Last week I took up the opportunity of playing Woodhall Spa using their winter rate of just under 50 pounds a round which was great value for money. I have played the course numerous times and it seems that I find the course a lot easier every time I play it as the message is to avoid bunkers at all costs. It is a old fashioned penal type of course. The layout was originally designed by Harry Vardon, modified by Harry Colt.
The current course is down to the work of Colonel Stafford Vere Hotchkin whose family owned the course for nearly a century before selling it to the English Golf Union (now England Golf). Hotchkin made numerous changes from 1930 to 1950. It was claimed that the course used to have 365 bunkers each one for the days of the year! Now there are over 100 and there grassy hollows where it used to be sand bunkers but its too far out of play these days.
The course is in two halves the thrilling front nine is more open heathland type course with gigantic and deep linksy bunkers and the less exciting back nine is more treelined like the heathland courses of south of England. I always feel that if you have played well from 2 to 13 then you are in for a good round. For a course like this it is a bit disappointing to haveweaker finishing holes with the exception of the 17th. If those holes were stronger as well as a better location for people to get to it would definitely be in the top 20 courses in the world.
I always have questioned which is better Ganton or Woodhall Spa? I still plump for Ganton as it is a better course from start to finish and has a cracking short par 4! Which is missing at Woodhall.
I will be doing this thread a la Kyle Henderson!
Hole 1 is a gentle starting hole a short/medium par 4 whose tee is in front of the cedar shingled original clubhouse. The fairway pinches at the 250 yard mark meaning a hybrid or a long iron is preferable off the tee allowing for a short iron to the flattish green.
View from tee
Fairway
Closer to green
An introduction to Woodhall Spa style bunkers
Rear view
Hole 2 is where the course really starts. It is a formidable medium to long par 4. With unbelievably deep fairway bunkers either side of the fairway. The fairway narrows at about 230-250 from the tee. The green is also flanked by bunkers and the 5th tee on on side. If the green is missed that means a difficult shot as it slopes downwards to the green.
Tee shot
Fairway bunkers right and left!!
First mighty fairway bunker!
A better understanding on the scale of those mighty bunkers
View closer to the green
Front of green
Greenside bunker
View from 3rd fairway the course looks calm and serene but trouble lurks nearby!
Hole 3 is a straight testing medium/long par 4 with a blind tee shot over heather! The flattish green is heavily guarded by a number of deep bunkers. This hole really punishes the wayward shot with heather and sand. There is a nice gentle split level fairway in front of the green.
View from tee
View from top of blind heather
Fairway
Closer view to green with split level fairway
Bunkers flanking the fairway
Rear view
Hole 4 is a medium right to left dogleg hole coming in the opposite way of Holes 1,2 and 3. The fairway tends to bottleneck out at driving distance so a three wood or hybrid will give you the ideal position from the right hand side of the fairway. The green is one of the flattest on the course.
View from tee
Fairway
Closer view to green
Closer view to left greenside bunker 5th summer tee is on the left
Closer view to slightly obscured right greenside bunker
Bloody hell what a deep bunker on the right!
Rear view
Hole 5 is the first of 2 short par 3s that is very heavily bunkered (and very deep ones) where the only place really is to hit the green at all counts. There are two different tees a la Arble like two different tee angles. The winter tee is on the right of the 4th green and plays at 120 yards and the green is narrower and wider. The main tee is on the left of the 4th green and its in between the 2nd and 4th greens. The big bunker on the right has a couple of steep steps to access in the bunker! The green from the main tee is long and narrow with a raised small portion at the front which is unusual and makes me wonder if they actually put the flag there!
View from winter tee on right of 4th green
View from main tee
Front of green with the giant snake like bunker on the right
Rear view of green and you can see the raised portion at the front - the winter tee is on the left in the gap between the trees and the summer tee is just above the flagstick
Rear view of snake like deep bunker the steps are visible from here!