Wimbledon Common/London Scottish Golf Club

[Tom Kelly]

Has anybody played the course on Wimbledon Common? Thoughts?

I had a little wander around the other day and what I saw looked like great fun. No bunkers, some cool greens, really cheap and under 5,500 yards par 68 it seems right up GCA street. It is in fairly basic condition and the trees are encroaching abit too far on some of the holes that I saw but there was definitely enough cool stuff for me to make a return visit with my clubs at some point especially at only £25 tops!

A few interesting things to note are that it claims to be the “longest played upon links in England”,  all players must wear a red top which I assume is an old tradition to help distinguish golfers from the public walking around the common (there are hundreds of dog walkers.) and at least part of the course is on an old iron age hill fort that was used as a camp by the Romans, now known as ‘Caesar's Camp’.

The course is home to both London Scottish Golf Club and Wimbledon Common Golf Club

http://www.wcgc.co.uk/
http://www.londonscottishgolfclub.co.uk/


A few photos.

'Hope Grant'


The funky green, flag is on a temporary. The knob at the front of the green must play havoc with approaches in the height of summer.


Green from back right.


'Nest'


'Spinney'



The green-ish from the right.


'Long Hole'


'Birches'


The green from behind


'Caesar's Well'


The green from the left.


'Caesar's Camp'


Green approach

[Paul Gray]

Tom,

I've not played it but thanks for the pictures.

It's one I'm intrigued by and I drive passed it once or twice a year on route back from a friend's place. Whenever I'm about that general area I have the great misfortune of having to suffer a nice heathland track or two so never get the chance to play at The Common! My friend though tells me it's a nice course.

[David_Tepper]

Is this the course across from the All-England Tennis Club that gets used for parking during the Wimbledon tennis championship?

[Paul Gray]

David,

Nope, that would be Wimbledon Park Golf Club. There are plenty in the general area but they don't usually get a mention. Generally when GCA folk say "London golf clubs" they actually mean courses in Surrey. It would be a bit like calling courses in The Hamptons "New York courses."

[Mark Chaplin]

Paul - Wimbledon Common is a London course hence the SW19 postcode.

[Paul Gray]

Paul - Wimbledon Common is a London course hence the SW19 postcode.

Mark,

That was my point. It IS a London club, where the Surrey clubs AREN'T.

Should have been clearer perhaps.

[Thomas Dai]

This course is on common land, ie land open to the general public and all golfers on this course are required to wear red, presumably to notify/warn other users of the common over which the club plays to beware of golf balls. I understand that there are other clubs around the London area that also play on common land that also have such a rule in place.
atb

[Jon Wiggett]

Thomas,

the RAC has such or rule or at least used to.

Jon

[Tom Kelly]

Is this the course across from the All-England Tennis Club that gets used for parking during the Wimbledon tennis championship?

Paul is correct, the tennis car park is Wimbledon Park Golf Club, it's quite nice but gets fairly wet in the winter months. Wimbledon Common Golf Club is literally over the road from Royal Wimbledon Golf Club with their clubhouses virtually next door to one another. Richmond, Roehampton, Royal Mid-Surrey and Coombe Hill are all within a few miles of the Wimbledon clubs and are all higher-end solid courses though they aren't blessed with the ground of the Surrey sand-belt clubs a little further out from the city. Wimbledon Common though looks to be a different animal from the others as it's cheap, simple, quirky and it appears to get really burnt out in the summer months.

[Tom Kelly]

I live around the corner from it and often walk it to stretch the legs. The greens do look pretty cool and the heart of the course is very pretty, but I would say that the conditioning is so bad that it would take a total lack of access to decent golf for me to consider it. Royal Wimbledon across the road is a lovely spot, however...

It didn't look great when I was there, but I gave them benefit of the doubt with the weather and it definitely doesn't look like there is much of a budget, though I thought in the height of summer it might be good fun for £25?

Royal Wimbledon does look nice from what I saw.

[Jon Wiggett]

I live around the corner from it and often walk it to stretch the legs. The greens do look pretty cool and the heart of the course is very pretty, but I would say that the conditioning is so bad that it would take a total lack of access to decent golf for me to consider it. Royal Wimbledon across the road is a lovely spot, however...

Brian,

I guess it is all about what you pay. For £25 in London I do not think you can expect the Ritz where as at £120 a pop I would hope Royal Wimbledon was in better condition and somewhat better than just decent golf. What is interesting is the maximum time for a 2 ball being 2 hrs 45 minutes.

Jon