Review's of Woolston Manor Golf Club
Clubhouse/Hospitality
Quality of Course
Practice Facilities
Value for Money
Enjoyable, challenging, much potential!
There's a really good course here close to breaking out. Not the longest, but the holes are designed to make you think your way around with plenty of bunkers to avoid along with water, ditches and the occasional awkward tree. Definitely a course where you want to stay in position.
Greens were in decent nick though slow and I couldn't believe some occasions where the ball didn't deviate along clear breaks - I don't remember this from playing here a few weeks ago and none of the others in the fourball seemed to be suffering so perhaps I was having a really off day....
The bunkers were in poor shape, some under a little water, others pretty crusty and the remainder just heavy, so recovery was a little iffy.
Nice clubhouse and bar, good outside area to sit for drinks/food and a large putting and chipping area in good condition, with a couple of driving nets. There's also a Top Golf nearby on what I think used to be a regular range.
A good course, a little frustrating that it could be really good with a bit of TLC.
Clubhouse/Hospitality
Quality of Course
Practice Facilities
Value for Money
Challenging, pretty, well designed but wet.....
Last minute decision to join a TSG game at Woolston Manor, the weather forecast looked ok & previous short reviews did tempt me to venture one more time 50 miles each way on M25....I also wanted to test/try my new winter tyres: solid & grounded, just like my golf posture.
When you arrive to the golf course, you enter through impressive iron gates but as you drive to the car park you encounter lots of potholes, same in the car park itself & one wonders if one is in the right place. My winter tyres did cope very well with this adverse terrain, just like a 4 x 4. Then one looks at the Clubhouse on the left handside and you know you are at Woolston Manor Golf Club.
The Clubhouse is an attractive building, it makes a good impression (better than the car park) & accommodates the Proshop, friendly & nicely stocked, the changing rooms, the restaurant upstairs, various functions rooms, the Spike bar downstairs, pleasant & light overlooking a very large terrace with a very tempting open air pool (for members/guests), and lots of wooden garden furniture, there is a large balcony, all this overlooking the fantastic finishing 18th hole, with pond & slightly elevated/tiered green, difficult to read as some golfers found out, not just TSGers but members doing a Matchplay competition.
There was a friendly marshall at the starter point, he did a good job monitoring the pace of play & looked after the members doing Matchplay, letting them go through etc....but we then did have to wait a little...
The course is only 18 years old, a design from Neil Coles & David Williams, blends in well with the established trees and River Roding that snakes through the course, many bridges have to be crossed (more than 10, maybe more), today the river was showing signs of fast flow & also overflowing.
The course itself was very wet for my liking, muddy in lots of places, the bunkers are numerous, huge, well placed, of an interesting design & height, they certainly add interest & challenge, I particulary liked the one on the 15th that creates a circle around the oak trees that are in the way of one Tee shot (from Yellow Tees). The bunkers were quite full with water and we saw the greenkeepers trying to dig some holes for the water to escape, it must be nicer to play when the course is drier. The red Tee boxes were extremely spongy, nearly needed “relief”, as could not get as grounded as I wanted to for the all important tee shots, making “driving for show” difficult(I must confirm that there are more bunkers at the Buckinghamshire Golf Course Denham). Here at Woolston Manor, the escape from the bunkers although wet, was not too difficult, whilst at Denham, one escapes one bunker to end up in another one.......).
There additional water features, such as ponds & lakes, with very interesting vegetation & habitat, these features provide additional challenges and are best avoided. I believe there is a place to do “bird watching”, near the 1st green & 6th tee. The fairways are wide but have the trees well placed as well as the bunkers described above, so need careful plotting. High handicappers like me needs to play safely, whilst risks may be taken for golfers that have more powerful swings.
The greens were in good conditions & one needed to read them carefully, I did see a lot of 3 putting today....
I suppose I better describe 1 or 2 favourite holes (maybe 3) otherwise I feel my review will not be complete, so here we go:
HOLE 6, PAR 4: A tricky hole as one as to cross the River twice, with bridges that can help you ball bounce out of trouble if you are lucky, after the 2nd bridge there are some ondulations that cannot always be seen unless you have the local knowledge, the green is guarded by a very huge bunker on the left and the green is sloping right....
HOLE 10, PAR 3: I thought I describe this hole as I was the only one (yes, me the high handicapper) to reach the green in one & got a birdie. This is an intimidating par 3, with the river curling right in front of the tee boxes and 3 enormous bunkers protecting the green with red stakes all along the right handside where the river carries on its course.
I did like the 12th, Par 5, index 1, but will describe:
HOLE 13, PAR 4: Very beautiful & lots of water comes into play. The fairway is surrounded by water, the green is a semi island which slopes towards the water. A real pleasure to plan & play.
Some practice facilities: putting green, nets, a chipping area, slightly remote. Pleasant/friendly staff. Good service, good food & good value in the Clubhouse. A very attractive course, but more enjoyable in drier conditions, a little noisy with the M11 in the vicinity. I would certainly return in the Spring or Summer, as very good value for money for TSGers.
THE END......
Clubhouse/Hospitality
Quality of Course
Practice Facilities
Value for Money
Excellent course, well worth the visit
Clubhouse is excellent, with friendly staff, and superb amenities. Provides good food and very reasonably priced. Lovely terrace for enjoying a drink overlooking the 18th.
Fairways are very well kept, the grass being quite lush and a pleasure to play off. One word of warning for those golfers not too good at bunker play - get some practice in, as there a loads of them, and very handily placed. The sand however is superb, no hard lies. The greens are very good. They had recently been tined when I played it last, but they are very slick, with lots of subtle borrows...all in all a great challenge. I'd recommend this course to anyone, particularly TSG members as the green fee is only £15....at today's rates, a bargain