I had the great fortune to play Royal St Georges on Thursday on a bright and breezy day. I had to go to France to get some wine for a party and took the chance to play RSG on the way. It was the first day of the winter rates of £65 for a round which was excellent value.
I didn't really know what to expect but I would say that everything about the club was first class. The atmosphere of the club was old English money at it's best - there are rules, and as long as you abide by them you will be warmly welcomed. The course was superb - a real mixture of fun and challenge. The front nine was in some huge dunes and was great fun. The back nine was on the more open ground and was a real test. There were some blind shots but they didn't seem unfair - there was plenty of room (e.g. drive at 4th, second to 5th, drive at 7). All in all a privilege to play and right up in the higher reaches of my personal rankings.
Second to the 1st
Drive at the superb 2nd
That swings to the left to leave this attractive pitch over a valley
The attractive short 3rd
The famous drive at the 4th - line over the himalaya bunker
The rollercoaster 4th fairaway with raised rollercoaster green
Great elevated driving hole at the 5th with the first view of the sea
The approach to the 5th through the gap in the dunes - there really is loads of room here.
The short 6th - the famous Maiden
A closer look at the 3 level green
The blind drive at the 7th - a tough carry into a stiff breeze
Second to the par 5 7th
Another blind drive at the 8th although it's pretty obvious where to go
The wonderful 2nd to the 8th green, complete with bird of prey
8th green
9th drive, with power station view!
Second to the raised 9th green
The steep drop off the right hand side of the 9th green
I would say that the front nine at RSG is second only to the front nine at Royal County Down of the courses I've played. Not a weak hole at all.
The uphill 10th hole - only a short par 4 but a really difficult approach downwind.
The long par 3 11th
The short par 4 12th
13th drive
Second to the 13th
The scary drive at the par 5 14th - OOB all the way down the right
Second over the Suez canal
The flat and very difficult 15th
The very steep drop off the right of the 15th green
Thomas Bjorn's nightmare - teh short 16th. This really is a big target and he really had a mental breakdown going at the right pin.
Your correspondent shows Thomas how it's done! You just have to drop a ball in there and have a go at getting it just over the ridge.
The tough 17th
2nd to the raised green
Homeward bound
A notable feature is the changing direction of the holes so that you don't get a long stretch of holes into the wind. I would recommend it to anyone.