Liphook Golf Club

Liphook had been on my wishlist for quite some time, as a business associate in the UK is a member there. A quirky detail: the clubhouse is secured with a keypad only members know—slightly inconvenient if you forget something in your car! Inside, the staff were very welcoming, and the bacon roll I had for breakfast was excellent. The clubhouse offers a lovely view of the 1st, 2nd, and 18th holes, setting the stage nicely for the round ahead. The course opens with a par 3—unusual, though not unheard of. The 2nd is a gorgeous left-to-right dogleg par 4, where knowing and trusting your driving distance is key if you want to take on the heather. The greens were quite tricky—not heavily undulated, but still challenging to judge pace on longer putts. I really enjoyed the par 3s; all of them were strong, well-designed holes. Some of the shorter par 4s tempt you to be aggressive, but can quickly punish you with a double or worse if you're off line. The course was recently renovated and rerouted due to the A3 crossing, with work by Mackenzie & Ebert. The transition has been handled excellently—you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish the newer holes from the originals. The team in the pro shop was equally friendly, rounding out a great visit. I highly recommend Liphook—just 45 minutes southwest of London, it’s well worth the trip.

Liphook Golf Club was the final course we played during our visit to Surrey. The clubhouse has a classic, traditional feel, and access requires a code, clearly indicating that this is primarily a members-only club. We were fortunate to play here by invitation. The pro shop is housed in a separate building, and the warm-up facilities are limited to practice nets. However, this is fairly standard for older golf courses in England. The course was originally designed by Arthur Croome in 1922 and was completed by his partner, Tom Simpson, following Croome’s untimely death. Heather features prominently throughout the course, so it’s best to avoid these areas as escaping them can be quite challenging. I thoroughly enjoyed my round here—there are several stunning par 3s, and while there are one or two quirky holes, the overall layout is excellent. It appears that significant renovations have taken place, but they were so seamlessly integrated that I didn’t notice them, clearly a job well done. Liphook is definitely a must-play course if you’re visiting Surrey.

Wat een geweldige ervaring om hier te mogen spelen. Dit zelfs in windkracht 6. Als je de oprit op rijdt denk je al van yess dit ziet er mooi uit met de tee van 17 rechts, de green van 16 links. Even doorrijden naar boven waar je een keurige parkeerplaats aantreft en een romantisch wat gedateerd clubhuis. Dit moet kennelijk ook plaats maken voor een nieuw, gezien de tekeningen die in de hal ter inzage lagen.

Het ontvangst was hartelijk en tijdens koffiedrinken komen leden spontaan een praatje maken. Ook de barman Rocco is zeer vriendelijk en heet ons welkom. De baan: andere spelers hadden al gezegd dat we de beste greens aan zouden treffen die we ooit hadden gezien. Hier was niks aan gelogen. Vanwege het slechte weer iets minder snel als anders, maar nog steeds veel sneller dan gemiddeld en ze rolde prachtig. Tees ook mooi met de hand gemaaid en fairways mooi kort gemaaid zoals het hoort. De baan is redelijk geonduleerd, maar heel goed te lopen. Dit komt mede door nieuw aangebrachte, soort rubberachtige, paden tussen tees en greens. Heide mooi aanwezig en meestal je bal hier nog redelijk in te vinden. Je moet 2x een doorgaande weg oversteken, even goed opletten dus. De laatste aanpassingen passen perfect binnen de baan en omgeving. Alle holes zijn stuk voor stuk verschillend, de moeilijkte is wellicht de 10e hole en de mooiste zijn hole 3, hole 7,12,13,16 en 18. De drivingrange is wederom wat ver van het clubhuis en stelt niet veel voor, maar de puttinggreens zijn super. Ook een prachtige omgeving waarbij je af en toe een trein hoort en de doorgaande weg, maar zeker niet hinderlijk.

New holes make this even better. Greens always in amazing condition and a real test of accuracy if not length. Heather tight to fairways but fair. Lots of great holes - I love the view at the 12th, and the challenge of the 11th.

Liphook has experienced a renaissance if you will.

Heathland courses are being stripped back to their proverbial roots and Liphook is no exception. A tranche of tree clearance and an impressive rerouting, Liphook is once again on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

Strong, statement architecture with an emphasis on the shot frame and green site undulations. Bunkering is sharp and deliberate and also filled with top quality stuff – China Clay Sand – course and fluffy gold.

The terrain at Liphook is dramatic yet playable and the course has some of the finest green to tee transitions in Surrey. The undulations lift Croome’s painting and the towering pines and jewelled rhododendrons are the gilded frame. A perfect example of heathland architecture.

Mackenzie and Ebert completed a stellar rerouting project in 2022. This cleverly eliminated another crossing of the main road. These crossings were the only frustration for me, that and the 14th hole (we will get to that later). It only broke up the rhythmic flow, but in hindsight allowed for moments of reflection and contemplation. The course does wonders to weave in and out of infrastructure. The first phase of works took place in 2019 and two new holes were conceived – the 8th and 9th. A new 11th green was completed and holes 10 and 11 were then merged in the second phase to form the new 10th. The 15th was then realigned to use another crossing under the railway.

Back to that 14th hole. An uphill, dog-leg right framed by heather. No view of the green from the tee or indeed from the fairway. The approach is a tucked ‘wannabe’ punchbowl with a drop off right of the green straight into a hedge of holly. Wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the audaciously obscure heather pillow short of the green. A hole surely played better the second time around.

Liphook was glorious in the falling sun. Candyfloss skies and solo fairway strolls.