Notts Golf Club
Nottinghamshire, England

For some strange reason, the best of England’s inland courses seem to need to be qualified when discussed by some in the context of the world’s best. Swinley Forest, for example, is often referred to as a great ‘par 69′ and Royal Worlington and Newmarket as ‘the world’s best nine-holer.’ Such modifiers are unnecessary and misleading, but that will not stop their use. Notts Golf Club near Hollinwell, however, cannot be described as anything except an excellent golf course, for there are no ‘quirks’ about it or its club – it’s just very good golf on an ideal piece of land in a peaceful setting.

As the course is located near Nottingham, the visitor cannot help but conjure up images of Robin Hood’s Sherwood Forest. While Notts might not exactly remind players of playing through a forest, much of the appeal of Notts does lie in its varied terrain and how well it was put to use by Willie Park, Jr. with later modifications (primarily bunkering) by J.H. Taylor. It has holes that are heathland in character (e.g., the 4th, 5th and 16th), holes of a wooded nature (e.g., the 7th and 8th) and holes that attack the hills (e.g., the 12th, 13th and 15th). Despite these different ‘looks,’ the course holds together well as one entity and not several different fragments.

One charming aspect of Notts is that the course is home to several different kinds of gorse, so that one kind is always in bloom, adding a nice touch of color to the landscape. For those like the authors who always seem to miss Dornoch or County Down at the ‘right’ time of year, you appreciate how nice this feature is.

One other note: the bunkering at Notts is relatively mild (shallow) in comparison to others in England, especially Ganton and Woodhall Spa. At Notts, the bunkers do not dominate the player’s perception of the course, leaving him to admire the magnificent property.

Holes to Note:

Second hole, 430 yards; After a mild opening, the course quickly establishes its muscle. This attractive, uphill dogleg left finishes with its green in front of the rock known as ‘Robin Hood’s Chair’ in a cleft between two large, pine-covered hills. The approach is well done, with a bunker guarding the front-right corner of the green but plenty of room on the left to bounce in the long approach to the left-to-right sloping green.

The pitch after a poorly-thought second shot to the third.

Third hole, 490 yards; The sleeper of the course, this short par five heads back to the clubhouse. From the elevated tee, the hole appears open and encourages the big hitter to open his shoulders. The fun begins when the player is at that do-I-or-don’t-I spot for his second. Many a player who is undecided will try to compromise and play short-right of the green, wisely away from the entrance drive (which is not out of bounds) and bunkers on the left, he thinks. His only concern is carrying the bunker some 65 yards short of the green and in the right rough. However, he will soon realize he has been played the fool, for he now faces a short pitch over (or through) the slightest of swales to the right of the green and a pitch to the green from an awkward angle. He will now wish he had laid up short of the two left bunkers, from where he would have a longer, but easier, third shot.

Drinking from the 'Holy Well' on the eighth.

Eighth hole, 410 yards; The site of the famous ‘Holy Well,’ from whence Hollinwell derives its name. After the intimidating drive across the water and between the trees, the player should be sure to go down into the ‘well,’ take the metal cup fixed to a chain and sample the water himself. That is the moment the player has it conformed that he is not at ‘just another course.’ The approach is also quite inviting, with the left-to-right slope of the green.

Looking back down the eleventh hole.

Eleventh hole, 365 yards; An interesting hole in that it appears to twist and turn this way and that, but after several rounds the player will realize the hole is actually straightaway. The saddle that contains the fairway, with banks of gorse to each side, gives the impression of movement. The fairway, then, mercifully plays wider than it actually is, and the player then has a short-iron to the well bunkered green set in an ampitheater of gorse. Looking back down this hole from the twelfth tee on a fine spring day with the gorse in bloom is a delight.

Twelfth hole, 430 yards; The club best described this hole in its centenary pamphlet: ‘The worst or the best hole on the course is perhaps the 12th – according to the wind. Wind against – a great hole; wind behind – well, we cannot have it both ways.’ The hole plays along a ridge and, approximately 170 yards from the green, the fairway drops off and to the left sharply, leaving a player who drives it there a blind shot from a sloping stance. More is the pity because from, say, the 185 yard mark, the approach is perhaps the best on the course, with a raised portion of the fairway protecting the right side of this green.

Thirteenth hole, 235 yards; Notts is best known for this beautiful, downhill par three. It is interesting that the player is often aware of playing downhill on this course but is never hit over the head with uphill shots – the genius of Park’s routing. Since the distance on this hole can be quite taxing, especially exposed to the wind, the architect gave the players enough room short and right of the green. However, this ’safety’ zone cannot be believed until after several rounds as that area is largely hidden from the tee, partly by trees and partly by the gorse. In difficult conditions, the player who is playing conservatively, therefore, will have to fire his tee shot off toward what looks to be most unfriendly country. Much more than just a pretty hole.

The fearsome fifteenth with its tight entrance to the green.

Fifteenth hole, 440 yards; The favorite hole of some, this brute would be at home at Royal County Down. The narrow green (with its 17 yard wide entrance) is set against and surrounded by what looks suspiciously like gorse-covered sand dunes. In fact, the player expects that he would catch a glimpse of the sea if he scaled them, only to be reminded by his friend that they are about as far removed from the sea as any other spot in England.

Sixteenth hole, 355 yards; From another elevated and exposed tee, the player plays down and to the right. This can be a fearsome proposition into the wind as there is nearly a 200 yard carry to the fairway. The approach shot is perhaps the most ‘fun’ shot on the course. The green is quite wide but shallow (20 yards) behind a fearsome bunker. (There is also a wall of gorse behind the green that provides for more than just scenery – have you ever thinned a wedge from the fairway?) Controlling the distance and trajectory of such a shot brings great enjoyment.

Two characteristics that Notts possesses that some other inland gems do not are length and difficulty. While such factors are not prerequisites for top courses, having them has never hurt a course. The inland courses of England seem to fall into two groups – the courses near London and the few top-notch ones that are scattered throughout the country (e.g., Woodhall Spa and Ganton). Notts has advantages over both. It possesses the length that several of the top London courses lack; it finishes well, unlike Woodhall Spa; and it has the variety that some of the courses, such as Ganton, lack. Even though it has twelve par fours, the variety in length, topography, shape, setting and pacing of the two-shotters at Notts holds the player’s interest in that he never complains ‘Not another par four!’ People should beat a path to this course – it has it all.

The End