cont'd
The 330 yd par-4 12th is up over a saddle with a marker post and turns right to this quite narrow green. In the background is the 430 yd par-4 13th.
The 14th is an upsy-downsy par-4 of 350 yds and the 15th a nice short par-3 of 140 yds where the green slopes downwards from front to rear. This is the right side of the 15th green as photographed through the hay from the 14th fairway.
The 16th, below, is a slight up-n-down dog-leg 310 yd par-4 with a raised green. Attractive hole. The prevailing wind is against.
Here's the 16th green from the left side. The bunker sand is very course and seemingly mixed in with the native soil so quite 'stoney'.
Both the 17th, a 320 yd dog-leg par-4 with a raised green and footpath very close along the left side and the par-5 475 yd 18th, below, play downhill. A bit of a bland finish to be perfectly honest, the 18th would certainly be better IMO without the trees.
So there we go, that's a flavour of Stinchcombe Hill GC.
The hay is indeed everywhere, but not crazily so, and it frames the holes very nicely. The overall look kinda reminds me of Muirfield from the visual aspect - fairway, first cut and long, whispy hay moving gracefully in the wind.
I liked the courses routing too. It reminded me of Tom Doak's comment about Cruden bay - routed as if you were going for a walk - ie, out along the edge of the escarpment, turn around at the end and back over the open ground and down the hill to the clubhouse.
Is it award winning, championship calibre golf with sensational architecture? No. Is it thoroughly nice, gentle, serene members golf in a beautifully tranquil setting. Yes, very much so. Can the course bite your backside if you don't play smart? Yes, ambitious wild long hitters without course management beware! Is it in good condition? Yes, although it seemed like quite a bit of water was used on the greens - they were more 'lush' than 'firm and fast'. Crucially IMO, do they serve a splendid ham, egg and chips in the clubhouse? Yes!
Is is worth visiting or targeting for an Open Competition if you're in the area? Yes, I would say so.
One aspect that I wasn't so keen on was the trees in the opens areas of the course. Quite a few had been planted in small batches. One set was obviously to protect a car-park, which I can understand, and some others were presumably for safety reasons in relation to footpaths etc, but I hope that general tree planting doesn't become addictive over the coming years, it would be a shame if it did, as the open aspect nature of the course is most delightful.
I'll finish with one last general view over the course looking south west from the 13th fairway towards the 5th green. The tower in the background is the 'Somerset Monument', built in 1846 to commemorate General Lord Edward Somerset. He was a son of the Duke of Beaufort, whose ancestral home is at nearby Badminton, where the famous horse trials are held, who had served with distinction at the Battle of Waterloo.
A lesser known course and club maybe, but thoroughly pleasant golf and a thoroughly pleasant place. Stinchcombe Hill, I liked it and am plotting a return visit.
atb