Woodlands Golf Club

Word of warning when booking a round at Woodlands. While there are commendable aspects, such as reasonable pricing, the presence of an average club shop (no club house as such), and a reasonable standard of the courses, I encountered several issues that have left me dissatisfied.

1. Booking Process:

* I had booked a two-ball round for Sunday, March 17th at 7.24am adhering to the booking policy of paying upfront (irritating) and noting the cancellation policy.

* Unfortunately, heavy rain and feeling unwell on the morning of the tee time forced me to cancel.

* While I understand the importance of policy adherence, I expected some flexibility given the circumstances of playing this time of year.

* Typically, I play in all weathers, and I cancelled solely due to my physical condition, heavy rain and guaranteed very wet ground.

2. Club’s Response:

* I regretfully emailed the club before my round on Sunday morning updating them on the cancellation.

* The email I received from the club was disappointing. It emphasised that I should have cancelled by the previous evening and offered no assistance.

* It stated that the course was open and people were playing.

* However, this may have been true at 12 noon on the Sunday when the sun was out.

* Considering the weather conditions and time of year, I doubt another golfer would have taken the tee time late Saturday night.

3. Recommendation:

* While I appreciate the club’s commitment to keeping courses open throughout the winter, I recommend that potential players consider alternatives.

Woodlands has 2 courses which are both reasonably interesting (Masters is probably my favourite over Signature).

Neither course is particularly long and the fairways are wide and forgiving, but with many greens being protected by water, you do have to think about your approach shots. The rough is quite short and you will usually find your ball and be able to play it without too much difficulty.

The course maintenance can sometimes be below par. On my last visit the greens and the tee boxes were in good condition but some of the fairways were a bit cut up (still perfectly playable, just not manicured carpets of grass).

That being said Woodlands is fantastic value for money (£22 a round). It is a great place to play when you are starting to get into golf - I played there once or twice a month when I started out. This playability does come with the downside in that, some of the players/groups aren’t familiar with golfing etiquette (don’t expect to be called through / do expect people to wander on to your fairway to play their shots just as you are teeing off) and this can lead to some lengthy rounds.

The pro shop is poorly stocked and I have experienced very brusque service several times.

Whilst there is a large putting green between the 1st tee boxes of the 2 courses, the proposed driving range is yet to be built (it has been on the course map at the entrance for at least 5 years).

Whilst it doesn’t have the best facilities, and the courses are a bit rough round the edges, I wouldn’t hesitate to play there in good weather (it can get a bit boggy in the wet months). It’s a good facility to have locally but probably not worth a special long distance trip just to play here.

Woodlands Golf and Country Club is a bit of an enigma to me. On the one hand, there are some genuinely great aspects (some of the landscaping, hole design, the insanely good value and currently, the quality of the greens); on the other hand, it’s very rough around the edges, practice facilities are below par, staff can be rude (witnessed but not personally affected by this), and two different busy motorways border the course.

The Master’s course has, in the last few years, had much work on it. The club generates much money by taking builder’s rubble and then landscaping it into the course we have today. The Masters course is the better of the two onsite courses overall, but the Signature’s 17th is undoubtedly the best hole. Water comes into play on 11 spots in different forms and, in most cases, be easily avoided if you play it safe. You will have to take it on if you are chasing birdies/pars. There are some really well-designed holes and they are exciting to play.

Our round on a Sunday was prolonged; the course’s low price and relaxed attitude can become hectic on weekends with rounds approaching 5+ hours. Etiquette and rule knowledge can not be guaranteed, which leads to the length of time and close calls. Speaking of close calls, there are tight parts to the course where it won’t be uncommon for people to walk onto your fairway and then appear to strike the ball directly at you to cut corners. Once you finish the 1st, you have to walk back along a section of the fairway to the 2nd tee box; we were nearly hit by two balls (within 3 meters) on the walk back.

Bunkers are generally not too bad, but due to the method of course construction, it's not uncommon to find rocks and bits of brick just under the sand. Tee boxes were in good condition during my round, along with the fairways. The rough was tough but fair, and you wouldn't lose a ball in it, but it definitely made the following shot harder.

In the week, the course is a lot quieter and a completely different experience in pace and type of golfer (If you are a travelling golfer, I would recommend a midweek game rather than a weekend). Don’t expect a quiet round, as the drone of the M4 and M5 is omnipresent.

The clubhouse contains a little pro shop (more geared to the weekend golfer in terms of quality and price) and a bar. Food is served in sandwiches and chips, which are also reasonably priced. A patio area for the bar looks out onto the Masters 12th and 15th greens.

Practice facilities consist of a putting green sandwiched between the starting tees for the Masters and Signature course; multiple signs state no chipping and no dedicated chipping green. A driving range has been planned for years, but no work has yet begun.

When I started to play golf I would visit Woodlands a couple of times a month, and it was a great place to learn to golf, but now after a few years of playing, It’s hard not to notice its shortcomings. If you haven’t played the Masters before and live locally or are in the area for work, I think it’s definitely worth a round, but I wouldn’t travel a great distance to play it.

I wasn’t expecting much when I visited Woodlands (Signature course) but as a pay and play option it’s actually rather good.

It’s fairly easy, doesn’t punish poor shots too heavily and is pretty short. Greens are good and both times I have played here have been a pleasant experience. The local hackers were out on the weekend I played and the pace was very slow, but midweek when it was quiet was great.

Really good option for high handicappers looking for a course to learn on. A few of the shorter holes on the back 9 are pretty special.

For a pay and play option, it's surprisingly good! Weekend rounds are full of hackers so expect a slow pace of play but mid week is fine. I have enjoyed both the rounds I have played here previously and there are some really good short holes on the back nine. Most of the holes are forgiving and being quite short it is a good place to build confidence.