If a course was rated only on its best 12 holes, I would suggest - and I might get howled down here - that The Addington would be world top 50 material.
After five holes I was underwhelmed. Only the long par 3 3rd had really done anything for me and I was waiting for "it" to happen. Then 6-17 came and swept me off my feet with some of the most spectacular, terrifying and teasing holes I have ever played.
I'd read that The Addington's set of six par 3s was arguably the best in Britain and the fuss is certainly worthy. It's fair, in my mind, to have three measuring over 195 yards (195, 210, 230) because you also get three under 160 yards (160, 150, 136).
The par fives were also quite short for modern standards, but were far from simple. I really rate that in a hole. The 12th and 16th especially are not much more than driver/3 hybrid for me, but are as far from an easy par as you could get.
It's rated #85 in GB&I, and if not for that pedestrian start, I think it could be rated much, much higher.
I had a wander after my round and found what I think would be a great short par four opening hole running from next to the overflow carpark, up the hill through where that pink A-frame house is to the current green. With the same risk/reward concept that the holes through the middle feature, it could really strengthen the course and add the only thing The Addington appears to miss - a driveable short par four (the shortest is 360 yards).
And now to the photos, each with a few more thoughts. Apologies for the substandard pics, we had a hazy mist hanging around for much of the day that gave a bit of a grainy look.
6th hole from 180m out. If you weren't forewarned you wouldn't even suspect that such a gigantic bunker is waiting short right.
THE bunker. The size was amazing. At least 15ft high from sand to top of lip.
I took a wander down to have a look from inside it and to show in a pic just how deep it is with a 6'1" human as a point of reference.
Par 3 7th from just right of the tee on slightly higher ground. What a great hole. The amphitheatre feel and some great pin positions would make it a really memorable and exciting tournament hole.
Looking back to the 7th tee. I had to imagine what a beautiful sight the sea of purple heather would be - being the first day of spring it hadn't quite got around to blooming!
The tee shot on the 8th - a 420-odd yard par 4 - is probably as daunting a shot as I have faced. Having now played it I'd probably be more relaxed knowing the fairway is wider than it appears (same goes for the 9th), but still a magic shot and a hell of a golf hole.
Approach to the 9th. After carrying a gully of death off the tee, with OOB left and forest right, you have a 120ish yard pitch over another chasm to the green. I haven't played Pine Valley, but from what I have seen of it, it seems to share a general 'vibe' with many holes at The Addington. I'd be interested to hear what some others think of that comparison - though I imagine the group of people on here who've played both might well fit comfortably in a phone booth, but I might be wrong.
The 10th was far from the most dramatic green complex on the course, but there was something I really liked about it. Perhaps that the shaping and bunkering reminded me more than a little of what I have seen on the Melbourne sandbelt (though not first hand) and at a few clubs in Sydney such as Bonnie Doon and Concord.
The 11th - 136 yards to a green ringed by sand, the putting surface about the size of half a tennis court. Just a great short par three, simple as that.
The famous par five 12th lived up to my expectations. What an amazing hole. I benefited from the fact they have just replanted the heather on the first part of the downslope, or I may not have had the perfect lie for my second that you'll see in the next pic down. I thought it was great on the blind tee shots that the suggested line was mowed through the heather, so you weren't totally blind, and it removed the need for an ugly indicator pole.
I was blessed to find the middle shelf. Such a great risk reward position. I've seen some old photos showing the left side of the green in the 1920s, when it was clear and allowed a running shot to be played, and with the tees devoid of leaves the sight was there, so I could picture how it might look if it was cleared. For the modern game I think I'm in favour of the left side being closed out. It makes the shot required to hit the green much more exact, which gives you a much bigger decision on the tee, once you know the hole.
The 230 yard 13th. Nowhere to miss, and when you bring the false front into the equation it just gets harder. What struck me was just how natural that green complex looks, even though it must have required a fair movement of dirt to build up the left side of the green. I had to flush a 16* hybrid to reach the front edge.
13th green complex from the right.
The approach to the 16th green. From 200 yards out that severe drop-off is not nearly so evident, which helps to lure the golfer who has flushed their drive into going for it in two, with a bank of heather to the left. It's such great design that brings both birdie and bogey very much into play without the use of sand. I had a dash, ended up down that hill to the right and didn't take another breath until I had managed to scramble a par... at least it felt that way.
I loved the 17th. That cavernous front trap, the bank of heather, the large green full of subtle breaks (a contrast to the more drmatic greens that proceed it). Not real fussed on the gravel cart path though.
