Lee Meakin

Played Finca on a recent trip to play Valderrama. Course condition was superb as are the facilities & customer service. The course has some very good holes but a lot of similar holes, 400+ Par 4 followed by a 400+ par 4. However I would play again due to the service, Buggy supplying fresh fruit & water. then Gazpacho soup a few holes later. a fine addition to any course.Would play again & plan to.

Played on a recent trip & was underwhelmed by the facilities & the condition of the course. I'm told they are renovating the course & installing fairway irrigation, this would make a massive difference as the design is very good, but let down by the poor maintenance.

Played La Reserva on a recent trip to play Finca, San Roque & Valderrama. A great course, good design albeit not too challenging compared to Valderrama.I would recommend due to the condition, speed of the green & pace of play. Customer service top draw & so are the facilities.

Playing Valderrama on a warm September morning feels like a step away from heaven (if indeed there is a Heaven).From the moment you arrive you feel as if you are in a golfing paradise bubble. Service is exceptional, course conditioning the best I've ever seen, fairways like some courses greens, greens like something I'm unlikely to see again.The course is difficult but manageable, hit your tee shots in the right section of the fairway & you will have a good day. miss the landing zone or fairway & you are struggling to make bogey. Would I play again, I'd play it everyday for the rest of my life. until next time, thanks Valderrama, you are beautiful.

As a well traveled golfer & having played 90% of Open venues I find Princes to be the most welcoming & accessible of all.A recent addition to the Princes experience is the reimagined Himalayas course. I must comment that this is a pure test of golf, offering everything from drivable Par 4’s & challenging Par 5’s, to picturesque Par 3’s. A real gem which will only get better with time & tide. I would also recommend staying at The Lodge onsite, menu is exquisite (this also allows you more time to enjoy the 27 holes available to play. 4 balls - no problem, on a links course!?!).

I recently played the Shore & Dunes loop on a cold & wet November day & the weather didn't detract from what is a great test of golf. I'm lucky enough to have played this course several times in the past & to say Princes is the lesser of the 3 on this glorious stretch of golf coast, is to do it an injustice.Playing from the White tees it offers a great test of shotmaking & control of the ball is a must, the course offers birdies to well struck shots & bogeys to those not stuck so well.I also had the chance to walk around the new 9 holes being developed out of the former Hims 9. I must say this will probably be more than a match for its rivals, massive dunes, wasteland bunkering & a Postage Stamp style Par 3... I can't wait for it to open. LM

I played The Mines whilst traveling on business in Malaysia & it didn't disappoint. I could remember watching on TV The World Cup of Golf when Tiger & Mark O won at a canter, and some of the hole memories came flooding back (albeit my 2nd shot was from much further back).From the moment you arrive at the club (unfortunately the entrance looks like its an industrial estate), you are treated like royalty. The range is a little disappointing, as the turf was more rough-like than the manicured fairways you would expect at TPC KL. My caddy for the day suggested we start on the 12th, thus avoiding the slower groups from nearby countries, which was a stroke of genius, as we managed to fly around the back 9 before running into the slower groups going off the 1st.Regarding said caddy, they really do earn their money, his green reading was superb, although his clubbing was questionable (I didn't take his advice after the 2nd short wedge). He had caddies for Sergio Garcia earlier in the year, maybe he thought I hit the ball like Sergio (which I very much don't!).The course is a good Trent Jones Jnr design, good bunkering, fast & firm greens, playing its full length as the grass is brushed back to the tee, and the surrounds are also brushed into the ball making chipping very different to the links turf I'm used to.Overall I would recommend anyone with a day to kill in KL play this course, maybe its not as famous as the TPC KL, but still offers a challenge from the tee, where length is not as important as accuracy. If you can putt well you should score well around this track, as the greens are the main defence, miss them the wrong side & you will struggle to turn 3 shots into 2.I would suggest phoning the course & then checking if your Hotel can get a cheaper rate, as the difference can be massive!Overall, an enjoyable course which offers a good challenge.

I was lucky enough to play Hindhead for the first time the other day, after being invited by an ex-captain of the club.I had read & been told lots of things about the greens, topography & overall design of the course, so I arrived with great expectations & an open mind.I must say that I was taken back by the views down the first hole into the Devils Punchbowl area of Surrey, what an amazing view.Back to the Golf, we played from the back tees & I would recommend this to future players, as its really brings the hazards into play. after a relatively gentle opening hole (great bunker on the right of the fairway), you then play a very picturesque par 5, not long but played from a raised tee down into the glacial valley then up to a raised green (a sign of things to come on the front 9). Overall I really enjoyed the course (more so the Front 9), lots of heather & well placed bunkers. I wasn't bowled over by 2 of the par 3's (one playing 150yds which dropped off the side of the valley, the other playing 235yds into a 2 club breeze), the longer of the par 3's really needs rethinking, as some of the best Par 3's are under 150yds in length.That aside, I would highly recommend Hindhead, in the summer the greens run fast & true, we played in October & they were still running around 9-10 on the stimp. Well worth the trip, especially if incorporating with a classic links such as Sunningdale/Wentworth etc...LM

I was lucky enough to be invited to play Sunningdale Old today by a friends father, and obviously I didn't miss this opportunity to play this great gem.We tee'd it up at 0900 after a great breakfast in a stunning clubhouse, full of nostalgia & pictures/scorecards from some of the greats of the game.We were lucky enough to play from the White tee's, which brings in most of the hazards into play & what an amazing course The Old is, emmaculate condition for mid-october, great fairways & greens, with the great trees of Surrey/Berkshire framing each hole. Every hole felt like a story waiting to be told, recalling flashbacks of Shell's Wonderfull World of Golf, The Seve Trophy & previous Open Final Qualifying events.What a great classic links, worthy of it position in the Top 30 in the world, England in Autumn, Sunshine, no wind & a classic golf course, could there be any better place on this earth? LM

I have played a few Open Rota courses, on a quest to play them all. Lytham is a great course, in fantastic condition, with a very welcoming clubhouse. The course itself is a demanding challenge, testing every part of your game. I found the front 9 to be visually very interesting (albeit not as visually stunning as other links courses). I thought the 10th hole to be a great challenge, thread the needle & you are left with a flick, or layup & have anything up to 4 iron in.However, I found the stretch 15 thru 17 very similar, demanding, 400yd plus Par 4's. but they seem very flat & a little dull. The 18th is a great finishing hole, a strong par 4, demanding a good drive & solid 2nd shot into an undulating green, which is overlooked by the members sitting in the warm, welcoming bar. Overall, I enjoyed the experience, it's not my favourite links course or even open rota course, but its worth the trip to challenge your game. LM