Huntercombe Golf Club

Huntercombe, I don't think, is not a name that I remember croping up in a lot of lists of great courses, which is a shame because its an absolute delight. There are lots of excellent tree lined fairways, and greens that are as smooth as you could hope for. It's not without its quirks, with tiers on some greens that wouldn't look out of place on a rollar coaster.

I don't remember too many simple holes, but instead there were plenty with mounds and bush filled craters just waiting to claim an errant shot. I guess they're there to make up for the limited number of bunkers. The fairways generally aren't the widest you'll ever play, but they're not the tightest either. For the added views I'd probably pick holes 1 & 2 as my favourites, but there are a number of others that would run them close.

Is there anything that could be classed as a disappointment? The noise from the roads means you never quite get that away-from-it-all feel, and the flag colours don't really conform to the norm (FYI, blue flag front, red flag middle, and yellow flag back). Hey, the club is over 100 years old and it can do what it wants, and I should have just read the back of the card earlier. So, nothing to really stop you from playing here.

I played here for £30 for a January twilight time, which I think it certainly decent value. You won't see the course at its best, but you will see a course that's better at coping with winter than most other courses in the area. I didn't get to see inside the clubhouse, so I can't really comment on that.

There's a Red Kite on the club's merchandise, and I did get to see one or two flying above the course, so that was a bonus.

Would I recommend the course or go back? Yes to both!

*** Update - I just looked it up and Huntercombe featured in Golf World's top 100 courses in England ***