Review's of Brentwood Golf Club
Clubhouse/Hospitality
Quality of Course
Practice Facilities
Value for Money
Truly superb condition...... Go & see for yourself.
We all heard how this lovely Essex course went into decline, but now I can confirm that the re-birth has truly happened.
The money, effort, time, etc. is paying off and will reward any visitors, members with a warm welcome, a beautiful course in truly superb condition. Improvements are still carrying on I believe.
The fairways were nearly immaculate, the bunkers (I visited many) had a good thickness of lovely white fluffy sand, the rough nicely cut, the greens seemed to be well looked after, maybe needed a cut, but it was Bank holiday (3.5.15). The views from every hole were resplendiscent, the Spring freshness made every corner attractive. As said before every hole is different with its own challenge.
Nearly every tee has a good quality winter tee in place, normally placed between Yellows & Reds...... A smart sign & map at every hole, direction to next tee, 150 markers on Par 4 & 5, the paths have been relaid with clear signs for buggy users, irrigation has been incorporated, new holes dug for water escape, next Winter will tell whether it is working or not on the Essex clay soil.
Unfortunately, our 1st 9 was extremely slow due to 2 Societies in front of us. But the last 9 was fine and very easy enjoyable. The Organiser, Peter M. got us a very good deal on line @ £13, that was fantastic, thank you.
The Ladies changing room is totally refurbished, very sleek and chic, smart basins, taps and the latest Dyson, V shape hand drier.... elegant tiles on the wall, and attractive floor covering in contrasting colour.
The Clubhouse is welcoming and the service with a smile , the Pro was very attentive too.
Will return soon, but probably during the week to avoid being stuck behind Societies. I believe there is a special day/offer/pricefor people of a certain age.
Go and visit and play and enjoy the resurrection of this Essex course. Well done to the new owner/Management.
The above is my personal opinion & as my eyes see it.
THE END............
Clubhouse/Hospitality
Quality of Course
Practice Facilities
Value for Money
Very impressed...So much has been done....All seems to be going in the right direction.
I had wanted to return to this golf course for a long time. It was the very 1st course I played in Essex when I started to travel to Brentwood. That was a few years ago, then came the decline, possible threat of closure and now the re-birth.
I played this course on Monday 15th December, with 2 other TSGers, a beautiful bright sunny day with some unexpected entertainment along the way.... Wait till later to read my version.
CAR PARK: newly laid out gravel on the whole surface, still needs to be levelled off, but it is taking shape and the numerous potholes have disappeared.
PRO SHOP: very warm welcome by the newly appointed Pro. He did warn us that the course was very wet & the fairways had not had their normal cut, but said the greens were fine, so it was up to us to decide to play or not. We did. Hardly anyone else ventured out there despite the lovely warm weather.
CLUBHOUSE: brand new conservatory style building of excellent quality, providing a light, airy room with plenty of Feng Shui. A friendly service too with plenty of food on offer and a very nice ground coffee, all at reasonable prices.
THE GOLF COURSE: well kept fairways, drainage being put in, lots of irrigation work being carried out.Trees cut back, trimmed, undergrowth cleared.
Bunkers: totally renewed, reconstructed, resanded.
Greens: well kept. Very good for December (better than some well known Surrey courses...)
Paths: newly laid with ashphalt, but a lot more to be done, this is a vast golf course.
Smart signs with hole layout etc. @ each Tee box.
Brand new winter tee boxes are present on most tees providing a splendid surface for Yellow/Red, they are large, well constructed, wide, flat and look sturdy. 10/10.
One can only be impressed by the quality of the work being carried out, by what has been achieved so far despite the very bad winter of 2013/14. One cannot wait for the completion when the "WOW" factor will definitely return to this Brentwood golf course whose design/layout is superb and has a lot to offer to every level of golfers. The views are superb too, wherever you look.
I did mention unexpected entertainment at the beginning of my review: yes a very clever crow was playing his round of golf too with a bright orange by the 14th Tee (Par 3) with a large pond. He flew away with the ball to a tree and decided to fly back to the uphill green, thinking what to do next: little chip, chip-in putt??? It was my turn to take my tee shot, so I thought the crow / the orange ball made a perfect target. My bright yellow Titliest ball landed 20 cm away from the orange ball, just missing the crow. The attraction was too great for the clever crow who decided to steal my attractive ball & leave me a "s.... " ball instead. No need to say I lost my concentration and messed up my chip shot....
Roll on Spring & Summer of 2015, I cannot wait to return, to report and deal with the crow.....
THE END......
Clubhouse/Hospitality
Quality of Course
Practice Facilities
Value for Money
Update From Management
I would like to thank Daryl for his honest opinion on the course, and we agree that the course has been neglected and requires significant investment. We are in this for the long-haul, we purchased the freehold of the course and clubhouse and have just signed off the purchase £250k worth of John Deere equipment.
Here is a summary of works that are in progress:
* The majority of the new John Deere lawn mowers are due to arrive in the next two weeks by 14th April. This even includes a Spike and Roll Ride on Green Iron, looking forward to seeing the results with this!
* The renovation work to the Spike Bar in the conservatory should be completed by the 14th April 2014. This area has been opened up and increased in size.
* The bunkers are being repaired. The majority have been emptied, drainage has been sorted. Shingle is due to arrive today with sand in the coming days. Some bunkers have been removed, but there are some new ones!
* The renovation work to the mens changing room should completed by the 14th April 2014. This will make it bigger and cleaner than before.
* The renovation work to the Kitchen, this has been moved, and new equipment installed. Should be completed by the 14th April 2014.
* We now have 5 green keepers managing the site.
* We now have Michael Jones Golf Pro on site.
This is a new era for the club, come on down, see the changes. We want to establish this as one of the best courses in Essex. We are offering Memberships(Mens,Ladies,Juniors), Societies events, Corporate and Pay and Play. Contact Russell the general manager on 01227-375101.
Clubhouse/Hospitality
Quality of Course
Practice Facilities
Value for Money
Perfect natural landscape for a golf course.....
Weald Park golf course is only 20 years old, designed by Reg Plumbridge, where the natural landscape provides the perfect canvas for a challenging & pleasing round of golf. There is ongoing restoration work (I believe the course had been neglected by previous ownwers), it is paying its rewards & is attracting returning crowds.
The many ponds/lakes/streams blend in so well with the landscape (11 water hazards in all).Not a flat course: some climbs & descents, so a round will keep your muscles toned & your heart healthy. The surrounding Essex countryside looks splendid from every hole (dont forget to look back when you have putted out as the views will delight you). One can see fields with real cows/sheeps (by the 16th). It is a peaceful place to play golf, no motorway or busy roads in the vicinity,just nature to battle during your round of golf. Your interest, concentration will be motivated during the whole course.
The fairways are wide, with mature trees on either side, sometimes natural hedges have to be crossed to reach these fairways, as well as many natural slopes & ondulations.
The greens are firm, with lovely short grass, 1 or 2 greens had some brown marks, but it was not a problem. The shapes of the greens were varied: ondulations, tiered & slopes.
The bunkers are well designed & placed, restoration work is ongoing, so the escape is made a little more challenging for the keen golfer.
Every hole has its unique attraction, truly different from each one. I shall describe only a few:
Hole 3, Par 4/5: large fairway bordered by ancient trees, sloping down to a most picturesque uphill green, a pretty pond in front of the green, the slopes are running towards the pond & also towards the back of the green. A marvel of a hole that can be admired as you finished your round when walking to the 17th.
Hole 14, Par 3: another spectacular & challenging gem.
Tee shot over a large, very natural looking pond with willow trees, their roots showing/growing in the water,the dainty pale green foliage dangling down & reflecting in the water. Th green is highly raised, tiered, if you dont get on it with your tee shot, your ball will run down or sideway (mine did not !). 3 sand bunkers: 1 large one on the right hand side and 2 other large ones on the left.
Hole 15, Par 4: I have to describe this hole at it has the tightest gap I ever seen to reach the fairway that is uphill and sloping to the right, with OOB there as well, before you reach a lovely tiered green. There are greenside bunkers along the way & 2 bunkers on the left of the green. The views of the Essex countryside from the back of the green, looking down& away are truly spectacular as well.
Just one more hole, I cant resist...
Hole 16, Par 4: a terribly sharp dog leg to the right (being a Leftie, I prefer dogleg left), the tee shot is down the slope running to 2 huge bunkers, a nasty (or attractive) stream at the turn, a narrow gap to negotiate to reach the green that is uphill. Another beauty.
Weald Park has the most interesting & varied challenge for any avid golfers who like large, unspoilt surrounds.
Yes, there is still a lot of work needed to bring this superb course to its former glory, but it looks like the present owners are going in the right direction. It takes time & money.
Brand new practice putting green by the clubhouse, and a brand new practice nett a little further.
Reception in the Proshop was friendly. Sometimes the Clubhouse bar doubles up as reception when the Pro is teaching or playing.
Friendly clubhouse, a lovely terrace by a large pond with a water fountain, must be a delight in the summer.
The coffee is 1st class, the food is good, very reasonably priced.
The round is very affordable also.
The car park is large but still full of potholes. The entrance to the Golf Club is on the Left hand side and no more by the quirky hotel/motel that is on site as well. The golf course & the hotel maybe two different entities (or owners), not sure.
I know there has been some bad publicity about this course, the management but things are changing. The course is so, so interesting & challenging.
Yes....... THE END
Clubhouse/Hospitality
Quality of Course
Practice Facilities
Value for Money
Soggy when wet...
This was a second trip to Weald Park, and if my recollections are right it was soggy and boggy then as well. Looks to be a clay base, hence slippery when wet.
The basic components seem to be there, tricky course layout, difficult holes, lots of mature trees, uphills, valleys and lakes and ditches.
Just a shame that the course does not drain at all... it isn't that often you have to take relief from standing water on the tee... but it was here. Rather a large number of greens weer water affected, with deep standing water making major incursions into the putting surface.
To their defence that has been a lot of water in the area recently... but other local courses have dried better. My abiding memory of this course will be soggy and boggy and not worth the money...
Bunkers had obviously been neglected over time, in fact I can't remember a single bunker without weeds, grass or other vegetation (taken for granted that they were full of water) and precious little by way of sand...
'Fairways' were not exactly closely cut and the clover beds were waiting to obscure a slightly errant ball.
If the course dries out and substantial investment is made into the upkeep anc maintenance of this course, it has the potential to be OK.
Clubhouse - a pleasant enough experience in the spike bar (the signs in the car parks are misleading as regards footwear), short menu and rapid service was enjoyed.
Pro shop was limited, I think the staff were used to complaints and there was a stock response. There wasn't a suggestion of offering vouchers for return visits on a dryer day - a version of Hobson's Choice...and in honesty I would probably choose not to return here...
I hear they offer a £10.00 Thursday green fee, which is probably a fair amount for this experience...
Short of saying that it is dangerous, be aware that the ground is clay-based and can be very slippery, easy to slip into ditches and be up to your knees in 'water'...
If you pay a visit - take spare socks at least...
Oh.. by the way the Gentleman's Changing Room was more than a bit smelly (yes even before I got there) and somewhat grubby...
The Course manager was on site - and seemed pleasant enough BUT probably has no concept of the term 'Customer Satisfaction' (in my opinion.
Suffice to say - I wouldn't go back if the green fee was £Zero as there are better experience3s to be enjoyed elsewhere.
Clubhouse/Hospitality
Quality of Course
Practice Facilities
Value for Money
Nice to go back....
Following some bad snow damage to the greens and some rather ambivalent staff, I had allowed this course to drop of my radar. However, upon revisiting I was glad to see the course is now under new management and that we were welcomed very warmly. 'Henry' greeted us in the spike bar and was quick to explain how they were looking to improve on the previous owners approach and that he hoped we enjoyed the changes they were making. Well, I have to applaud him, he was true to his word and it was great to see works going on all over the course. This could be a fantastic venue for TSGers. A twisting and turning parkland course, some great holes and the greens, whilst not quite there yet, are well on their way to being good, fast and true again. My only criticism would be there isn't enough sand in the bunkers and that I think the course would benefit from switching the front and back 9 around (the current ninth would make a better finishing hole!). It would also be nice if they had SKY in the spike bar but I am nit picking now...it was a refreshing change for a club owner to treat 'visitors' as customers, rather than a necessary evil. Good value at £18 and as such, I will be back again very soon and recommend TSGers give it another try!! :-)
Clubhouse/Hospitality
Quality of Course
Practice Facilities
Value for Money
Nice coourse, will play again.
Nice course, layout is nice, some long holes(todays wind did not help) well looked aftar, tee areas are good, greens were good coming out of winter, £18 around and no bacon roll that it stats on this site, but dont care, dad went home after 5 holes to hilly and windy for the old boy,lol, will def go back, good days golf.
Clubhouse/Hospitality
Quality of Course
Practice Facilities
Value for Money
Under new management" What a turn around"
It was a pleasure to play this course again after a 3 year layoff only due to the way the old management team run it.It lost a great deal of its membership and gave it self a reputation of a club to avoid,it was run by a 1 man idiot show.
I played here today under the new management team,what a difference,you where made to feel most welcome,the course was in good condition for the time of year,although wet in places,the greens where fast and firm.Fairways are most acceptable,not full of divot marks,there was a lot of work being done by the green keepers which is always a good sign.
This course is coming back to the standard I remember,and showing signs of getting even better.It has the potential of being one of the finest courses in South Essex.
It has some very Interesting holes and you need to think your way around,you will use every club in your bag.It is a test for all standards of golfer,any hole will catch you out.
I will certainly be going back in 2012 its well worth a visit,with the new management team in place,and only £10 around all day Thursday.Golf as it should be VALUE FOR MONEY.
I booked a return visit before I left,that's how much I enjoyed it.