It was exciting & a privilege to be sent out on “official” Leading Courses Ambassador business having been asked to attend the media day at The Inspiration Club a few days before it opened to the public.

Before we got to see the course the owner (Tony Menai Davis) welcomed us with a few words explaining his philosophy behind the course & club. Apparently an original routing had been designed by none other than the great Seve in 2007. It didn’t come to fruition however and more recently Tom Mackenzie & his team at M&E had taken on the project with a brief to turn land just outside of London into a “links like” golf course. Tony went to great lengths to explain that the course is NOT a links & is not pretending to be one but his goal has been for M&E to create a fun layout, inspired by the great links courses throughout the U.K. & Ireland. Unlike the now defunct Royal Links in Las Vegas, holes here in Northolt have not been designed to replicate famous ones elsewhere although Tom Mackenzie did say that certain concepts around green sites were intended to be thought provoking, with maybe a little nod to other famous holes…. although he wouldn’t say which.

Tony concluded by wishing us all a fabulous day, although his best wishes were slightly spoilt for me when the organiser of the day said we were to play from the back tees “to get the full experience”!

So, what about the course?   Well, I didn’t hate it, which I feared I could standing on the 1st tee on a cold, bleak & very windy morning, playing from the tips & being only a modest length driver!

I was however very pleasantly surprised by my day at The Inspiration Club. The course is an interesting layout, cleverly designed, with impeccable greens & some wonderful bunkering. There are a number of doglegs and playing multiple times would help to develop a plan for these holes. The course is open to the elements, another similarity with links golf. Given its location it will never be the most peaceful place to swing but you should have a lot of fun playing The Inspiration Club. I look forward to a repeat visit on a warmer day, when the fescue grass has had the time & weather to turn straw coloured.

The opening par 5 is a solid start, the dog leg 2nd a really good long par 4, whilst the 3rd is Inspiration’s first short hole. #4 is a good hole whilst the 5th is a fantastic design, maybe my favourite hole on the course. A tee shot down the left gives the best angle to approach the elevated green but anything a little too far left brings big trouble into play. Fantastic bunkering 100 yards short of the green will capture many mistruck shots.

The 6th & 8th are both mid-length par 3’s, whilst the 7th is a risk & reward dog-leg. A relatively short par 4, one of our group went for the green from the tee & was very fortunate to survive the hole with the same ball. The 9th is a long & tough par 5 which gets you back to near the temporary clubhouse.

#10 is an attractive short par 4, only 260 yards from the tips; whilst the par 5 11th has excellent bunkering 70-80 yards short of the green that certainly wouldn’t have looked out of place on a Scottish links.

The 12th is another sharp dog leg to the left, which will play far more difficultly as the grasses grow.

One minor disappointment is that the 13th is the final par 3, just because it just feels a little early in the round for the final unsuccessful attempt at an ace. It is however a fantastic hole, even if we were presented with the most devilishly pin, just a few yards over the water hazard protecting the front & right side of the green.

I really enjoyed the 14th, a short & well bunkered dogleg 2shotter, this time with the hole turning gently to the right. Having negotiated its fiddly green, it’s time for a blinking tough finish.

#15 is 420 yards from the back tees. A really good hole, requiring a lengthy 2nd shot over a stream & all sorts of trouble to reach the putting surface. The 16th is 425 yards on the card but this blind dog leg felt like it played a lot shorter. It’s worth popping around the corner to check out the green location at this excellent hole before hitting.

The final 2 holes measure exactly 1,000 yards in total! The 17th a 465 yard par 4 with a green over 60 yards long from front to back. A par here will be a fabulous effort, leaving just the 535 yard par 5 final hole to negotiate before a before deserved drink!

Whilst we got the “full experience” from the back tees there are in fact 4 different tee options to choose from. On a repeat visit I’d choose carefully depending on handicap I was playing with & the wind.

We were told that membership take up has been strong and access will also be available to non-members at a green fee rate of £70-£90. This feels very reasonable in this area for such a fun, well designed & fantastically conditioned golf course.

Good luck to all those involved with The Inspiration Club.

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