Hever Castle Golf Club

A course everyone should play !

Play this one at least once a year , two or three times if I can .
All the staff here give the impression that they really want you here and for you to enjoy your game . Pro shop , bar/resto , green staff and starter all smile and welcome you . Not always the welcome you get at clubs especially if you are part of a society.
For time of year greens were excellent and even with all the rainfall recently although a bit mucky in places fairways also good . Food good , drinks a bit pricey.
Get there early and play the 9 hole first , a brilliant course !

  

Course was - not sure I would go back

The course was a little underwhelming and although the front nine were enjoyable, the back nine felt slightly neglected and under maintained. Lots of standing water in places on the fairway which were not ground under repair. The greens were fairly fast but didn't feel overly controllable. Unfortunately i'm not sure that I would return to Hever Castle though the staff were very accommodating.

  

Worth a visit

Nice course in lovely surroundings.
Bit over-priced in my opinion but worth a visit at least once. Relatively tough and be prepared for a long walk. Fairways fantastic!

  

Beautiful, long & demanding.......

The golf course is situated on the large estate of historic Hever Castle, Kent. Very impressive setting be it the grounds, the clubhouse and the design of the course which is just over 20 years old.

We played the Championship course comprising the Kings & Queens, two very different halves but equally challenging, may be more so the 2nd half which comprises a very long Par 5, 618 yards from the yellows ! On this very peaceful environment you will enjoy all that golf has to offer: lovely scenery, warm welcome, delightful Clubhouse and a well presented & maintained course with a strong challenge. Some dog legs , a few blind holes if I recall but the sleek & beautiful contoured greens are to be remembered. The bunkers are not many but very well designed for that strong challenge that the Championship course offers.

The practice facilities are 1st class too: the large putting area which makes a focus point from the terrace, the open & covered driving range, a large chipping and sand bunker a little further away down a well laid out path.

You will encounter a variety on each hole: some with very wide fairways impeccably cut, some narrower, large bunkers, and the natural water hazards, bridges, ponds, streams, ditches, etc. present on numerous holes. The trees are very mature, the ponds & streams are a haven for wildlife. The 2nd nine seems a little "wilder" in appearance, so probably more beautiful to my own eyes.

Today (Tuesday 30 April 2014) was a gorgeous sunny day on an empty course, a very pleasant mixed 4 balls taking advantage of a special £80 voucher kindly offered by our coolest, friendliest & most handsome TSG Ian F. Thank you from the 4 of us.

My favourite hole is the 12th, a Par 3, not that long, very beautiful, a large pond in front of the green, 2 huge bunkers, 1 on the left side and 1 at the back, the green is encircled by trees, also present on the right hand side. I think the tees were slightly raised.

Another hole worth mentioning is the 13th, a tough "cookie" which can upset your scorecard, the shot from the yellow is one of the most awkward as it facing sideways towards the narrow fairway bordered by a pond nearly as long as the hole on the left, mature trees on the right. The green slopes towards a stream waiting to catch the rolling ball and a large bunker on its left.

The Clubhouse is very attractive with a feature on its roof: different coloured tiles spells the name HEVER. A huge paved terrace with classy metal furniture & sunshades, lots of flowers arrangements, to the side of the terrace is a water feature: a pond, an old bridge, a weeping willow, looks very romantic. a lovely & scented rose path leading to the Ladies changing rooms which are well equipped. The lounge is spacious with lots of natural light,, nice furniture providing a pleasant seating arrangement.

Food is excellent: club burger with blue cheese and side salad + chips is recommended. Reasonable price for drinks too. Smiling & happy to serve Bar staff.

The Pro shop is well stocked and you get a nice welcome.

Large car park. The course is situated quite far away from all the main roads and if George (my GPS) does not behave, it will take you down single track lanes which I hate !!!!

A lovely experience on a very beautiful course but would not like to play on a wet and windy day.

There are special offers throughout the year.

By the way, I never saw or had a glimpse of the castle, so may be I shall return.




THE END.....

(My very own personal views usual).

  

Gorgeous course

It's hard not to love this course, although if you're looking for a good score then at 6500 yards from the yellows you maybe need to play elsewhere.

The front 9 is fairly generous with the fairways, but on the back 9 it tightens up and adds 200 yards. The 12th is a lovely looking par 4, but with a lake, trees, and a stream running in front of the green, there's lots of potential to ruin your round.

The par 5 17th has to be conquered if you want to get a good score here. At 600+ yards, and with a narrow landing area from the tee, it is far from easy.

The first three par 3's are all really pretty looking holes, and add in the scenery, clubhouse, and practise facilities, you should really enjoy the experience. Just don't expect a low score.

  

Course Review

Despite the oft heavy rain for the first nine holes and the disappearing light at the end; (who knows what holes 17 & 18 look like); I had a very enjoyable time on a beautiful course; I played very well for most holes but lost it badly on a few; all problem scores that incurred were down to my bad stroke play/club selection and not the conditions. Greens were very firm considering the wet conditions and I found them difficult to read. The hospitality received was excellent. This is a course I hope to play again sometime soon in 2014 preferably under bright/warm/dry conditions.

  

WELL WORTH A VISIT

Despite the utterly miserable weather, the course was holding up very well, greens were excellent. Great Clubhouse, very friendly staff, excellent food. Well worth a visit, so don't leave it too long!!

  

The brilliance of Hever Castle Golf Course

It's tough and rewarding - good for both high and low handicap players who love a challenge.(and a long walk). Set in beautiful parkland over-seen by the Castle and grounds. Tread where Kings and Queens have trod before.

A 27 hole gem.

In my view a true and honest golf challenge.

If I lived nearer, Hever Castle Golf Club would be the club I would join. I love it and will play it when ever I can.



  

Another great course

Im beginning to think I am to easily pleased as every course I play I love but this one is now firmly in my top 2.....until the next one!!!

Due to the lovely Claire who works there we all got a fabulous discount so it was definitely great value but even if you paid full price I still think you would be getting your monies worth so top marks for this.

Club house has great character and all staff are very friendly and service was great, food was good and suitably priced as well.

Practise area looked great but I never bother with this other than a putt or two but it has a range, nice size putting green, chipping area so all there to use.

Course is FANTASTIC. Every hole was differant and the course is clearly well maintained. The greens had recently been worked on this week so due to a little sand made putting a little harder but still, they have to do what they have to. I bet there immaculate when in their prime.

I was slightly bemused by the stroke indexes on some of the holes but typically I always seem to play harder holes better than easier.

They have the longest par 4 (16th) I think I have ever seen and said on the tee this must be a par 5. 'Your having a laugh aren't you...they must be joking...I then went and parred it so can't be as long as it looked!!!

The 18th is a long par 5 at over 600 yards but a nice hole to finish off.

Really great golf course, really nice club. Hope to get many invites back. Get down there and see if you to can par the 16th

  

a very nice, if sometimes v tough course

I only scored 31 points on my first visit, but this was down to my mistakes.
The course had been burnt by the heatwave, and then rained on heavily the day before we played, the course had drained very well indeed, far better than expected, just some of the burnt areas and gone a little mushy, but not overly so. I will not criticize the greens for being a little slow, as they had been working on them a few days before we played.
I will not lie, there are some rather tough holes on this course, and if you don't take care this course will not only chew you up and spit you out, it will stamp on you afterwards, with a few rather tough tee shots... High handicappers, I tell you now, on some tees accept your handicap and play safe or ELSE.
Now for the important bits, it is a really nice walk this course, with some nice scenery, and the course is cut through trees and more trees. The greens, (ignoring the works being carried out), have some tricky breaks and slopes on them, so accept the odd 3 putt from a misread line. practice facilities are ok, and even nice views from the practice areas.
I havent looked what the regular prices are, but we paid £20 and I assure you it is a course that was well worth the money. I would most definately play this course again, despite the drive of over 40 miles. I gave it only 4/5 for value, but only due to the weather damage. This is a good ol tough course that you need to play well and hit long off of the tee where possible to score well. I nearly forgot, I reached the 600 yard par 5 in 3 blows of the golf sticks YESSSS, driver, 3 wood 21 degree rescue to a yard onto the front yehaw!

  

Fantastic well worth the visit

Hever Golf is a very pretty parkland course, superbly maintained, the 11th 12th 13th are the best 3 holes and the 17th a great 618 yards hole, the club house was great as well

  

Worth a visit.

27 holes split into nines [Kings/Queens/Princes].
Played Championship course [Kings/Queens] is very good.
Front nine slightly more open than back nine.
Some tight holes and doglegs.
Nice 600 plus yard hole near the end of the round.
Greens were fast. Fairways ok but in need of water!!!
Clubhouse is good.
Would I play again....absolutely.

  

lovely course

Deceiving course, you don't realise how long it is.Played off the forward tee's at 6500 yds. Starts with a few standard holes and then really comes into it's own.Some really pretty holes especially the ones with water. Condition was generally good all round with very true greens.Very dry course which must be good in the winter. Certainly one to play again!!!!

  

Fantastic Course

First time playing here and was very impressed all round
Clubhouse with open fire,good food,and good practice Ground all in all had a great day and will be watching
out for any more golf at this course

  

Hever Castle Golf club

I played here for the first time at the TSG championships on 16th April 2010. We played off the whites, which made the course extremely long & tough for a 20 handicapper! This course is very nice visually, but has some very tough holes especially on the back 9, which has their version of Amen corner, with 3 holes that have to be played with pinpoint accuracy. The 13th has a lake to the left of centre, Large trees scattered all over the right of the narrow fairway & a wide ditch surrounding the small, right to left sloping green! This is index 1. The course has Index 1, 2 & 3 all on the back 9, which is unusual, but still has some very tough holes on the front. Incidentally the 17th is a par 5 629yd hole. Not being a massive hitter, I needed a driver, two 3 woods & an 8 iron just to get on the green! I was very lucky to come away with 29 points (24 off 3/4 !) It is definitely worth playing & I can't wait to take on this, 6700 yd challenge again sometime.

  

A great setting.........

First thing thats grabs you about this course is the clubhouse. Nicely positioned over looking both the 9th and 18th greens with plenty of space to enjoy a drink after the round. The course itself plays long(!). It will always take you a club more than you think to reach the greens and even then you will be tested as the course is susceptible to head winds. However, there are some great holes here and well worth a visit. Its a little pricey at £40 but great value at £20 with a 2for1 voucher/openfairways card. Will be back soon....


  

hever castle

Fantastic course, 6500yrds off yellow tees, weather was perfect, course was very well kept although greens have been spiked(like most courses this time of the year - getting ready for the summer.)
The course is challenging although you are still able to get the driver out and have a real go, i think the course is one where u have to ATTACK the pins to shoot a good score.
Must be noted i like playing exciting par 3's and the 12th won't disappoint followed by an excellent par 4 13th.
Can't wait to go back.


  

michael palmer

hever castle is a wonderfull course, i did,nt play that well today, the fairways are in very good condition, the greens were good, but fast, this course is well worth playing................but don,t loose your head..

  

A superb golf complex, not to be missed

Well, what can I say. The course (18 hole) is so good that i played like a complete plonker but still thoroughly enjoyed the round. The greens are too firm (hard to stop on them) but the layout and the scenery make up for everything (and for those who like a challenge the 630 yd par 5 dog-leg 17th should give you what you are looking for). And for those wanting a lessor challenge but with the same quality and, history and layout the 'Princes' 9 hole looked superb (not played).