London Golf Club

Excellent course

Great to play a quality course in excellent winter condition. Expensive but worth it

  

Something new

Newbie, so still learning what to expect from golf courses. The company (TSGers) was fantastic, friendly group!

  

LONDON GOLF CLUB - No.1 COURSE IN KENT !!!

I've played a lot of golf courses in the last 30 years, some good, some, not so, but nothing has come close to The London Golf Club I played on Tuesday 2nd June 2015. This came about from the ill fated "SLA Golf Day" that was cancelled on the TSG Events page. I had already paid in advance so, couldn't really cancel and was really worried about the event actually taking place and hence losing my money I had paid. My fears were allayed the second I entered the gates and was met by the security guard at his hut. "SLA Golf Day" I said, "Yes, Sir, Straight to the end of the driveway and pull up at the clubhouse front doors". Now, although the weather was shockingly bad, (50mph winds and rain), and it had put me on a bit of a downer, pulling up at the clubhouse suddenly changed all that. I was greeted by several officials who took our clubs and put them ready for us on the golf buggies provided. I have to say, it's the first time I have felt like a VIP at any golf course and trust me, I'm not that by any stretch of the imagination. Once parked up, we entered reception and registered for the day and were given "Goody Bags" containing tees, pencils, stroke saver, water, bananas, choc bars and various other related items, a real bonus to me. Then, it was upstairs to the restaurant for breakfast, sausage & bacon muffins, (another first), tea & coffee; you could have as much as you fancied but I just stuck to the one, which was very unlike me. After a briefing, it was on the buggies to the practice range and a quick "WHACK" with my new clubs. The facilities here were superb, grass range with pyramids of balls to practice with, I couldn't fault it at all. A shotgun start off the 3rd tee commenced which was at the far end of the course, at this stage, I would just like to say this course is best suited for buggies with long gaps between some of the tees and a buggy path the whole way round, although we were allowed to venture on to the fairways even in the bad weather. Now, from our 1st hole to our last every tee box, fairway and green was of the highest quality, lovingly tended by the green staff and a credit to the club, no wonder it is a European Tour venue. On the times I did find the fairway, they were like playing off lush carpets, absolutely fantastic and the greens, so smooth and true, even in that wind, ( if you remember the scene from the film, "Caddy Shack", where the priest was playing the best golf of his life in a hurricane and finally gets struck down by lightning on the 18th, our game was definitely like that, although the lightning never arrived, Thank God!!) There were plenty of challenging holes with deep bunkers, lots of water and long grassy rough for the wayward shots but all in all, a great layout. After the round, we dried off and went back upstairs for the presentation and dinner, a lovely evening ensued with talks from the charities involved and from an ex welsh rugby international whose name escapes me and a wonderful 3 course meal. We left the venue at around 9pm and thought this was definitely the best course we had ever been to in Kent and, as good as The Belfry in Birmingham, which had been my No.1 for many years. To sum up, if you're looking for that special golf course and have a spare £100 or so floating about in your account, (although we only paid £67.50 for the whole golf day, I know, mad, isn't it), then go and play The London Golf Club, everything far exceeded our expectations!!!

  

Great course

Standing on the first reminds you why you play the game!

  

Fantastic experience, Highly recommended. Will definitely return :-)

The greens were excellent. Very slick as were the practice putting greens.
Free balls on the range was a nice touch. Shop and bar very welcoming too. Great views from the clubhouse. The only 2 gripes were the inadequate signage on the International course and no distance markers to help speed up the pace of play.

  

Outstanding Course, Fantastic Clubhouse, Faultless Service

Took advantage of a winter promotion, whereby we had breakfast, 18 holes and lunch for £75. From being greeted at the gate to the service and food in the restaurant area and from the tees to the green the club was exactly what you would expect of a European Tour destination that will play host the the 2014 Volvo World Matchplay Championship.

Greens were in excellent condition and very fast. Fairways were generously wide but were defended by several large sand traps and water hazards on several holes. Several elevated tees allowed for excellent views accross the course as well as providing some daunting tee shots, notably the par 3 8th and 12th holes accross large water hazards into greens sloping back towards the hazards. The elevated tees and wide fairways with large bunkers give an American style feel to the course and encourages the risk/reward shots, however the number of hazards and undulations force you to think about every shot.
Despite the recent wet weather the course was completely free from puddles and not wet under foot.

The clubhouse matched the excellence of the course, with modern spike bar, changing facilities and bar.

The only area for any criticism was the practice facilities. The range had nice grass areas to play from but had few practice targets and the chipping green and bunker were being repaired so were out of use. That said the putting green was very well looked after and exactly representative of the greens on the course.

Despite the high summer visitior green fees I would definately recommend a visit, particularly if you can take advantage of an offer. It really is a must play.

  

a lovely walk!

super course, but lots of hilly walking between greens and tees. and not many signs so got lost a bit.the clubhouse is beautiful and there are loads of practice facilities. would jump at the chance to play there again but i bet it would be very hard in the summer when the rough would be up and the green mega fast.

  

A very special treat

When you arrive at The London Club you feel special, as you are greeted at the gate with a friendly face giving you instructions on where to go. You can drive in front of the house and drop your bags off before parking. All parking is close to the clubhouse. The clubhouse is stunning; very classy and generously staffed. Practice facilities are awesome; with all balls provided for free and the grass matching that of the course, as you find out when you play. The pro shop do not stock tees, which was surprising and I was very disappointed that there was only a handful of ladies clothing stocked. The changing rooms are very impressive, formal and classy, with beautiful wooden lockers, stunning showers and facilities. However, the lighting did not lend itself to applying make up and there were only mirrors at a stretch above the basins. There is no seated vanity area and would suggest that the lounging area just inside the doorway could be adapted accordingly. Our society were provided with a delicious bacon and sausage muffin prior to our game. Better than a bacon roll any day. Upon our arrival at the putting area just beside the 1st tee at the International course, we were welcomed by Darren, who was our host for the day and he greeted all with instructions for the course and each player was announced on the tee which was a nice touch. The course is absolutely smashing. Such pleasure to walk on beautifully manicured fairways and the greens were very true and testing. There were a lot of pitch marks on the greens which needed repairing which was surprising, taking into consideration the quality of the course and the amount of money people are paying to play it. Signage needs to be addressed, as it was difficult to know where to go for the majority of the course and there are very long, hilly walks inbetween each hole. The halfway hut was a delight and it's always great for the ladies to have facilities available on any golf course. As a course, I would say it was not particularly difficult and my advice would be to plot your way around and you can make a good score. Each hole is beautifully designed and there is a lot to think about. Don't be too greedy, but have some fun and you can steal a cheeky score. I found it very surprising that the 17th Par 3 was Stroke Index 2 for the men. Very gettable in 1 for most, even with high handicaps. It was only Stroke Index 8 for the ladies. This should be reviewed. We returned to the clubhouse to a delicious Chilli Burger which was an occcasion in itself. Our society really enjoyed our day; the hospitality was fabulous and I would recommend anyone to save their pennies to play this course and enjoy a very special treat of a day.

  

Awesome

Where do I start ? I was lucky enough to be invited to a corporate day :) Thanks Mark :) We pulled up outside the Awesome club House, had our clubs taken from us and was told they would be waiting for us on our buggy :).After our Breakfast we got told that our pair we was playing with have pulled out so the Pro Shed will be taking there place, what a Bum :). First Tee we first needed to get the corporate bits out the way ( its a hard life :) )the announcer called Mark up and we was off, A Very good course, you must keep straight rough is rough was lucky to have had the pro with us so managed to get out well a few times :) Bunkers awesome greens fast but fair. Overall a very good day that I will remember for a long time Thanks Mark, The pro Did mention that they will be doing a few deals :) still just under the £100 thou maybe just dont tell the wife and go for it, you wont be disappointed.

  

Fantastic!!!

Where does one start? Well before the review a quick background as to how I came to play here. I was lucky enough to be invited on a corporate day, with 1 guest (Darren). We arrived at 10.00am to be meet at the car park, by a gentleman who took our bags etc, and informed us they would be waiting for us on the tee at our scheduled tee time. Once parked up we entered the reception to be handed a goodie bag and directed to the chnaging rooms, after which we would go upstairs for unlimited breakfast/coffee/tea. At 11 o'clock we had a debrief after which Darren and I Were approached to told there was good news, and bad news! The bad news was the other 2 ball we were paired with would not be joining us, the good news was we would play a 3 ball, with the club pro (Simon Head, Shead to friends, and now Darren and me). We were starting on the 10th and even at my age playing with a pro made my stomach churn, which resulted in a shocking 11 shots on the hole! Thankfully the round improved. The day ended with a 15 minute bunker session with another pro (Chris), followed by a bar-b-q etc. The course is far too good for the likes of me, having viewed their web site, and seen the flyovers of each hole, it had scared the s*** out of me! Thankfully some holes aren't as bad as they looked. The course is amazing, with fringes in better condition than some greens I would normally play on. The bunkers are full of beautiful soft sand, the fairways, very smooth, and the rough ruthless, which with out guidance from Shead, I would never have got out of. The greens are unbelievably fast (Shead says they have a run rate of 10'). Great pratice facilities, the changing rooms are amazing (Darren and I were like 2 kids on Christmas morning when we entered them) excellent showers, curtious staff, great food I could go on all night about the day, and the course. Fortunately our day was free; however, though the course is very expensive I think if you only play there once it is great value, just for that experience.

  

Wonderful challenging European tour venue

Classy venue oozes quality, but penal rough awaits the rich and famous. The greeens are so well protected and par is an excellent score on any hole. Par 5s reachable in 2 off the yellows, but unless you make the green, you are looking at a 6 at least. Play sensibly and play well and it's a terrific day out if you have the cash.

  

Quite a treat

Lucky enough to have been invited to play the Heritage with a friend/member.
Clubhouse and reception welcome very professional. Trust the course was in very good condition.
Wide fairways, high ruf, deep bunker, fast green. All you need for a great round of golf, really.
Would really like to play again as I trust you need several rounds to get the grip of the course and score correctly. Play from the white for a real challenge to your game! Enjoy

  

Fantastic Course Greens Perfect

Course is great even in winter club house very relaxed atmosphere.

Great experience

  

A Real Treat..........

Well theres is very little you can complain about here, from the moment you drop your clubs at reception and someone carries them to the Pro shop, you know youre going to be spoilt! I played The International and whilst I played it in a previous life it really does make you appreciate what the pro's contend with every week - the greens were exceptional and sooooooo fast! The clubhouse is outstanding and everything about the place says quality. However, whilst I was lucky enough to be a guest I am not sure I could afford to play here every week. Still, a fantastic course and one I look forward to playing again if they'll have me back! :-)


  

London Club

Played the international today as the Heritage is closed for a couple of weeks course was in excellent condition shame i wasn't the weather went from sunshine to wind to light rain but the greens were still like glass for this time of the year.
Food and staff onsite were excellent abit disappointed with the pro shop though.

  

John Clines

What a day,what a course,to have your clubs taken from your car and set out for you ready for your round "WOW"
The club house is like somewhere in the Algarve.The course well thay are going to play this years European Open enough said.

  

london club

First visit to the London Club and certainly enjoyed the round. the fairways were wide thought fairway bunkering did come into play on a number of holes so beware.
The greens were in excellent condition and the roll fast and true.

On our visit the driving range looked good but was closed, we could see no reason for this and for such a course very poor.

If you have played Charthills, East Sussex National or Dalehill (woosnam) then The London club is not different in looks or feel, where it is different is the greenfee!
We paid £65 for 18 holes in March for a friday game, this goes up to £75 (April) and £110 from May.
if you play monday-thursday in April this drops to £65 and for May £95.
And you are not playing the course used to host the european open.

It is certainly not worth this sort of money you will pay a lot less for Charthills or East Sussex and have the same standard of course



  

International or Heritage?

Having played both courses (you have to be the guest of a member to play the Heritage) I can say that, whilst they are different, both are top quality (design, layout, challenge, visual interest and condition).

The International has the feel of wider fairways and is definitely more forgiving.

The Heritage is, slightly, longer (but feels much longer) and the rough can be a bit punitive.

Both course are excellently laid out (visually interesting) with good use of bunkers and both make good use of water hazards to add further interest (especially good par threes on both courses which are all carry over water - the International has water in play on 4 holes to the Heritage's 6).

The clubhouse is very imposing and offers most facilities.

Practice facilities are top notch with driving range, bunkers & chipping greens plus putting greens.

All in all, both courses are well worth a visit but I'd suggest that to get the best out of them you need to be < 18 handicap to enjoy the challenge of the Heritage while (whilst being far from easy) the International can be enjoyed by all levels of golfer.

The only criticism is the cost - everything from a cofeee to the price of a tee time is expensive.