Woldingham Golf Club

Woldingham Golf Club maakt deel uit van de Altonwood Group die nog een aantal golfbanen bezit. De Altonwood Group geeft een gratis loyalty card uit die bepaalde kortingen geeft in proshop en bar ( je moet wel eerst een bedrag opladen op deze virtuele kaart ). Na een indrukwekkende rit naar het al even imposante clubhuis ( ruime parking en driving range !!! ) afgesproken in de kleine proshop. Ik had de greenfee van 35£ op voorhand betaald en kon omstreeks 14.00 starten. De baan was druk bezet door steeds flights van 3 tot 4 personen. De golfbaan ligt in een prachtige vallei en heeft daardoor bijna geen enkele vlakke fairway. De omgeving is werkelijk prachtig en zeer rustig. De holes zijn zeer afwisselend en door de verschillen in hoogte vrij technisch ( stroke index 2 is Hole 7 : een par 3 van 162 yards ). Ik vind deze baan de moeite om eens terug te bezoeken.

A quick trip to London to see friends and with the clubs on hand and some time to spare we searched around for a course that would have us on a Saturday at a reasonable rate and so we settled on Woldingham. A short drive from south west London (relatively speaking, nothing is ever quick in London) and we found ourselves at this pretty course, nestled in a valley still within the M25. As you approach the course you can see most of the holes set below in the valley and nestled in between the two 9’s the distinguished clubhouse, known as The Mansion House. I’ve had a few friends play here before in the summer and shoot incredibly low scores for their handicap so was intrigued to see what it was all about. Needless to say it is very wide open. The fairways are generous and lined sporadically with tree with the opportunity to also miss on neighboroughing holes. Having said that I did quite enjoy the course, it is nothing amazing but for a £45 round in and around London with plenty of tee time availability I am definitely not complaining. There are certainly some interesting holes, the par 4 10th being one. A blind tee shot with the hole bending to the left really leaves a lot to the imagination on where to hit, especially with the driving range serving as OB down the left hand side. Once you’ve hit your drive you’re then left with a downhill approach. Despite its openness, it is still somewhat challenging with several bunkers dotted throughout, slanting fairways and having played in December, some boggy conditions and leaves doing a great job of hiding balls.

The drive into Woldingham is great and you get views of the course and then arrive at the huge mansion-style clubhouse.

The course itself is quite open, but lots of undulations means no two shots you hit will be the same. Fairways and greens were very good for this time of the year. Definitely a good winter course to play.