Pete Mayo

After a quirky start, lots of undulations making the greens hard to see, the course flattens out and is rather nice. Well looked after. A lot of ditches across fairways. Just don’t go in them and you’ll be fine. A second visit will make some of the holes easier to play. And it is well worth a return.

Can’t comment on the championship course but Hawkstone was is great condition - much better than most after the recent deluge. A little bit hilly but great tree lined fairways, bunkers with sand and consistent greens. Great clubhouse. I didn’t use the practice facilities but they looked fine.

Very slow, but only £13. Fairly flat, ok condition, and lots of trees. If you can hit the ball straight you can score well. You don’t need to be long.

Renowned for its excellent greens, Eaton is an easy walking course in great nick today (1st June 2023). Practice facilities are exceptional with putting green, bunker/chipping area and 200m range.

I played at the end of the winter season. A lot of mats still in use. The course looked great and the fairways and greens were in good condition. But you need to know your way around - not always obvious where you should be aiming. We had very strong winds (gusting 60 mph) which made for a very tough day.

I believe the green fees are £90 (I had a freebee). It is a lovely course with lots of trees, bunkers and dog-legs. But I don’t think I would spend that much to play there.

A short, 9 hole course high up on the Firth of Forth coast. 5 par 3’s and 4 par 4’s. Friendly club house. Some of the par 3’s can be very challenging Very open, the wind providing the biggest challenge. Great views on a clear day.

From the club website:
Rockies - 245 yards Par 3
Voted the toughest par 3 in the UK by Today's Golfer in September 2007 this is definitely a card wrecker

From their web page: Chingford Golf Course was originally established in 1888 as the Royal Epping Forest Golf Club (REFGC)..... A later 1920s redesign is attributed to James Braid.

The REFGC still exists and their clubhouse overlooks the 1st tee and 18th green. But for us TSGers the pro shop, cafe and carpark are across the road, which is fine. The tees were somewhat worn and bumpy but overall the course was in good condition. Even with 12 par 4's there is a good variety of holes. I suspect some of the big-hitters will be a bit disappointed - so long as they stay accurate :-)

I didn't notice any practice facilities or use the cafe. Staff in pro shop were friendly and helpful. I'll happily play there again.

It is public space, so there will be dog walkers, non-dog walkers, cyclists etc. about. But they seem friendly enough and keep to footpaths. Just be aware.

Great value thanks to Ed. No driving range but otherwise very good practice areas. Course was in good conduction except for some of the bunkers. It is no longer owned by crown golf. Word is that the original owner has bought it back wants to improve overall quality.

Nice little course near Manchester. I played in and mats were compulsory on the fairway. These are little bits of plastic grass that you carry around to pick and place the ball on. Not everybody gets on with them. £15 online is good value in the winter, so long as you can get on with fairway mats.

Played in March 2016 after plenty of rain and the course was in fair condition. Looking forward to playing again where a little knowledge will go a long way - I hope. Value for money based on discounted rate of £20. I didn't use clubhouse or practice facilities

Always in good condition. Lots of variety and some very pretty holes.

Short course with 7 par threes and 2 par fives. Generally in good condition considering all the rain we had recently. No tee off times bookable on weekdays and it seemed everybody had decide to turn up at 10am so the queue was quite long. But this may well be the exception rather than the rule. I'll let you know after my next visit.

Risebridge provides a cheap way to play golf. The tees are in poor condition and there are no rakes in the bunkers. But there is a good variety of hole and at £9 for eighteen on a Sunday afternoon, while it can be a bit slow, it is difficult to complain. Plays 5876 yards off yellow, par 71.