Looking back from the second green

Two aces at Heath Park Golf Club

I will always have a soft spot for Heath Park because this is the course where I managed to get a hole in one while also witnessing my cousin scoring a very unusual ace. His was on the eighth hole but was probably one of the worst shots he has ever played.

sorry for the overhead images, blame the course owner

He nearly topped the ball off the tee with an 8-iron, catching it half-ball so it never got above 20ft from the ground and was heading straight for the course boundary to the right of the green. It bounced up into the air off a small mound there and dived straight into the hole without touching the green. My ace was on the ninth hole and looked a lot better, a soft 9-iron that landed a couple of feet short of the pin and rolled into the cup at just the right pace.

The title of this post mentions the decline of this course and I will explain. I met the owner on my last visit here and he is the reason there are no photos of the course, well hardly any I managed to get a cheeky few. He would not let me take photos on my way round and came across with an attitude as though he had once belonged to a club like Sunningdale or Wentworth. I’m sorry Barry but this little area of land with its strategically placed greens is no Championship standard layout.

During the winter you used to have to tee off over a small pond on this opening hole

As I have mentioned I used to play here virtually every week along with other kids around my age or even younger. I’m afraid that this will be my last visit, I will always have a soft spot for Heath Park but all I could see was a course full of Senior golfers. If your attitude towards youth is going to turn away the younger generation then ultimately the club is just simply going to die out along with the members.

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The secluded but very picturesque Lambourne Club

Lambourne Golf Club

In my view the course is one of the most prestigious in Buckinghamshire and along with the fantastic clubhouse is a must for anyone looking to play golf in the Greater London area.

Designed by Donald Steel, the course at Lambourne Golf Club measures some 6,798 yards from the back tees, which should be more than enough to challenge even the longest hitters. Three other sets of tees allow golfers to find their comfort zone on the course where they will enjoy hitting tee shots into generous fairways before attacking pins ticked away on well protected greens.

Constructed on subsoil ideally suited to golf courses, the Lambourne Club also has the added bonus of its own two million gallon lake and bore hole which supply a fully automated irrigation system on all greens, tees & fairways, enabling green keepers to provide golfers with the highest quality conditions year round.

The club resides just outside the private Dropmore Park estate which can be viewed from certain areas of the course.

Dropmore Park

Dropmore House and the surrounding estate was built on land purchased by William Wyndham Grenville in 1792. Grenville led a varied political life as MP for Buckinghamshire, Leader of the House of Lords, Speaker of the House of Commons, and even Foreign Secretary before becoming Prime Minister between 1806-1807.

The restoration of Dropmore House at Dropmore Park

The house itself was designed by Samuel Wyatt who removed a hill to give a view of Windsor Castle from the windows. Wyatt’s work was expanded by Charles Heathcote Tatham and, over a period of years, lawns and paths were laid out whilst trees and shrubs were planted to transform the 600 acre ‘wilderness’ into an area of exceptional beauty with lakes surrounded by an ornamental woodland and formal garden.

Little else is known after this except that the journal of J. Evelyn Denison, Viscount Ossington, describes a visit to Dropmore House where he once “went round in a bath chair to see the trees.” Very nice.

In more recent years the building was devastated by two fires although in 2012 the etsate was purchased by property tycoon Richard Livingstone.

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Haste Hill Golf Club – Hole 1

Tricky downhill opening par 3

This is a great opening hole, it is downhill so club selection is tricky. Under club and you may well find yourself in the ditch whereas taking too much club can result in overshooting the green by 10 yards, into the trees.

The elevated tee also brings the wind into play and if you miss the putting surface there is a good chance you will end up in the sand. Hit the green with your opening shot to leave yourself lining up a birdie putt on the very first hole. Sink the putt and you will find that there is no better feeling to get your round going.

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Stay clear of the lake on the right of the 1st hole

The Melbourne Course

The course was built on mature grassland that had been kept close cut for hundreds of years which gave the designers a great head start. The river fed lake is used to great advantage coming into play on no less than five holes, most notably the last, where your journey to the final green is by boat.

A drive up the left is the best option on the opening hole

The opening hole is not a long one but care must be taken to stay away from the lake. Your approach to the green is normally from the sloping fairway but I managed to get a flat lie by putting a slight fade on my opening drive, finishing just 3 feet short of the water. The second can be a very tough par 3, especially if the wind is against, I hit a 5-iron just short of the green on a yardage where I would normally have hit a 7-iron.

Tricky shot over the lake for the first of the par 3's

With two fours my round was off to quite a good start, this did not continue on the third hole. The severely right to left sloping fairway requires a drive up the right, mine was just left of centre so ended up way left at the bottom of the slope. My recovery shot to the middle of the fairway had a slight draw on it and I ended up behind a large tree on the left edge of the fairway with about 140 yards still to go. I attempted to draw the ball around the green but got a better contact than I expected, ending up 10 yards past the green. Thinning my chip back all the way across the green, followed by a weak chip on, I ended the hole by three putting for an ugly eight.

The 4th hole is played straight in the winter but normally crosses the water

I reckon the fourth must be a great hole in the summer because you play over the lake to the green on the right side of the bridge. The fifth hole has no less than eleven bunkers to negotiate meaning care must be taken with your drive as well as your lay up or daring long approach.

Lots of sand to stay clear of on the 5th hole

The short sixth hole looks easy but care must be taken not to go past the pin as the green has a steep slope from back to front. Stay clear of the bunkers on either side of the seventh fairway and you should have just a short pitch to a green that again slopes from back to front. Long hitters can carry the corner on the eighth hole leaving a very short approach over the hollow in front of the green. The strong wind was against us on the approach meaning 5-irons were required to carry the 140 yard gap.

The approach to the green on the 8th hole

I felt like I could reach the shortest hole on the course by just throwing my ball into the air and letting the almost gale force wind blow it to the green. I ended up hitting a sand wedge on this 132 yard par 3 just past the putting surface but with everything sloping away from this raised green I ended up with a 30 yard pitch back.

Tricky par 5 but don't overshoot the green

A good drive on the tenth is just to the left of the bunker on the right side of the fairway as the slope on the fairway will gain you more distance giving you a chance of going for the green in two. It’s another case of staying clear of the bunkers on the eleventh while long hitters could carry the sand on the corner of the dogleg twelfth.

A drive down the left is best for great position on the thirteenth but steer clear of the large tree, the bunker on the right side of the green is almost twice as large as the putting surface. The fourteenth is the only par 3 on the back nine, most approaches will pitch just short and run on as it is quite difficult to hold the green.

The 16th is easier in the winter months

If you get enough height on your drive you may be able to cut the corner of this dogleg, too straight and you may end up in the bunkers. The sixteenth plays parallel to the fourth and once again you have to cross the water to the green outside of the winter months.

The approach over the lake to the final hole

The penultimate hole at Brocket Hall is a shortish par 4 with a large bunker front left of the green but the landscape of the run up to the putting surface looks as if it could be from a links course with all the bumps and hollows. A choice need to be made on the final hole, play safe and go right of the bunkers or the long hitters can go for it and aim left or over them. When you attempt to carry the water I would suggest to use an extra club as the slope behind the hole feeds the ball back to the green and you do not want to be short.

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Approach to the opening hole on the North course

Quinta do Lago – North Course

I played the North course on my visit to this golfing delight, the greens were perfect, the fairways are lined with umbrella pines, even the rough is a delight to the eye being covered by a blanket of wild flowers.

The opening hole on the North course requires a slight right to left draw or aim over the trees on the left as it is downhill to the bend in the fairway so you could easily run through into the rough. A couple of bunkers guard the front of the large green so ensure you have enough club to clear them.

The short second hole is again slightly downhill with bunkers guarding the front but does give a good birdie opportunity if the right club is selected. Your drive on the third needs to be down the left but not too far left as the overhanging branches of the pines can cost you distance if struck. Play this par 5 sensibly and you should have just a pitch onto the green to leave a birdie putt.

Aim at the bunker on the left on the fourth hole, the fairway slopes slightly to right so your ball should feed back to the middle. The short fifth is another right to left dogleg so once again you either play a draw or aim over the trees, the approach is uphill so make sure you take enough club when going for the green.

At the sixth hole I aimed at the bunker that is on the corner of this left to right dogleg hoping to play a slight fade. I hit a dead straight shot into the bunker, leaving me right up against face with no hope of going for the green, chipping out I then over hit my approach. A beautiful flop shot got me to within 6 feet and I rolled in the putt for a five but it felt like a par. The long seventh is a bit of a rollercoaster, the drive climbs slightly to the fairway bunkers then falls before climbing again to a green surrounded on all sides by bunkers.

The short eighth is again slightly downhill and I struck a lovely tee shot that sailed straight over the pin just ten feet past the hole, I missed the birdie though. The ninth is played along a corridor of villas up to a green that is pretty much unguarded with just a solitary bunker behind it. The fairway on the tenth looks narrow but does open out a little, the approach to the green needs to be accurate however as it is surrounded by four bunkers.

The eleventh hole is simply a case of staying out of the sand, a collection bunkers are reachable from the tee, another group lie in wait about 100 yards from a green that is protected by three more. On the card the short twelfth looks like an easy birdie opportunity but this par 4 curves around a lake making tee shot and approach a nervous affair. The following hole is straight with only one fairway and one greenside bunker while the short fourteenth requires a double-check on the club you choose as there is a slight incline ten yards in front of the green.

The fifteenth is a left to right dogleg but do not be tempted to cut the corner too much otherwise you may end up on a tennis court. The last short hole happens to be the shortest on the course, it is played uphill and has two bunkers in front so make sure you have enough club to get there. It is back to a right to left dogleg for the penultimate hole that also climbs gradually along its length to a green guarded by two long bunkers.

Negotiate the lake on the 18th and you just have this uphill finish to contend with

The last hole is a great par 5 requiring a brave tee shot over a lake which then turns right and climbs some distance up to what looks like the smallest green on the course, if you finish with a par it will make your round.

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Aerial view of the course and bay

I played holes 1 to 18 which are the Alvor & Lagos courses, the area had been hit by a tornado the day before and the course was a little wet but certainly still playable.

Palmares Golf Resort – Alvor Course

The opening hole needs a drive just to the left of the bunkers that are visible from the tee, this looks like you will end up very close to the tree line but it does open out a little when you get to the bunkers. The approach to the green is uphill so make sure you take plenty of club. The first par 3 on the course is certainly not short but is slightly downhill giving you a decent chance of hitting the green in one.

It’s back up the hill for the dogleg third hole then across the road for the first par 5. The fairway runs in towards the centre from both sides so the drive is a little forgiving although it does narrow considerably about halfway down the hole and a huge bunker in front of the green is a deterrent for those trying to get there in two.

Looking back over the course out to see

I was not playing very well up to this point and my first par came at the next hole, a shortish par 4. I drove straight down the middle, hit a 9-iron to the back right and managed to 2-putt from about 50 feet. The sixth has a lovely wide fairway along with some great views over the dunes to the sea behind. You tee off from amongst those dunes for the short seventh hole, which I nearly birdied, my putt just sliding past the right hand side of the cup.

The penultimate hole of the first nine is an uphill par 5 that I managed to birdie, the drive favours a slight fade but the hole does bend back to the left up by the green. The ninth is a dogleg that does need a fade off the tee to get past the trees on the right, yu are then left with another uphill approach with bunkers guarding both sides of the green.

Palmares Golf Resort – Lagos course

The tenth hole tempts you to go for the green in one, a short par 4 that is also downhill, although the land does rise slightly on the approach to the green. The following hole is much longer but a downhill drive helps to get within approach distance to the green, do not stray right on this gentle right to left dogleg.

The par 3 twelfth needs a solid strike over the lake, staying clear of the deep left hand bunker, to a green that slopes towards you so aiming to land past the pin is a good idea as the ball tends to feed back down towards the hole. My playing partner had birdied the last two holes and managed to get his hat-trick by flying the green and rolling back to within 5 feet of the pin.

Bunkers protecting the 13th green on the Lagos course

I got a cracking drive on the par 5 thirteenth, out-driving the other three in my fourball. You need to avoid the bunkers on the left then play a slight left to right shot towards the green to leave a short pitch on, I would advise you do not try for the green in two as the shot is blind and there are three bunkers guarding the putting surface.

The following par 3 requires a straight hit as bunkers either side of the green await a wayward shot. An easy birdie can be made on the following par 5 as long as you stay away from the lake that sits just to the left of the green. Take enough club to clear the bunker on the short sixteenth and you could get two birdies in a row.

Lake next to the 15th hole on the Lagos course

The seventeenth fairway mingles with the Praia course meaning there is a lot of flat green stuff amongst the dunes, this par 5 can be an easy birdie chance or a very difficult par depending on the pin position on the boomerang shaped green. The final hole on the Lagos course plays alongside the road, taking you back up to the clubhouse. You need to hug the road with your drive if you want a nice approach otherwise you will be left with a shot over the bunker on the right which happens to be just as big as the green.

Even with the slightly waterlogged fairways I really enjoyed my round I think Palmares will definitely make it as one of the top courses in the Algarve area.

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A great morning for a round of golf

Wexham Park Golf Club has three courses, the full length Blue course and two nine hole layouts, the Red and the Green. The latter course has nice wide fairways and large undulating greens so was an obvious choice for me with my current additional handicap.

My round got off to a great start with a dead straight drive down the first, there is a ditch that crosses the fairway about 280 yards from the tee but I was quite safe from reaching this, my sore shoulder reminding me to hold back just a little.

Could not have been a better drive on the opening hole

Sure enough my drive ended up about 15 yards short of the ditch leaving me with around 210 yards to reach the opening par 5 in two. I went for a running 4-iron but hit it heavy leaving a pitch of about 20 yards to the green. I knocked my third shot to within 20 feet and managed to sink the putt for a birdie four.

Confidence up I was going to go for the driver again on the second, a short par 4 at only 290 yards back in the opposite direction, but noticed the ditch from the first fairway continued across this one 50 yards short of the green. Adrenalin must have been flowing a little as I smashed a 3-wood right up to the edge of the ditch, planted a 60deg wedge to the centre of the green and two putted for a par.

The third hole was my first messy one, pulling a 9-iron left of the green just missing the bunker I tried to chip and run up to the flag but the ball had way too much pace on it and ran past the hole nearly ending up in the bunker on the other side. I chipped back to the middle and two putted for a disappointing five.

I caught my tee shot heavy on the fourth but managed to get up and down in two to save par. The fifth had a very tricky pin placement of about 5 yards in from the left, at 196 yards I was aiming for the middle of the green but got a slight draw and ended up in between the pin and the bunker on the left. A shot with a minute target area if I was aiming for it but you take the good breaks in this game and I rolled in my second birdie of the day.

If I had been playing with anyone else I would have said I meant that

A good drive is required on the sixth hole, which is stroke index 1, there is a pond 150 yards from the tee with a ditch right behind it meaning that a carry of a good 215 yards is required to reach the second half of the fairway. I managed the carry but didn’t get the slight fade I was looking for so ended up just off the left of the fairway with 135 yards to go.

A slight fade is the best approach on the 6th

A 9-iron approach came up just short of the green, I chipped on and two putted for a five but it should really have been better. Seven was another disappointing hole, a great drive left a 35 yard pitch which I managed to put on the opposite side of the green to the flag. I got down in two but after the great drive I was thinking about another birdie.

The Green course ends with two par 3′s, the eighth is 168 yards and the ninth 132. I hit a heavy 6-iron on eight but it manage to creep up to the front edge of the green leaving a 20 yard putt to the back where the pin was. The smile on my face was a very broad one as my third birdie of the day dropped into the hole.

I hit a 9-iron straight at the pin on the last, it came up just 15 feet short but dead online, my confidence was up at this point and I rattled the putt into the back of the hole. A very enjoyable 9 holes of golf and I really didn’t want it to end.

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Stunning natural scenery all around the course

Forest Course at Bramshaw Golf Club

Put your driver away for the downhill opening hole, the green with it’s cattle fence perimeter could easily be reached with a straight drive but I would advise an iron off the tee to leave a short pitch and a putt for an opening birdie.

View of the third hole from the tee

The same strategy should be used for the second hole while the third needs a drive or lay-up shot down the left to give a nice line into the green, grazing animals were strewn all over this fairway and they can wander just about anywhere on the course. I made a birdie here, pushing my drive right of the fairway and cattle. I hit a 4-iron to just in front of the trees then a wedge over them leaving a 20ft putt which I managed to sink.

The cattle grazing on the fairways of the Forest course

The first short hole is a long one, pitch short and roll down to the green because if you run through you are in the stream. The same stream runs in front of the sixth green which is best approached from the left side of the fairway then it’s up the hill and down the seventh fairway which runs adjacent to the third. My drive down this hole ended up about 50 yards shorter than it would have been as it ran into a cow laying in the middle of the fairway, nothing in the local rules for this situation.

The short 8th on the Forest course

An accurate shot is required across the streams to the eighth green and try to stay away from the gorse on the right of the ninth fairway, it’s not worth the risk of trying to cut the corner.

The back nine starts with a tough par 4, well it isn’t too long but the wind was against so after a good drive and a well struck 3-iron my ball ended up just short of the raised green. It was the same story on the eleventh, which runs in the same direction as the tenth. This time however I chose to lay up short but didn’t realise how steep the bank was that runs down to the stream just in front of the green, you have to hit a cracking shot to hit this green in regulation.

The stream running through the dip in front of the green is out of sight

A new feature appears on the short hole that follows, it is surrounded by five bunkers, the only hole on the course with sand traps. The next two par 4′s play slightly uphill making them feel longer than the yardage suggests and my sliced drives on both do not help my escalating score.

Bunkers surround the short 12th hole

The fifteenth is over 200 yards, I try to land a 5-iron short of the green hoping it will roll on, it jumps right on the first bounce, maybe I should have taken one more club and tried to fly it all the way. Try to stay left on the sixteenth as the trees short right of the green will impede any approach from that side of the fairway. The last short hole on the course is another one at around the 200 yard mark but this time it is slightly uphill, three horses grazing around the green didn’t help either.

Horses grazing on the 18th

The final hole is a shortish par 4, uphill to a raised green, do not go left as the cricket pitch is out-of-bounds. It may be shorter than the Manor course but I think I prefer the Forest course at Bramshaw simply because it feels so natural, nothing looks man made apart from cattle fences around the greens.

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The 6th hole of the Shore course at Princes

The tricky 6th hole at Princes

It is hard to pick a favourite hole when playing courses of this standard but the sixth hole of the Shore loop at Princes stood out for me. The wind was slightly with me when I played it although the tough shot on this hole is not the drive but the approach to the raised green.

You really do need to keep left with your approach and let the ball feed back to the middle of the green anything landing right or a bit short will simply roll down the steep slope back into the fairway.

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Hinksey Heights Golf Club – Hole 3

The very tricky third hole that lives up to it's stroke index 1 rating

The pond down the left is reachable from the tee

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