David Izen

Just a fantastic golfing experience - course was in perfect condition in mid-June, very welcoming clubhouse with friendly staff, near-perfect practice facilities (we hit off the matted area at the range, presumably the turf was being kept for the open qualifier next week) and a great course with no weak holes.

A beautiful piece of land - almost eerily quiet - with no pretentions. Woburn-esque in that most holes seemed carved out of the forest, but with greater variety of trees, less intimidating fairways and, in my view, a greater variety of holes.

A decent length course (just under 6300 yards off the yellows), very nicely set up with generally wide but sloping fairways challenging you to play for position. Very few weak holes, though a couple toward the end of the back nine seem a little out of character. Generally really good condition.

I really liked the clear distinction between first cut and 'proper' rough, and the areas around the greens of the par 3's and slightly further from the greens of the par 4's were intentionally short but very dense, almost US Open-like.

A decent driving range (tokens from pro shop, in a different direction from the car park) and putting green with small chipping area, along with a small 9 hole course make up the generous facilities and there was plenty of inside and outside clubhouse space.

Definitely worth a visit.

Tee boxes and fairways were OK, greens covered in pitch marks and look as if they shouldn't run as well as they actually do. I wouldn't fancy their chances when the weather's not as fair as it has been recently.

They've kept the par at 70 by making 4 holes par 5's when they could be 4's (reflected in an SSS of 66) - one was 382 yards today.

Nice enough layout, the hut substituting for a clubhouse is a minor negative, the lack of any practice facilities (not even a net or putting green) make this a struggle to get enthusiastic about playing again.

Mardyke is a fraction over 5,700 yards off the yellows with two par 5's and four par 3's. Just a couple of the 4's are over 400 yards so plenty of shortish par 4's too.

There were three things that stood out for me. Firstly, most of the greens have plenty of natural contours and borrows left in them and plenty of fairways are also sloping - this isn't necessarily a bad thing and can add more character than where the designers simply flatten everything.

Secondly, there are a large number of holes where the layout is far from 'normal' and the holes have been fitted to the land available - this can also be a good thing, somewhere like Pedham comes to mind with it's sometimes quirky holes - but somehow, at least for me, it doesn't really work at Mardyke. Perhaps there are simply too many of them, or the holes themselves are simply not attractive enough to get away with the unusual (cheap?) design.

The third thing to stand out, and sadly I feel the one that detracts greatly from the other two, is the condition of the course. I can't recall the last time I saw greens with so many un-repaired pitch marks on them. If the greens were largely flat this would be a shame, but where the greens are already fairly tough, putting becomes a real lottery.

For me the greatest example of a hole that simply doesn't work is the 17th, but the 16th and first are equally peculiar - where are you supposed to land the ball on a 414-yard par 4 with a line of trees left and right encroaching on the fairway at 270 yards? Don't get me started on putting the pin on 17 on the lower tier sloping back toward the water....

There's a simple driving range a short trek through the fields away, with buckets of ropey balls available in the pro shop. The range works well as I've never seen anyone else use it so hitting off of grass- not flat, but that should prepare you for your round - is possible, though there are some oldish looking mats too. There's a decent putting area with space to chip from too, in front of the modern, small (but fine) clubhouse.

If the condition of the greens and fairways was improved, the quirkiness of the layout would at least be tolerable. I'm not sure condition alone would be enough to ever make this an appealing course, I think a bit of earth-moving might be needed too.

A short course with quite a few par 3's around the 150-yard mark and plenty of par 4's between 300 and 350 yards and a par of 68. Greens were in good condition, though not perfect, fairways were fine, but tee boxes were scruffy and lacking in flat areas, out of keeping with the overall condition. There are also no rakes, which is a challenge on a course with plenty of bunkers.

Not much in the way of practice facilities - a small-ish putting green with a few places you could practice short chips from, and a net hidden around the corner between the 1st and 9th greens.

The design is pleasant enough - not enough interesting holes perhaps to make you desperate to play regularly, but good enough that you wouldn't mind returning once in a while. The two-tiered 7th green was a feature, as were a few holes on the back 9 requiring fairly accurate tee shots. I like the 11th, around 400 yards with trees narrowing the fairway from both sides just past a ditch at about 220, making you play safely into the gap off the tee leaving a long iron uphill to the green, or go over the trees (or through a tight gap) to leave a shorter approach.

Some parts were pretty squelchy - perhaps it had rained more heavily than I thought in the last couple of days.

Not averse to returning, wouldn't rush to play regularly!

Like the North Course, the South is a championship course where rather than the course being made to fit into the natural contours of the land, you suspect a lot of land has been moved to make way for the course as the designers intended.

While it may not be as nature intended it's a very well designed course. There are very few grip-it-and-rip-it holes; I think other than on two holes you were choosing a club off the tee based on distance you want left to the pin, avoiding water or avoiding sand, or avoiding both. The 11th is a perfect example, 380 yards with water to avoid left off the tee and right with the approach. Avoid the first lake by going right and you must go over the second lake to find the green which is wide but relatively shallow, breaking from the left then the right and steeply from back to front. The 14th is just 360 yards but has a bunker on the right side of the fairway beginning at around 160 yards and stretching to the green - the further you drive off the tee the more the sand encroaches, encouraging you to use as long a club as you're sure you are accurate with. The Par 5's are all 'thinking' holes, with the possible exception of the 13th, which you can have two bashes at, but even then only the right side of the green is accessible thanks to much protective bunkering.

Designed to reward sensible, accurate play, the South Course is still relatively open with more chance of losing a ball in water than in any rough. Tees, fairways and greens were all in exceptional condition. Bunkers were being mechanically raked when we played (some are very large....) and were occasionally (presumably those not yet deeply raked) crusty and a little unpredictable.

Expensive round but worth it for the condition and design. Sensible starting times (large gaps between groups) helped, though we played at the end of July and I suspect it's busier at other times.

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.

I liked Gosfield Lake, it felt like a private club with a nice bar/restaurant area and spike bar and good practice facilities - smallish but well kept putting green and chipping area and a decent driving area if a little tight to the first fairway and entrance/exit road. Nice patio area overlooking the 18th too, to make the most of our almost Spring-like day.

The course was a decent layout, if pretty open, and the interesting holes outweighed the dull ones. Some of the greens had some thought-provoking slopes, particularly the two-tiered 10th, the 14th (a really nice hole) and the 16th with a severely sloping front and spine running through it.

Sadly the greens weren't in great nick and weren't just bobbly but also bouncy - I can't recall seeing putts bounce off the ground in odd directions before. Fairways also looked like they could do with some work, and areas around greens were hard and bare.

I don't know how much of the poor conditioning was down to lack of maintenance and how much due to the weather - we've gone from constant rain to no rain and drying wind in the last week or so and where courses were having to cope with being flooded, now the ground is cracking - but the close-up condition was more disappointing given the potential.

Short and pretty samey, lots of holes mostly straight with no distinguishing features other than the yardage at which the ditch crosses the fairway. Greens very slow, but it has been very wet recently.

Couldn't find a putting green or chipping area but did notice a driving range at the end of the car park as we were coming down the 18th.

Decent cafe and bar.

Wouldn't rush to play again, but at the same time wouldn't avoid; the monotony of most holes felt more like being at the range than on the course.

Third time playing the Upper (shorter) course here, never played the Lower. A few greens very soft, tees a little scruffy and a few mats in play (very wet early/mid November) but overall condition was pretty good considering.

There's a driving range, a large putting green and a pitching/chipping area, along with cafe and bar/Chinese restaurant.

Course is enjoyable, just a couple of par 5's and a couple of 400+ yard 4's.

Played the Hawk and Heron 9's, an interesting mix of holes in decent condition. Bar/restaurant very welcoming, visitors changing room a little basic. Good to have a driving range at the site, large pitching/chipping area and nice putting green.

It's tough to know where to start....

Everyone at Seaford Head was very welcoming and friendly. The clubhouse is basic, divided into members and non-members sections and has no spike bar, so it's socks or back to the car, or leaving gear in the small but functional locker room. The practice facilities are similarly simple - a single small net and a couple of pretty small flat areas where you could potentially have a putt. All of which becomes irrelevant when you get onto the course.

It's not long, but the slopes and wind make for a really enjoyable test. Even without the scenery these are compelling reasons to visit. In proper links fashion the fairways are fairly wide and undulating, but there are areas of gorse and long grass that will severely punish poor shots. Some of the rises make for exceptional holes - uphill or downhill, sometimes severe enough to make you want an extra gear (or brake) on a trolley, wind with or against, testing club choice.

What would normally be safe medium iron distances into greens have you thinking of knock-down long irons and woods, or pitch and runs. If you don't get to play by the sea regularly it's great to be reminded there is more to the game than selecting clubs just by distance. The greens when we played were in great condition but were pretty slow, most likely the only way of keeping approach shots in with a chance of staying put when the wind is behind.

We played with the sun shining and with what the locals described as a mild breeze and the course and scenery were stunning enough that it would have been enjoyable to have been out there without the golf. With the golf it was simply an outstanding day. I would imagine that when the wind really blows or a cold rain is coming down, it would be easier to question the wisdom of links golf. I'd be willing to bet however that the tougher days simply make the good days even more exceptional. Play this course if you get the chance.

This is a nice course, with a good balance of flattering and challenging holes and, especially when the sun shines, a very nice way to wile away a few hours. Rough not too penal, greens the right side of interesting and the course in general well maintained. Lovely to sit outside between the bar and the putting green after a round. Looking forward to playing here again.