Sorry this took so long to post. Once in a while life gets in the way.
Woodhall Spa has an intriguing finish. It begins with a beast of a par four, moves to a reachable par five, three shortish par fours and a par 4/5 18th.
Thirteen (451/451 yards) may be the most difficult hole on the course. If I counted correctly it has ten bunkers. There are three bunkers that catch a wayward tee shot, numerous cross bunkers short of the green, but oddly enough no bunkers at the flatish green. Getting to the green is the problem, putting on it is not.
View from the tee
Bunker on the inside of the dogleg
Cross bunkers short and left of the green
Fourteen is a good chance to make a birdie. It is fine example of a risk/reward par five at 521/485 yards. It doglegs slightly to the right with bunkers on the right to catch any shot that strays a little from too bold of a tee shot. The green is reachable but you have to flirt with a bunker short and left of the green. Only one small bunker protects the relatively flat bunker.
View from the tee.
Fifteen at 321/321 is a wonderful example of a great short par four. It really is not possible to drive the green but the tee shot requires some thought. There are two bunkers on the right side of the fairway that are pretty easy to carry. The fairway, however, narrows and the gorse and heather exact a pretty steep price for being wayward. The ideal tee shot is to drive just short of a cross bunker some fifty yards short of the heavily bunkered green. This green has some good slope.
These bunkers on the right side of the fairway are only about 200 yards from the tee.
View of the green from the cross bunker short of the green
Sixteen is a medium length par four at 395/395 yards. This may be the weakest hole on the course. There is a long carry (about 190 yards) to the fairway. But the green has no bunkers and is pretty flat and featureless.
View from the tee.
Second shot
View from the left hand side of the fairway some 100 yards from the green The bunker you see is about 60 yards from the green.
Seventeen is a splendid short par four (336/336 yards). The hole demands a thoughtful and accurate tee shot. The fairway is not very wide and is flanked by a bunker and heather on the right and heather on the left. The green is heavily bunkered and has good undulation. I like this hole a lot. There are many ways to play it. Be conservative and four is a relatively easy score. Be bold and take your chances.
The greens complex
Eighteen is interesting. From the Championship and medal tees it plays as a par five of 540 yards. From the Yellow tees it is a 442 yard par four. We played it as a par four. I think it is a better hole that way. The drive is deceptively tight. There are two extremely well place trees on either side of the fairway that block a pulled or pushed tee shot. The green, however, is receptive to a low running shot if the trees block your way. The tree on the right side of the fairway is exceptionally beautiful and is placed in a perfect spot. It is a strong finish.
Tee shot.
Tree on the right side of the fairway.
Greens complex. Picture is from their website.
It seems that the course is not well loved on GCA. In fact unlike Sunningdale or Alwoodley, it probably does not generate much love. But it is a course that you have to respect. It certainly demands thoughtful and exacting play. Every shot gets your full attention. I thought it was exceptional. It is heavily bunkered but they are extremely well placed. You have to think and plot your way around the course. I could play it regularly and not tire of it. It is out of the way from anywhere but is worth a visit. The town of Woodhall Spa has plenty to do after golf.