One round in the Wisley/Woking area

[Andrew Mitchell]

I'm on holiday in Southern England next month. My wife is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society and wants to visit the RHS garden at Wisley. My attendance there with her would be entirely voluntary so I got to thinking what golf there may be in the area to while away a few hours 

I found that there is a golf course at Wisley itself adjoining the RHS gardens.  However from looking at their website it would appear that it is members and their guests only.  Looking for alternatives I found the following, all in a ten mile radius of Wisley:

Woking http://www.wokinggolfclub.co.uk/

St George's Hill http://www.stgeorgeshillgolfclub.co.uk/

Worplesdon http://www.worplesdongc.co.uk/

West Hill http://www.westhillgc.co.uk/

I now seem to be spolit for choice!  Given that I only have time to play one of them anyone care to give a recommendation?

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Andrew, If you've not played Woking, then it's a must. I have a great liking for St George's Hill, and there are many wonderful holes as well as a marvellous site, but Woking is the more uplifting uplifting architecturally. If for some reason you can't get on either, don't forget that you are not far from Hankley Common profiled on GCA recently, Liphook, a favourite of mine, Hindhead, which is charming and fun and Blackmoor, another really lovely course. Nor is it far to West Sussex, a really exciting course. I believe one of the GCA posters is a member at New Zealand, which is a cracker.

[Tom_Doak]

Andrew:

I would recommend them in the order you listed them.

St. George's Hill is the best of the four, but Woking is more unusual.  You won't go wrong either way.

[Bill_McBride]

Huntercombe is also a must in that area.

[Scott Warren]

Bill,

That's a pretty liberal use of the term "that area", unless you mean southern England!

Andrew, I am not sure what time the gardens close for Mrs M, but Woking is £40 after either 3pm or 3.30pm on weekdays and at that price it's probably the best value golf I have played.

If you did opt for a twilight Woking round, provided I wasn't working a late shift I'd be keen to act as wingman.

[Bill_McBride]

Bill,

That's a pretty liberal use of the term "that area", unless you mean southern England!

Andrew, I am not sure what time the gardens close for Mrs M, but Woking is £40 after either 3pm or 3.30pm on weekdays and at that price it's probably the best value golf I have played.

If you did opt for a twilight Woking round, provided I wasn't working a late shift I'd be keen to act as wingman.

How far is it from Woking to Henley-on-Thames?  Can't be that far!

*** EDIT  It's 45 minutes, farther than I thought but not a hurdle to see such a unique and meaningful course.

[JNC Lyon]

Andrew,

Having played the three Ws, I would choose Woking, no questions asked.  The green complexes there are absolutely phenomenal.  There isn't a single clunker hole out there, and it seems to be very influential on early heathland golf in London.  It was my favorite inland course of my trip to the UK.  The twilight rate is also golden, as there never seems to be anyone out there in the late afternoon.

That being said, there is plenty of good stuff to be had at both Worplesdon and West Hill.  Both courses have tons of fun holes, although I would place Worplesdon ahead of West Hill by a decent margin.