Review Rating - Gold

For quite a new course Buckinghamshire is sure looking good, the facilities here are great and the Mansion Clubhouse looks superb. The staff were very helpful with Reception telling us where everything was so we wouldn't get lost. You get a good test of golf here but it is also an enjoyable one, the course has enough tee positions to be setup for all abilities and the fairways & greens were second to none. A special mention of the greens must be made, once again we found ourselves on a golf course with greens that resembled the velvet covering of a snooker table, get a tricky downhill putt here and you are not going to leave it short.

The course opens with a nice par 5 where there is a lake on the right but the fairway is very generous and unless you are trying to squeeze out every yard you can get by cutting the corner a little the lake should not be a problem. The green slopes from right to left so it's a must to get below the hole on these tricky surfaces. The 2nd is a straight forward par 4 that offers a good birdie chance but then comes a tough long par 3 with four bunkers to catch the wayward shot.

View of the dogleg 4th from the tee.

The 4th is a nice long par 4 dogleg where avoiding the bunkers from the tee is a must, if you do not drive far enough you will not be able to see the green for your approach shot. The 5th is another par 5 where a birdie could be on the cards but you need to get close to the flag or face an awkward putt on the sloping green. The 6th has a tricky tee shot with a view from the tee of a collection of bunkers, it's a short par 4 but a par here will be good as you also need to get on the same level as the flag on the green.

View of all the bunkers on the 6th fairway .

The 7th will have you making a choice from the tee & fairway and the 8th also has a decision to be made on the tee, try to carry the lake or take the safe iron to the fairway & a pitch on to the green. The 9th is quite a picturesque par 3 with a tee shot through the trees to a large green next to the clubhouse and practice green.

View through the trees on the 9th tee.

The 10th is a plus 400 yard par 4 where you need to be down the left side of the fairway to get a view of the green, the water on this hole should not really come into play. The 11th gives you a chance of a good score if you can stay out of the bunkers down the left and the 12th has a nice approach shot over the water, you have to be careful with your drive on this hole as it is downhill to the water, get a good one and you could find yourself very near the stream.

Teeing off from the tee over the water on the 11th.

The 13th is a nice dogleg to the left where you could easily run off the fairway to the right or come a cropper in the bunkers on the left. The 14th has a huge green and a there is a good chance of a par, the 15th's fairway tightens at driving distance between bunkers on both sides and the green has a severe slope on it so depending on pin position you can be left with a nightmare putt. There is no real danger on the 16th unless you do not get a clean tee shot as the bunkers are quite short of the hole.

View of of the approach to the 12th from the middle of the fairway.

The 17th is a long tough par 4 that climbs from the tee, you could well be left with an approach shot of over 200 yards. The 18th is a nice hole to finish with but has a tough drive, the fairway is 200 yards away so if you are not very long off the tee you may struggle. Another feature of this finishing hole is the tree that seems to be planted right in the middle of the fairway, it's not, but you just can't help but think that tree is going to get in my way.

That pesky tree that interferes with your approach to the 18th.

The Buckinghamshire is a very good course kept in superb condition with a lovely clubhouse to accompany the course, we had a very enjoyable day here and look forward to a return visit.

Favourite Hole

Hole 7: 413 yard par 4.

The tricky approach to the 7th green.

Standing on the tee you have a choice try and carry the stream that runs across the fairway or lay up. If you lay up you then have another choice, go for the green with a long iron and take the chance of landing in the second stream or even in the lake to the right or lay up again to leave yourself with a pitch to the green for a par putt.