Woldingham Golf Club

The area as a whole is scenic and the course has some interesting holes and with lots of tricky sidehill lies. Unfortunately the day we played it rained on and off throughout the round.

This is definitely not a winter course as given that it was muddy in October from a weeks rain, I would imagine in winter it would be very boggy. However I’m sure this would be a nicer course to play on a summers day.

There is a chipping green, putting green a driving net and a very small driving range. The driving range is short only 200yds so no drivers allowed and when I visited the driving range area appeared scruffy.

Would I play again, yes, but only in summer, however it’s not a course I would go out of my way to play. Given a choice between playing Woldingham and Westerham I would pick Westerham every time.

NB with the constant drizzle covering my specs I couldn't see as well as I needed to, the wind was in face a lot of the time, I was cold, wet and annoyed, so factor that into this review..

The paths must be great when it's dry but in the rain they were covered in water and mud, very rutted and pot holed, and only slightly easier than the muddy grass. My Powakaddy couldn't grip a lot of the time, even with winter wheels. Why were trolleys allowed anyway? All they did was churn grass into mud.
Due to the rain several tees had little shaky platforms that didn't easily take a tee, either wood or plastic.
Despite hitting some good drives my second shots always seemed to be either above or below the ball, very few from a flat area, even on fairways.
The driving range only gives 60 balls, which is too much for me before a game. The putting area has too few holes and was very different to the actual greens. The greens were uneven and very challenging.
The roped off areas needed to be updated, having more grass around them than the slippery slopes of many holes.
The clubhouse is pleasant, although the bar is quite small. The car park got full just after I arrived - no idea where later arrivals parked.

£25 is over-priced for this course compared to others in Surrey.

Very open parkland course with undulating fairways with firm & true greens in good condition some guarded by deep green side bunkers and a good amount of fairway bunkers. Designed for the high to mid handicap player. Sadly 30% some of the bunkers had very little sand or stone in them, overall the quality of the course very good.
Excellent club house with small pro shop & friendly staff. Practise chipping, putting green, driving range.
Sort of course I definitely be a member.

Quite impressive, as you drive up towards the car park passing holes on either side of the road, with the rage double tiered club house in front of you. The car park is large, the course has some good views, and all the fairways, and greens are in great condition, the only slight niggle was, on this actual day the bunkers were poor (I visited 8!!) some heavy wet sand, and all with small stones in them. Although the course looks easy very rarely are you playing the ball on even ground, due to all the sloping fairways, which for some (me especially) can be a problem making the course quite challenging.

This is a course I will defiantly be returning to.

Very Warm and long the sun was up so very difficult to keep your eye on the ball, i lost four and three of those were on the green,if you could keep to the fairway you were o.k.but once in rough or semi very difficult to find that little white monster the grass was very lush.I look forward to returning .

I won't comment too much on the course as this was done diligently in my review of 15th June this year.

Sunny return to Woldingham on a hot, very hot day. We drunk litres of water!!!

Course always very beautiful, pleasing to the eye, the setting is unique (Halliloo Valley), lovely fairways, 1st cut quite thick, making ball finding difficult, not a lot of flat areas, one needs to carefully plan the landing of the golf ball.

Normally extremely fast greens, but today (Sunday 19th August 2012) the greens were being treated, sand & track lines, so putting was a little awkward but I did manage an impressive 20 ft putt on the 6th hole!

Sand bunkers, deep, very deep and that is where my Matchplay partner Ian M. disappeared when I could not find him anywhere on the course, all I could see was a little white peak cap ! (the 8th hole?), a crane would have been useful to get him out, but there were some wooden steps in most of the deep craters.

Our Matchplay ended on the 15th hole, a fierce battle with Nev S.(now back on form)/ Dave H. the winners who got their rewards: ice cold drinks that took 20 minutes to be dispensed, problems with the gas bottles....

We saw a pretty & happy Bride with a "meringue type" dress by the 9th hole, I suppose Halliloo Valley is quite a romantic place to tie the knot.

A hot day for golfing but enjoyable all the same.

Will return anytime to Woldingham, as the TSG deal is very good and the course very challenging & beautiful.

By the way, Ian just about made it to the end (he was suffering badly after two days in 30+ tempretures) but I dont think he knows how many steps there are to get to the White Tees on the 17th????? (breathtaking views from this point).


THE END.....

Course was in great condition, probably due to Club Championship being played same day. Very impressed with the frequent, but unobtrusive visits of the rangers on the course, although there was a hold up in front of our society which obviously didn't get picked up. I am not used to playing different courses, so my handicap was tested and I finished with knowledge that I need to practice more. Would love to play here again.

What a lovely setting for a golf course: the Halliloo Valley, on chalky grounds, so well drained (a few paddles on the man made paths and some bunkers).

Bunkers NO !!!! More like CRATERS where World War II bombs exploded: huge, massive, deep, treacherous holes that create fear, so make sure you avoid them or that you are as good as Phil Nickelson!

Everywhere you look is pleasing to the eye. There will be a few pictures posted if I manage it after such a hard day.

As the course is set in a valley, no flat fairways, you have to find the plateaux, otherwise make sure you aim correctly, judging the roll Left or Right and avoid the craters along the fairways and the one guarding the greens. Sometimes 8 craters !!!! some were a little sandless or compacted unfortunately. The 4 of us had good bunker practice today...

The greens are FANTASTIC, I could say the best in Surrey from what I haveseen so far. Truly perfect, fast, well cut, ondulating, tiered on some holes, "true" (I think it is the technical word)as the ball stops when one pitches: a delight.

A buggy is useful, yes & no as Carlos found out, one has to park the buggy on the designated paths, so still a lot of walking to do unless you land your ball near the path.

It is one of the best work out I have done so far in the last 6 months, I am going to have legs and arms like Poppeye by the end of the year, you wont recognise me !

No water comes into play, BUT it did today as we had a downpour on the 8th hole, so we huddled (3 of us) by the big trees (apparently all major trees have a name), fighting with the wind, umbrellas, hats flying off, trolley (mine) being blown away whislt the 4th person was having a wet picnic by the bushes across the other side of the fairway where his tee shot landed, but he did not find his ball. Poor Chris all on his own, but I think he enjoyed his sandwich !!!!

After a good 5 minutes, we resumed play, all terribly wet making our way to the green where 8 (yes EIGHT) fearful craters awaited to greet us.

The 9th hole has an unusual ending as the green is a "double green or shared green", meaning one side is the 9th (yellow flag) and the other side is the 18th (red flag), most of the craters are by the 18th but one can get caught if route not planned carefully or wrong club is selected.

Every hole is really interesting and beautiful whether Par 3. 4 or 5. Two Par 3s stick to my mind: 7th and 17th.

7th Par 3: uphill, quite long but impressive to play, well guarded (more bommbs exploded there, about 5)!!!

17th Par 3: perched at the highest point of the course, dominating the whole of the Halliloo Valley, very exciting, adrenaline flows (by the way about 32 deep steps to the white Tees, I did count them), deep bunkers on the Right handside.

Holes with most bunkers are 8th and 9th/18th....

A truly magnificient course, very well looked after, fantastic greens.

Practice: open field for driving range, also a net by the 1st Tee, sand and chipping area and 2 putting greens.

Public footpath crossing in some places where one can see people with dogs or horse riding.

Friendly Proshop (well stocked) and Clubhouse.

Clubhouse has a terrace overlooking the 9th and 18th combined greens. Clubhouse is a mansion type building, sort of modern, it looks all very grand. Large, well laid out Car Park with nice & colourful plants/flowers as yo walk to the Clubhouse.

so if you have not played there, come and try or if you have plaid, I am sure you will come back. So watch out for postings @ Woldingham.

TSG gets preferrential rates,same applies to 3 or 4 others courses part of the same group.


THE END.....

Hope it is not too long, well if you find it boring, dont read it BUT I know that J, I, A, S, C, D, M, K, T, B, G, J, N, R, V, enjoy my reviews, so I shall keep writing them.

Nice and open.

Course is duggy in places and the greens are 8 out of 10. Pathways are very muddy that is because of the weather.