This is probably only interesting to those, who have played both courses. While writing these lines I don't know the result of this match-up, but I predict a very close match.
Hole 1: This must go to Ganton, a very fine opening tee shot over glorious heather and a beautiful green, while Alwodley's #1 is just a little bit too straightforward. Ganton 1 up.
Not so fast my friend. There is nothing obvious to me that Ganton is the better hole and Alwoodley's setting nestled near the house is lovely. Draw
Hole 2: Ganton presents a stern par 4, a bit similar to the first. The winner is Alwoodley's driveable, blind par 4. All square.
Yes, Alwoodley +1
Hole 3: Alwoodley has a fine par 5 with lots of heather, but not much strategy involved. Ganton's short par 4 has a magnificent central bunker that creates options. Ganton 1 up.
Yes, all square
Hole 4: Alwoodley with a monstrous par 4, into the wind a three-shotter, lots of heather. Yeah, it's challenging, but Ganton wins on the merits of the unusual diagonal approach to its par 4. Ganton 2 up.
I think its a draw, all square
Hole 5: Alwoodley's hole. One of the most magnificent tee shots ever into a sea of heather. Ganton's short par 3 is also great and can be no less penal, but close is no cigar.
Ganton 1 up.
Yes, Alwoodley +1
Hole 6: Ganton's pond(!) hole. A par 5 peppered with bunkers. Alwoodley's par 4 too much of the same. Ganton 2 up.
Draw, Alwoodley +1
Hole 7: Ganton's stroke index 1 hole, a long par 4 dogleg right - certainly a mammoth challenge. Alwoodley with a shortish MacKenzie par 3. I say this is halved and Ganton still 2 up.
I will take the par 4, all square
Hole 8: Who wants to stink up to Alwoodley's grandiose, strategic par 5 signature hole? Ganton's par 4 bland in comparison. Ganton 1 up.
Yes, Alwoodley +1
Hole 9: Ganton gives us a good par 5 with a wicked, tee-shot deflecting swale. Alwoodley's par 3s are hard to beat, though, I must give the nod to the good doctor here. This is a long club to a picturesque green with all kinds of interesting pin positions. All square.
I call it a draw, Alwoodley +1
Hole 10: Here comes Ganton's picturesque par 3. It is one hell of a hole (and one hell to hold). But watch out for Alwoodley's long par 4, where the tee shot has to use the ground contours to avoid the blind approach to a sunken, semi-raised (if that makes sense) green. This is halved and still all square.
I don't like Alwoodley's 10th at all...its a forced hole with a lot happening. All aquare
Hole 11: Another fantastic MacKenzie par 3, not too long, but uphill to a severely sloping green. Alwoodley's hole, as we are getting a little frustrated with Ganton's heinous fairway bunkering. Alwoodley 1 up.
Yes, Alwoodley +1
Hole 12: Diagonal, cape-like risk/reward tee shot at Ganton, even average hitters have to go over a tree. Alwoodley just a pretty blonde here. All square.[/s]
Weakest matchup on the course, but Ganton's tree hole is dire. Alwoodley +2
Hole 13: Ganton with a good par 5, but not a world-beater. Well, it would be a fantastic hole on most other courses, but not here. Alwoodley with a straightish par 4, but MacKenzie's fairway bunkering pulls in a half. Still all square.
Yes, Alwoodley +3
Hole 14: Alwoodley fires its last round as far as par 3s go and it is a good one. Just a tad better is Ganton's driveable par 4, although I must say that all that is driveable on this hole is the bunker. Ganton 1 up.
Yes, Alwoodley +2
Hole 15: Alwoodley's classic dogleg right par 4, demanding a perfect tee shot over beautiful patches of heather and an approach over a central bunker to a difficult green - great stuff. Ganton's par 4, well, I think we've seen it before. All square.
Sorry, Alwoodley ruined a good green, automatic loss of hole. Alwoodley +1
Hole 16: Much is made of the drive at Alwoodley's par 4, but it's again just a pretty blonde. The approach is much more interesting strategically. Ganton gives us a fiendish cross-bunker and all sorts of strategic thinking to avoid an awkward angle for the approach from behind the trees. Ganton's hole and Ganton 1 up.
I call it a half, trees do their best to ruin Ganton's hole. Alwoodley +1
Hole 17: Ganton's final par 3 and it's a monster. Some say the most difficult in Britain. A very long club, possibly driver, but a running shot is just about possible. Alwoodley, on the other hand, with its one infamous hole - praised by some, cursed by many. A blind approach to a sunken green, invariably the player has too much club in his hands. This is halved and Ganton goes to 18 still 1 up.
Not buying it, Ganton wins this by a country mile. All square
Hole 18: Alwoodley with its most challenging hole, a long slog of a par 4 with an elevated tee shot. Very rewarding though, to play towards the famous clubhouse. Ganton with a manageable par 4, but with a blind tee shot (although there is a viewing platform to climb) and it is easy to get the angle wrong and be blocked out for the approach. Strategic and quirky, but once the drive is on the fairway, the drama is more or less over - whereas Alwoodley's hole is a championship decider all the way to the green. I will halve it in bad weather, which would give Ganton a 1 up win. In firm and fast conditions I give the nod to Alwoodley, which would tie the match.
I give this one to Alwoodley, who wins +1
Ulrich, our cards are close and I reckon if Ganton were wider it would win. As is though, especially as Alwoodley wins the aesthtetics sweepstakes, in matchplay Alwoodley nips it. In medal play, Ganton just nips it. I can see folks going with either course. I think the London heathlands rule the roost over these two though. To me, WHO, St Georges Hill and Sunny Old are a clear cut above these two. I would also add Gleneagles Kings as a better. But I will stick with Woking as the inland big gun I admire the most. Ganton would be a close 2nd.
Ciao