London/Oxford area advice

[Andy Doyle]

There have been a lot of these "where to play" threads lately, so I appreciate your indulgence.

I have a good friend who wants to play in the London/Oxford area this summer.  His brother is lecturing at Oxford, so he is going over for a visit for a week or two.  He is staying in the Oxford area and is not keen on driving on the "wrong" side of the road, so ideally he would be able to get to courses via public transit.

By searching previous threads the following courses in the area have been mentioned:

Sunningdale
Walton Heath
Woking
Addington
West Hill
Worplesdon

Disclaimer:  This is not a request for access nor for people to do my research for me.

I am just clueless as to the practical geographical and transportation issues in the area, so any general or specific guidance would be much appreciated.

Once I have a general idea of what's doable, I'm happy to research the specific courses.

Thanks,

Andy

P.S. My friend is a member of a couple of private clubs and should be able to arrange access on his own if that's an issue.

[Brent Hutto]

I only have one tiny bit of knowledge to share but here it is. During my England vacation last summer I spent a couple of days in Oxfordshire and really enjoyed my day at Huntercombe. Lovely, interesting course with a very laid-back air about it. Lots of couples out with their dogs the Sunday I played there.

To travel between Huntercombe and Oxford does involve some two-lane country roads but as a first-time driver on the left I thought they were much more managable and less heavily trafficked than many of the roads in Surrey and Kent that I had used earlier in the trip.

I must add the caveat that as a short-hitting bogey golfer I found Huntercombe very fun but having played as a single I can't comment on how a stronger player might find it.

[Jon Earl]

Andy

All of the courses on your list are pretty hard to get to from Oxford via public transport with the possible exception of Sunningdale. I could be wrong but, apart from Sunningdale, all would involve getting a train into London, getting across London and then getting another train out the other side. To get to Sunningdale, you can get a train to Reading from Oxford and then change.

I can't comment on the courses in the area but Huntercombe and (at the other end of the spectrum) The Oxfordshire (American-style Rees Jones that has held a couple of European Tour events) are the best known. I would guess that those in the know would recommend the former over the latter.

[RT]

Andy,

In and round the Oxford area there are no great shakes.

As far as Brent's Huntercombe suggestion it is not so far from Oxford but getting to it via public transport is not an option.

Your friend is going to be stymied if he needs to rely on public transport to get to many great courses.

Sunningdale would be easy from Oxford; train to Reading, change trains to Sunningdale, and on the course 4 mins from the station.

But in other cases it will involve much more tooing and froing with probably a taxi ride involved from a station.

He will be stymied if he is not prepared to drive on UK roads as many courses are just not that accessible and easy to get to using UK public transportation.

RT

[Mark Pearce]

Another vote for Huntercombe.  Access won't be a problem with any of the courses mentioned, unaccompanied visitors will be welcome (for the appropriate green fee).  As has been said, public transport to most of these will be a nightmare.  Learning to drive on the wrong side of the road isn't nearly as hard as your friend might think.  If he summons up his courage and does drive when over here he'll also be able to sample English country pubs, which Oxfordshire has many very fine examples of.

[Bill_McBride]

I would second the motion of renting a car, pick up at Heathrow and heading AWAY from London would be recommended!    The M and A motorways are plenty big enough.  The most important detail is -- get an automatic!  It's tricky enough remembering to drive on the left side -- as John Krystynak says, put yourself in the middle of the road -- without having to manipulate a stickshift LEFT HANDED!  

[Bob_Huntley]

As a very young man I played cricket at the Beaconsfield Cricket Club, which, at one time, was on the estate of Colonal William Baring du Pre.

In 1902 du Pre built a nine holer and when the railway line connecting London to Oxford was built, he brought in Colt to design a delightful eighteen hole course.

It wasn't until about 1970 that I played it for the first and only time.

The club is 26 miles from Oxford and has it's own railway station, Seer Green and Jordans Halt.

There is a host of information on their web site.

www.beaconsfieldgolfclub.com

Bob

[Brent Hutto]

Tweaked URL...

www.beaconsfieldgolfclub.co.uk

[Ed Tilley]

I won't add much with regard to the Heathland courses such as Sunningdale as this has been much discussed already. Trains from Reading to within a short taxi drive of all these courses would not be a problem. Trains from Oxford to Reading are regular.

With regard to courses in the Oxford area, they are not in the same league as the great heathland courses towards London. Also getting to them by public transport can be a bit problematic. The best courses in the area are Frilford Heath and Huntercombe.

Frilford Heath is about 5 miles SW of Oxford. I'm not aware that any bus goes within half a mile of the course. When I was a young man I occasionally got the bus to a garage nearby and walked the remainder - not recommended. A taxi would be the best bet as it's not too far. There are 3 courses, all of a high standard (I would rank them Red / Green / Blue).

Huntercombe could be done by public transport. It is on the main Oxford to Henley road (about 15 miles from Oxford) and your friend could be dropped off within a few hundred yards of the clubhouse. It is much loved by many on this site, designed by Willie Park of Sunningdale fame - I believe the architect considered Huntercombe the better course.

In the city itself, Southfields and North Oxford offer a fun game although neither would be considered top notch. Both of these would be a short taxi ride from the city centre.

I think the difficulties of driving on the 'wrong' side of the road are overstated. I have driven on the right a few times - on holiday to France and the US. It doesn't take much getting used to. Hiring a car would make the whole experience a little bit easier - plus open up the possibility of courses slightly further afield such as Beau Desert or Burnham & Berrow, both within an hour and a half drive.

[Tim Pitner]

Andy,

It sounds like your friend should probably rent a car.  When driving in Ireland, I found it surprisingly easy to adjust to driving on the left.  The harder thing for me was to not drive so far left on Irish country roads (out of fear of oncoming traffic), that I was actually scraping bushes on the side of the road and, nearly, stone fences.  

Driving on the left isn't that difficult.  It takes maybe a few times to get fully acclimated.  

[Andy Doyle]

You guys are awesome - thanks and keep it coming.

I'll talk to him again about renting a car.  I've driven in Ireland a couple of times and found it pretty easy to adapt, even shifting with my left hand.  Maybe he'll see the light.

Andy

[Mark Pearce]

As a very young man I played cricket at the Beaconsfield Cricket Club, which, at one time, was on the estate of Colonal William Baring du Pre.

In 1902 du Pre built a nine holer and when the railway line connecting London to Oxford was built, he brought in Colt to design a delightful eighteen hole course.

It wasn't until about 1970 that I played it for the first and only time.

The club is 26 miles from Oxford and has it's own railway station, Seer Green and Jordans Halt.

There is a host of information on their web site.

www.beaconsfieldgolfclub.com

Bob

Beaconsfield is the club where Luke Donald learned his golf.  It's a good track.  Another course on the west side of London with it's own railway station is Denham (Denham Golf Club is a stop on the line out of Paddington).  I liked Denham a lot when I palyed it, though that was probably 12 years ago now.

It's interesting to consider the stations built for golf.  Chorleywood station on the Metropoitan line was also built to allow members of the House of Lords get to and from Chorleywood Golf Club (now a short, tight 9-holer, though originally an 18 hole layout).  I don't know whether itwas deliberate but Moor Park station (also on the Met line) is pretty adjacent to the Sandy Lodge clubhouse.  

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Most of the courses mentioned involve a train into London followed by a train out of London (Denham and Beaconsfield are on the line out from Marylebone, not Paddington), and driving is really the only practicable suggestion.  Yes, Sunningdale is easy by train, and with a bit of deft connecting work you could throw in New Zealand, West Byfleet, Moor Park, Sandy Lodge and even Mitcham Common municipal (the original Prince's).  But one of the joys of Oxford (not that there are many left!) is that it is not London, so head for the country.  Huntercombe is a must, and Frilford Red and Green are good (the Blue being a new layout with little in the way of heathland character).  I would also suggest Tadmarton Heath near Banbury, but the estimable Sean Arble didn't rave about it in his profile on this site some months ago.  I enjoy Goring and Streatley (apart from a couple of early hill-climbs) and Henley, too - both within easy reach.  Northamptonshire County is within easy reach and is a fine parkland course with preety well one of everything (which description would also apply to Beaconsfield).  Denham, too, is enjoyable.  I'd make the effort to go over to Berkhamstead, one of our best bunkerless courses and a favourite of Peter McEvoy.  But, then, if you have a car (and plenty of money) the M40/M25/A30/A3/M3 will get you easily to Sunningdale, Wentworth, Swinley, the Berkshire, Woking, Worplesdon, West Hill, St George's Hill, Walton Heath, Camberley Heath, Liphook....