The par three 2nd is 220 yards of terror, but a hell of a fun hole. It occurred to me after the round that by combining the first and second holes at Woking, you could have an all-world short par five!
The 5th captures the serenity of Woking, with a green among the most challenging and perplexing on the course
The drive on the par four 6th is from up on a hill, providing one of the best views on the course. I can only imagine how amazing it looks when the heather is in full bloom
Course name: Woking
Location: Woking, Surrey
Four Word Course Review: Heather-clad rollicking ride
Woking is a beautiful part of Surrey, so it stands to reason that the golf course is pretty easy on the eye. Heather abounds, tall trees frame the holes (without encroaching on the playing lines) and make you feel you've descended into another world for three hours.
And what an enjoyable world it is, once you've found the entrance to the golf club driving in from the town centre, which is no mean feat!
Like many old UK courses - and I suppose my home course fits this description and this could be why I love it - Woking doesn't bash you with length. If I had to play courses calling for long iron second shots into featureless greens all day I'd probably give the game away.
The presence of quirk to ensure the shortish holes can't be manhandled is really charming, the simple green on the 277-yard opening hole a case in point. It tilts significantly but not dramatically away from the golfer, so even someone skillful (or lucky) enough to reach the green with a straight opening drive could well see their ball spat off the back of the green.
The thick, purple heather bordering most holes - and making its presence most acutely felt at the 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th and 14th - adds an air of challenge to some otherwise open tee shots, and the bunkering is superb. There may only be 47 bunkers on the course, but their placement is awesome, a case in point the way the 3rd and 11th greens are so well protected by a single bunker.
The greens have a heap of movement for an inland course of Woking's age (it was built in 1893), allowing for wildly differing strategies and driving lines depending on where the hole is cut. Encountering a few long putts up, down and across steep tiers was a highlight of the round, even if I did come of unquestionably second-best!
You could play Woking for the rest of your life and never get close to being bored (my Artisan playing partner has done just that!), and when it comes to a member's golf course such as this, that's really the highest praise you could ask for.
Location: Woking, Surrey
Four Word Course Review: Heather-clad rollicking ride
Woking is a beautiful part of Surrey, so it stands to reason that the golf course is pretty easy on the eye. Heather abounds, tall trees frame the holes (without encroaching on the playing lines) and make you feel you've descended into another world for three hours.
And what an enjoyable world it is, once you've found the entrance to the golf club driving in from the town centre, which is no mean feat!
Like many old UK courses - and I suppose my home course fits this description and this could be why I love it - Woking doesn't bash you with length. If I had to play courses calling for long iron second shots into featureless greens all day I'd probably give the game away.
The presence of quirk to ensure the shortish holes can't be manhandled is really charming, the simple green on the 277-yard opening hole a case in point. It tilts significantly but not dramatically away from the golfer, so even someone skillful (or lucky) enough to reach the green with a straight opening drive could well see their ball spat off the back of the green.
The thick, purple heather bordering most holes - and making its presence most acutely felt at the 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th and 14th - adds an air of challenge to some otherwise open tee shots, and the bunkering is superb. There may only be 47 bunkers on the course, but their placement is awesome, a case in point the way the 3rd and 11th greens are so well protected by a single bunker.
The greens have a heap of movement for an inland course of Woking's age (it was built in 1893), allowing for wildly differing strategies and driving lines depending on where the hole is cut. Encountering a few long putts up, down and across steep tiers was a highlight of the round, even if I did come of unquestionably second-best!
You could play Woking for the rest of your life and never get close to being bored (my Artisan playing partner has done just that!), and when it comes to a member's golf course such as this, that's really the highest praise you could ask for.
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