surreygolfer

30 Hours in Ireland

16-17 May 2023 It was only four weeks prior when a message arrived in my Instagram DMs that was a little different to the others. A simple “Are you busy on 16 & 17 May?“. Something so open-ended normally stirs imagination, especially when the sender happens to edit the UK’s premier Top 100 publication. TheContinue reading “30 Hours in Ireland”

#8 Royal Liverpool (Hoylake)

Architects: George Morris, Harry Colt, Donald Steel, Martin Hawtree and Martin Ebert Basking in the warm glow of another marvellous Open, I look back upon my visit to Hoylake with fondness and the appreciation that this wirral routing has more than played its part in golf’s illustrious history. You only have to peer back throughContinue reading “#8 Royal Liverpool (Hoylake)”

#23 Hollinwell

Architect: Willie Park Jr Hollinwell is fantastical, as if you have stepped through the pages of a book. It is quiet, the forest dictating the air. The landscape is rugged, bejewelled with verdant swathes of tight turf and handsome, golden bunkers. I managed to discern all this despite the constant film of precipitation before us,Continue reading “#23 Hollinwell”

#53 Wentworth (East)

Architect: Harry Colt The older brother. Quieter, more sensible. Quite the contrast to the cocky and flamboyant younger sibling that boasts fame and glory. The East is no less a demanding test and so do not be fooled by the lowly par of 68. With only one Par 5, the routing hosts five Par 4sContinue reading “#53 Wentworth (East)”

#73 Camberley Heath

Architect: Harry Colt I’ve written a lot about the faultless tapestry that is heathland golf. The palette of pine, sand and heather blends together seamlessly and the array of hues and textures flood your senses. Camberley Heath exemplifies Surrey Sandbelt and is blessed to have the added bonus of elevation change. Whilst length is notContinue reading “#73 Camberley Heath”

#89 Hadley Wood

Architect: Alister MacKenzie What are the craziest greens you’ve played on? I have rolled the white ball across some quirky surfaces in my time … Woking, Deal and Sandwich spring to mind. But none compare to the theatrics we suffered on that Sunday. ‘Suffered’ may have negative connotations, but we’re used to this. Golf isContinue reading “#89 Hadley Wood”

#31 Worplesdon

Architect: John Abercromby and Willie Park Jr. Heathland golf always seems to deliver convivial play amongst the glorious palette of pine, heather, grass and sand. Worplesdon could quite easily be the finest example of such an environment. Despite setting off in less than ideal temperatures with greens as receptive as a toddler tantrum, our fourballContinue reading “#31 Worplesdon”

#71 Blackmoor

Architect: Harry Colt I am incredibly fortunate to live in a location where, despite the amount of golf I play, there are still some local courses that have evaded me. Surrey is arguably the golfing epicentre of the country and shares county borders with Berkshire, Hampshire, Sussex and Kent – each one having impeccable golfingContinue reading “#71 Blackmoor”

#43 Walton Heath (New)

Architect: Herbert Fowler I recently wrote the following of The New Course as part of the Surrey County rankings: Intertwined with The Old and only marginally less entertaining. If it wasn’t for the plethora of neighbouring class, this would be up there with its brother. Truer words have never been spoken, if I do sayContinue reading “#43 Walton Heath (New)”

#44 Southport & Ainsdale

Architect: George Lowe & James Braid Golf is more than just hitting a little white ball across grass. Sometimes it throws up experiences that you value for the rest of your days. Southport & Ainsdale played host to such an event. People are often at the source of said experiences, and this day we encounteredContinue reading “#44 Southport & Ainsdale”