Stoke Park Golf Club

You know, as soon as you drive through the front gates you are going to have a good day. The manicured lawns, idyllic setting, ancient bridges and the greeting at The Clubhouse, tells you everything your need to know. Polite, well mannered staff help you with everything you need and the surroundings and food are excellent!

The course itself is dominated by the famous clubhouse in sight from five or more holes but it is most notably known for its starring role in the James Bond movie 'Goldfinger', where 'Oddjob' throws his steel bladed bowler hat at 007 across the 18th green, missing and decapitating the marble statue. However, less well known is the Par 3 - 8th, which was the inspiration for the one and only 'Amen Corner' at Augusta.

I won't rattle on about the fantastic greens and well sculptured fairways as this is a given for any course that charges £150+ to play. Fortunately though I was a guest on a corporate golf day and therefore did not require the small mortgage required to play here.

Of course, I would play here every week if I could but until that lottery win, I will just say, if you get invited to play here - you will not be disappointed!

Stand on the 16th tee and take a panoramic shot. You couldn't ask for a more attractive environment for golf. Come on a corporate budget or bring a fat wallet, but you will enjoy it. The clubhouse is elegant, the service traditional and discrete and the whole thing oozes class. The course itself is very playable and, like a good corporate venue, the fairways are wide, the bunkers laid back a bit and the greens hard to 3-putt. You'll mostly be distracted from your game by the beauty of the surroundings, or else the bill you'll be picking up later. But if somebody else ie paying...