Essential Courses Around London

[JNC Lyon]

I will be studying in London during the upcoming spring semester.  What are some of the golf courses I should try to see in the London area while I am there?  I will probably only have time for a few golf excursions, so I am trying to narrow it down to a few key courses.

Thanks,

John

[Sean_A]

I will be studying in London during the upcoming spring semester.  What are some of the golf courses I should try to see in the London area while I am there?  I will probably only have time for a few golf excursions, so I am trying to narrow it down to a few key courses.

Thanks,

John

John

IMO

Addington
Huntercombe
St Georges Hill
Sunningdale New (I pick it over Old because of recent tree clearing)
Swinley Forest
Woking

I think these six give a good variety of what is available with the possible exception of replacing St Georges Hill or Sunny New for a Walton Heath course.

Ciao

[Jamie Barber]

See also http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,42817.0/ - would definitely recommend a day trip to the seaside too if you have a free weekend

[Kevin Pallier]

John

Sean has three S's that I'd concur with around London. A short trip to Sussex could also be considered re: West Sussex and Rye ?

[Mark Pearce]

Interesting that in these discussions Royal Mid-Surrey never gets a mention.  The two courses there certainly aren't great courses and aren't in the ball park of the great heathland courses but doesn't RMS have a lot to say about architectural history?  Isn't it a chance to play a style of architecture that exists in very few places now?

And a bugbear of mine.  The Berkshire over Swinley.  Or Huntercombe (much as I love Huntercombe).

[John Mayhugh]

John,
Have you played links courses?  If not, you owe it to yourself to make an excursion to Deal & Sandwich.  It's possible to do a day trip, though you won't want to limit it to that.

[JNC Lyon]

Thanks for the help so far gents.  I have never played links golf (I have no golf experience outside of North America), so I am looking forward to seeing some of the ones people have listed.

What do people think of Coombe Hill?  This appears to be fairly close to where I am in London

Cheers,

JNCL

[Jay Flemma]

There was a great Buda Cup a few years ago that played Wallasey and a few other courses a little north...don't forget those!

[Scott Warren]

Give me a shout when you hit town if you fancy a few pints. Chaplin can usually be coerced into a beer or four as well. He has a rubber shoulder. If available dates align, I'd be happy to host down at Deal.

[John Mayhugh]

John,
In order to get the best advice, I would suggest sharing a few more of your constraints or goals.  There are a lot of choices of golf in the London area.  If you have firm budgets for time, distance, cost, or something else it's good to share those and you'll get better tips.

The course you mentioned is near Kingston upon Thames.  Here are distances for just a few great places you could visit:
Addington     12 miles
Berkshire     18
Huntercombe     46 miles
New Zealand     16 miles
St. Georges Hill     8 miles
Sunningdale     14 miles
Swinley Forest     25 miles
Walton Heath     10 miles
West Sussex     39 miles
Woking     15 miles

There is a lot of greatness w/in reasonable proximity. 

Farther out, but a must if you can make time, is Deal.  97 miles away, but easy rail service there.  Take Scott Warren up on his offer - you won't be sorry. 

[Scott Warren]

Of the ones John Mayhugh has listed, I have done Walton Heath, Woking, NZ and The Addington by train. West Sussex is near Pulborough and accessible by train easily, as are RAF, Deal (1h30 or so from Kings Cross) and most others.

Even Rye can be done by train with only one change from London, though it is a more lengthy cab ride from the station to the course than others.

I can share the best routes from wherever you're living in London when the time comes, if you like.

[Tony_Muldoon]

What do people think of Coombe Hill?  This appears to be fairly close to where I am in London

Cheers,

JNCL

Search for an old thread with photos by Phiip Gawith.  An Abercrombie and I would be interested in a visit just to see how he handles extreme territory.  Kingston is SW london / surrey borders - opens up the Heathlands!

[Scott Warren]

JL: Where will you be staying in London?

[Adam Lawrence]

There was a great Buda Cup a few years ago that played Wallasey and a few other courses a little north...don't forget those!

Wallasey and the other Lancashire course are three or four hours from London. The Lancashire coast is a great place, but if someone staying in London asked for for golf itineraries, Lancashire would be a long, long way down the list.

[Mark Chaplin]

John Mayhugh you are quite right with goals as there is world class golf close to London but it's easy to drop Pebble Beach amounts of cash seeking a game. A little planning, twilight rounds, sensible use of public transport, etc can make London golf a great experience.

Chappers has short arms and long pockets so I'm always happy to drink a travellers ale!!

[JNC Lyon]

A few extra details on my stay:

My flat is on Bedford Road in London, right near the British Museum.  I know that is in the center of the city and therefore a distance from the main quality courses.  Coombe Hill is maybe 30 minutes by car, so it is close but not immediately near where I am staying.

I will be busy with schoolwork, but my schedule is very flexible.  I have classes two days a week (Monday and Thursday) and have other times set up for archive research.  However, I will be able to plan things on the five free days--just not every one of those days.

My goals for golf:  I want to see a few quality courses while in London.  Golf will not take up a great deal of my time due to constraints of schoolwork, group trips, and my personal interest in other non-golf stuff in Europe.  Therefore, I want to make a lean selection of a few quality golf courses in England.  I'm not interested in seeing the biggest names (Sunningdale and Wentworth, for example, are not high on my list).  Rather, I would like to see a good variety of courses that are different from what I am used to in the States.  I will be especially partial to links golf (Deal, Burnham, Rye, Westward Ho!, etc.).

If I were to make a golf trip, I would plan on a day trip.  Distance is not a huge factor.  However, cost is a major factor.  I will not shell out huge sums for golf.  This constraint is not budgetary so much as it is a personal aversion to high-priced golf.

My other possible consideration is weather.  I know the weather is not great around this time of year.  However, I am from the frozen tundra of Rochester, NY.  This means that I am willing to play in any condition.  I have played in 35 degree weather.  I have played with patchy snow cover.  I have played in every manner of rain, wind, and cold.  On the other hand, I am not averse to playing in the warmth and sun.

I greatly appreciate the invites and suggestions so far.  There appear to be endless options for golf.  It will be up to me to narrow it down to a few good options.  I also look forward to meeting some of the great British GCAers for a drink or two.  Just give me a shout and I will be around.

Thanks all.

Cheers,

JNCL

[David_Tepper]

JNC -

I am afraid you will find life in London is rather expensive and golf on the "essential courses" around London is more so.

How will you be traveling about? Will you rent a car from time to time or do you expect to use public transit only? There are a number of courses you can get reasonably close to by public transit, but not too many of them would be considered "essential."

Sunningdale, while having very expensive greens fees, does have the virtue of being accessible by rail from central London. It is not much more than a 1/4 mile walk from the train station in the village to the club. Both courses there are outstanding. If you can get a reasonable day rate to play both courses on a weekday, I would encourage you to do so.

Here is a link to an article about public golf courses in London. Some are reachable by public transit:

http://www.timeout.com/london/sport/features/183/London-s_public_golf_courses.html

Here is a link to an English Golf Union listing of the golf courses in greater London:

http://www.englishgolfunion.org/golfcentral/clubSearch.asp?S2=18&T=club&B=C&cn=Greater%20London

DT

 

[JNC Lyon]

David,

Thanks for the help.  Like I said, I am not looking to play the biggest names in London golf.  I just want to play a few courses that will, as a group, give me a sense of what good English golf is like.  Thanks for the heads up on Sunningdale's proximity to the rail station.  I haven't completely crossed that one off my list.  It was just an example of the big name that I might avoid due to high prices.

[Scott Warren]

Your location will be perfect for golf, because Tottenham Ct Rd is on the same branch of the Northern Line as Waterloo and Charing Cross, four stops from the former and two from the latter - the two stations that feed most of the areas south of the city where good golf is found.

From Waterloo you're able to get an express train to Woking that only takes 15-20mins, and there are always plenty of cabs lined up at Woking station to get you to any of the nearby clubs for £5-10.

The advice about twilight rates is priceless. Woking, for example, was £35 after 3pm last summer. Around late June when it's light until 10pm you can play 36 in that time on a quiet night!

[JNC Lyon]

Thanks for the tip on Woking.  Woking is near the top of my list for London-area courses.  It looks like it will be perfect for a late semester excursion.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Here is a link to an article about public golf courses in London. Some are reachable by public transit:

http://www.timeout.com/london/sport/features/183/London-s_public_golf_courses.html



 

Nice find David.  O'Grady's short book On Golf is a fine read.


For more on Hainault Forrest

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?topic=26516.0  Last summer it was £9 for a twilight.  It's over a mile from the nearest Tube.  I was only being a little playful when I included the composite course I inventeded there, in my top 25!

[Mark Chaplin]

It will be quicker to travel to St Andrews by air including all the airport bits than get to Westwood Ho from central London. A car in town will be a hinderance. Make sure you get a Student Railcard.

Scott Warren also thought he'd play the odd game of golf during his short time in the UK, so now he plays all the time.

Now Dan Moore has joined Deal 100% of my GCA amateur guests at Deal have joined the club. That is around a dozen so unless you want an amazing overseas student rate avoid me at all costs!!