossing fairways at 4 and 10 but this foible doesn’t detract much from what is a very fine golf course. I was very impressed with Conwy Golf Club and I would go out of my way to play here again.

Ah Nefyn, a course that will split opinion like no other. I played the Old course on a breezy June day, which I guess is quite normal on this remote finger of Wales. Having played <a href="/golf-course/conwy" target="_self">Conwy</a> and <a href="/golf-course/royal-st-davids" target="_self">Harlech</a> earlier in the trip, I left my putts perpetually short on Nefyn’s fluffy greens. On the whole, Nefyn’s greens were dull, far from fast and nowhere near the quality of the aforementioned courses in terms of contouring. Nefyn is not a links course and it’s easy to come here thinking the bump and run shot will work, but it won’t serve you well here. If you’ve read this far, you’ll get a feeling that I don’t like the course. You are right, I don’t like it, but I absolutely adore the setting. Only <a href="/golf-course/old-head" target="_self">Old Head</a> can compete with Nefyn in terms of location and that is saying something. The difference between Old Head and Nefyn is that Old Head has more land and it plays more like a links. However, the 12th at Old Head is one of my favourite golf holes and I was amazed to find that Nefyn has a shorter but visually similar equivalent. Nefyn’s 13th is a memorable par four which was unfortunately preceded by a truly crazy 12th that needed only a windmill to properly finish it off. Thankfully the tee position on 12 was well forward but this is the most impossibly quirky hole I’ve ever played. Apart from 12 (which is certainly not dull), there are too many bland holes in my opinion, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15 (exciting tee but a uninspiring hole) and then 18 – with the tee two yards away from the near derelict green keeper’s building – is one of the least inspiring closing holes I have ever played. Having said all of this, there are many good holes that I haven’t mentioned and the acid test is whether or not I’d recommend Nefyn? The short answer is yes; every golfer needs to experience Nefyn at least once. This is a course like no other. It offers so much promise but it doesn’t quite deliver. It could be so much better. No wonder the members play the New course in competitions.

I returned to the Manor House last week after a six-year gap and thoroughly enjoyed the round in breezy but dry conditions. We took a buggy as my playing partner was nursing a leg injury and can confirm that the rule is still to keep buggies on the paths despite the dry weather. I’m not a lover of buggies, less so when they have to be kept on the paths, but I certainly wasn’t complaining when we were whizzing along, making short work of the very long walks between some greens and tees. For me, the routing is the biggest issue at the Manor; the course itself is varied and at times very exciting. One or two holes could at best be described as barely average but the majority are decent golf holes. It’s the routing that lets it down and will always prevent the course from being top class in my opinion. The course was in excellent shape and the greens were running at a slippery 10.5 on the stimp according the guys in the pro shop. These were some of the slipperiest greens I’ve played on this year, so well done to the green keepers. Service, as has already been mentioned in reviews below, is exceptional and this improves the overall experience. The Manor House is an above average golf course at a facility where the service is excellent and this is a great mix for a short break and one that I’ve enjoyed.

If Sandy Lodge had a little more acreage it would one of the best courses inside the M25. The only downside to the course is that the holes are a little too crowded together. However, having said that, it’s one of my favourite London courses with big bunkers and excellent greens. It is not on the grand scale of its next-door neighbour, <a href="/golf-course/moor-park-high" target="_self">Moor Park</a>, but it has charm and intimacy. The largest bunker on the course is similar to that at the Cape at <a href="/golf-course/royal-north-devon" target="_self">Royal North Devon</a>, except here at Sandy Lodge it comes into play for the approach rather than the drive. Aptly called Sleepers it represents a fearsome hazard so early in the round. The bunkerless par three 7th is a cracker of a hole that has to be played with finesse when the ground is hard and fast otherwise you’ll be OOB. 15 is another great one-shot hole to a green with a false front that requires a running links-like shot unless you can land the ball by parachute. 17, the signature hole, called Mount Vardon, is a wonderful sweeping par five with a narrow fairway and a tricky-to-hold two-tier green. It’s always a pleasure to play Sandy Lodge and I look forward to playing this quintessential English gem again in the not too distant future.

I’ve not played Bovey Castle for a few years (despite being a member here) and returned yesterday to enjoy a round on one of the prettiest courses in Devon. The course is improving without doubt with subtle changes being made here and there around the course. The second hole was tough enough as it was, a tight driving P4 that turns left with the river on the left and trees on the right but this hole is all about the approach shot to a green that sits angled with the river in front of the green and flowing down the right side. The approach shot at the 2nd was always to be long rather than short as there was a path and bank behind the angled green that fed the ball back onto the green. Bunkers have now been cut into the bank and they are deep. If you find yourself in one of these traps you’ll need a delicate bunker shot to stay on the green or you’ll end up in the river. The most dramatic change is at the P3 9th which was a fairly ordinary hole with little definition other than the trees and the ground climbing sharply to the left. An array of bunkers have now been cut across the front of the green and to the right of the green. Aesthetically from the tee this now looks like a serious P3. The final change noticed was that the green on 18, which was always an absolute nightmare to hold has been flattened out at the front, so you now have a fighting chance of finding your ball after hitting the blind approach shot. Keep it up Bovey. It’s great to see one the finest courses in the South West continuing to improve.