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Welcome to UK-GolfGuide's page which contains feedback from site users who have played at Woodhall Spa Golf Club.

Whilst UK-GolfGuide.com attempts to turf out the more unhelpful or just plain daft contributions, some may slip through. If you have played the course or hold a different opinion to those of the contributors, feel free to use the Add your Comments icon to provide a broader spread of views. If you have a gripe with the club then take it up with them directly - please don't use this facility for airing grievances!.

If you have played this course and would like to add your comments then feel free to Add a Report.

steve reville (England) 03/05/08

Wow,a proper golf course,a masterpiece and best of all the price.i have played wentworth and i have got to say wentworth has everything,it is a special place,but it comes at a price.Woodhall for shear top quality golf,whatever your veiws on various courses,this is by far the best value prestige course you will ever play.I have read some of the reveiws and i have got to say most are spot on,but some are totally off the mark.The clubhouse is a clubhouse pure and simple,it doesnt have to be the ritz.If you want to chip and putt there is a lovely 9 hole chip and putt course 50 yards from the club house set among lots of trees and is a great way to start your round before you go to the putting green,and its free.The person you speak too when you book and the assistant in the shop were very helpful and couldnt do enough for you.The course and thats what you go for,is stunning.Keep it down the middle and this course is a pussycat,go off line and it is a monster.The bunkers quite literally take your breath away and can easily wreck your card and the heather which is present on a lot of holes only comes into play if you hit a bad shot.It really is a test of golf but totally fair,rewarding good shots and punishing bad ones.I will be back a few more times to play,what can only be described as a pleasure and and there is no profiteering going on here,just total value for money quality.

Ratings

Value for Money	10
Challenge	10
Off Course	10

Paul Godber (England) 06/11/07

Returned 6/11/07 to play The Bracken course at Woodhall Spa. As always excellent booking service and a very friendly welcome in the Pro Shop. Green fee as an EGU Club Member was £25.

Walked on to a deserted Bracken course and was immediately impressed. All the way round tees were fantastic and very well maintained. Some good fairway bunkering and best of all the greens. Each green was large and featured a number of challenging slopes- usually surrounded by deep US style bunkering with crisp white sand.

A totally different feel to the Hotchkin but enjoyable nonetheless. The greens weren't quick (it is November after all) but all were consistently paced, receptive to a well-struck shot and in very good condition.

As we played much maintenance work was being conducted and the course is obviously well-cared for. There were a number of lakes/ponds which added to the challenge and served to break up what had obviously been flat arable farmland.

The course seemed to play fairly easy to me (massive landing areas for the drives and large greens) and would be very well-suited to company days and for less experienced players.

If I had to criticise the course it would only be that the layout is slightly featureless in parts. For example the on tee shots on 10 and 18 it is hard to see any definition of where the fairways are. It just appears as open grassland punctuated by a few trees.

That apart the course makes the best use of what must formerly have been flat farmland and presents an enjoyable challenge for visitor and member alike.

Ratings

Value for Money	7
Challenge	6
Off Course	10

Paul Godber (England) 10/11/06

Re Fern Moore's comments. Fern virtually all clubs I have played at have putting greens that have a sign that clearly says "No Chipping". To avoid a problem simply use the thing as it is intended. If you want to chip use the fantastic driving range located a short walk away.

My experience at Woodhall was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. Great booking service with very friendly staff and a warm welcome in the Pro Shop. As for the Starter he actually came up to me as I was practicing putting,knew my name and asked me if I wanted to go off 10 minutes early. Having teed off he then wished me good luck and congratulated me on my opening tee shot. I have never experienced better service.

The course is a heathland masterpiece and deserves all the plaudits it routinely gets. The bunkering is out of this world and condition overall fantastic. After 9 holes I got talking to a member who was marshalling and he was just as friendly. A quick bite in the super halfway house and off to play 9 more fantastic holes.

Great course-great price and nice people. Cant wait to go back.

Ratings

Value for Money	10
Challenge	9
Off Course	10

daniel Bailey (England) 26/10/06

I have been looking forward to playing the Hotchin course for some time. On arrival you notice the clubhouse is nothing special, the welcoming from the guy in the Pro shop was not particular warm either. A fair walk to the driving range as well.

However, the course...Wow...what value for money the hotchin course is. £55 is an absolute bargain, greens were fantastic, the variety of holes were impressive. It is certainly not a course where you hit driver of ever tee, you need to plot you way round the course.

The bunkers are some of the toughest I have seen in Britain, makes the the road hole bunker at St Andrews look easy. Stay clear of the bunkers on the Par 3s, they are serious card wreckers.

Much better value than any course in the South.

For £55 you can not ask for more.......book a tee time and enjoy.

Ratings

Value for Money	10
Challenge	7
Off Course	6

Richard Freeman (England) 24/09/06

If Woodhall Spa had no reputation then I would probably have left with nothing but incredibly watm feelings toward the course, however, having driven from North London for 36 holes on the Hotchkin based on the course's reputation (7th best in UK, 44th in the world...etc) I'm afraid it was a bit of an anti-climax.

The course itself is a lovely design with barely an average hole, possibly the 17th being the only mediocre one. The bunkers are incredible and I enjoyed the par 3s. However, the fairways were in a pretty awful condition - more like some of the clay based fairways I play on down here. The greens were ok but I was expecting absolutely top notch putting surfaces.

I'm not too bothered about the clubhouse facilities but had a great hot sandwich for lunch.

So, slightly mixed feelings but hopefully, the conditions were a blip as I think I would go back and play again. £100 for 36 holes is definitely better value than some of the 'glamourous' courses in the South East.

Ratings

Value for Money	7
Challenge	8
Off Course	8

James Butcher (England) 20/09/06

I played the Bracken Course on 8 Sept 2006 off the white tees in a competition. Although I am reliably informed the the Bracken pales against the Hotchkin, I didn't get the chance to play it. What I can say is I thought the Bracken was an excellent course, well worth playing and much better than many places I have visited.

The course was in superb condition and although the greens had recently been treated they ran true and at a decent pace. This is a thinking mans course, with placement key. Bring the driver, but blast at your peril. The only weak hole is the 10th. Other than that I thought this was a good test of golf and the course merits more respect than simply being seen as a warm up for playing the Hotchkin.

The off course facilities are excellent as you would expect at the home of golf.

Ratings

Value for Money	9
Challenge	8
Off Course	10

Michael Holmes (England) 20/07/06

Been wanting to play the Hotchkin for years and picked the hotest day of the year! The fairways were burnt but that just added to the fun. The greens were great and that added to the fun. Then the rest of the course, well it was a great test of your skills and we enjoyed it. The half way house was dissapointing but friendly.

We played the Bracken in the afternoon and as a second course it was fine and well worth a visit.

Ratings

Value for Money	8
Challenge	9
Off Course	8

Adrian Jakeman (England) 20/07/06

I played the Hotchkin twice last week and have to say that it is a wounderfully designed golf course. The course was very dry so it probably played a good 1000 yards shorter than what the card states. The bunkers are real card wreckers if you get in them especially on the short par 3 holes. The green fee of £55 for an EGU member is an absolute steal compared to the Surrey heathland courses at twice the price and there was no hint of snobbery at all.

Now for the only downside! The state of the bunkers on the Hotchkin was absolutely

shocking with most of them being full of very large stones especially the one on 18 that is 50 yards short left of the green. I can't believe that the head green keeper is not aware of this as most of the members are constantly complaining about the problem.

Please wake up head green keeper as this is ruining a fantastic golf course..

Ratings

Value for Money	8
Challenge	8
Off Course	8

Jason Brooke (England) 16/07/06

Played the Hotchkin course on 16tn July, 1st of all we were given a very warm welcome at golf reception, which after reading an earlier review I wasnt expecting, we were clearly told were all the facilities were and given a free reign to use them. We then went and got a bacon sandwich and a coffee, sitting outside in our golf shoes we were promptly served from a very nice man called Keith from the clubhouse, we then had the opportunity to use the pitch and putt and the putting green (which is clearly marked no chipping, rules are rules eh!!!!) and eventually given the green light bang on our tee time. The course is very very dry and playing short, but you could not help but be impressed by the course and the different holes which require different golf skills, also we were impressed with how easy it was to find wayward shots, only 3 balls were lost in our 4 ball which made a refreshing change. I would like to play the course again when its in a more lush condition and not nearly 100 degrees, but its the greatest test of golf Ive had in over 20 years of golf and only Ganton comes close to the quality of the course. After our round we were made to feel very welcome in the clubhouse and the locker room facilities, especially the showers were most welcoming, all in all a great day out, not snobby in any way and we all 4 want to return next year.

Ratings

Value for Money	10
Challenge	10
Off Course	10

Fern Moore (England) 05/04/06

Woodhall Spa is no doubt one of the best clubs I will ever visit. It is a club of 2 courses. The Bracken was frankly a disappointment.

The greens were 'tricked up' and so was much of the course.

It was too open for me and some holes were what I call 'fields' with a tee at one end and a green at the other.

Overnight dinner b&b at Petwood House-excellent.

Next day we played the Hotchkin. What a course. Words fail me.

Words did not fail the starter when he saw me chipping putting alongside the practise green.

I do not like 'OI YOU' types.

Now as it happens I have an issue with banning short put type chips any way, what is that about?

I suppose the home of the English golf Union is as good a place as any to raise the question.

It's a bloody practice green. Why does it need extra protection the playing greens do not get?

There is no danger element.

A full pitch might leave a pitch mark.

If a club doesn't want that then ban full pitches or ban any shot leaving a pitch mark,.

What's wrong with those little feel shots you need to practice?

If there is concern for other players apart from the fact that anyone who interferes with another player shouldn't be there; why not put down a rope like they do at Olton.

I saw someone else being told off for swinging a club in the wrong place.

I did not spoil our visit but it's the kind of jobsworthness that golf does not need.

Also, the proper practice green is on the other side of a large car park in the opposite direction to the driving range which takes 15 minutes to walk to...

This is not the place to slag off a club but on the other hand some write- ups look like they were written by someone on the inside!

I try and be objective but what annoys me and my fellow golfing pals is stupid snobbery of the type that puts off non golfers. Plenty of it at Woodhall Spa.

Ratings

Value for Money	10
Challenge	10
Off Course	7

Paul Nash (England) 31/07/04

I have made the pilgrimage to Woodhall twice in 2003 and once in 2004. It is very hard to write anything new about Woodhall when every hole is so special. This is the complete golf course in terms of design, charm, fairness and danger. The par 5 ninth hole is simply stunning, but then you could say the same about par 4 seventh, eleventh and sixth, and the par 3 fifth and twelfth holes are superb - although you might disagree if you go in the bunkers and can't find a way out. The best time to play the course is when the heather is at its most purple, although it is in excellent condition all year round due to the sandy soil. Woodhall is the most natural looking course I have ever played - huge bunkers are often surrounded by gorse, heather and other natural-looking ground which doesn't appear at all manicured. The service is excellent and the people friendly and welcoming. The best course in the world? Probably. You would have a very difficult job in making a case against it by arguing that other courses are superior or more enjoyable to play. The only thing stopping this course being ranked higher is its out-of-the-way location, the fact that many people don't know about it and its lack of history/ emotion which goes hand-in-hand with the major championship courses. Those in the know may want to preserve its anonymity from the tourist invasion - I think I would. Did I mention that it is undoubtedly the best value high-quality golf in the world at £50 a round for EGU members and £60 for others - compares very favourably to the £220 a round at the inferior Wentworth and well over £100 for any of the open courses!

Geoff Baker (England) 01/06/04

I've played the Hotchkin 3 times now over the last 3 years and every time it has been fabulous. Rightly regarded as one of the best courses in UK. Clubhouse is nice with good food and helpful staff. Well worth the long journey.

David Buck (England) 17/05/04

Eight of us played four rounds (two on each course) over one weekend in May 2004.

The Hotchkin course is quite rightly rated as one of the best courses in the country - it is superb in every way. We worried that it may prove too difficult higher handicap players, but as most fairways start quite wide but then narrow considerably the further you go this proved to not be a problem. It was also in superb condition.

It annoys me to read the criticism of the Bracken course below. I don't think it is in the same class as the Hotchkin (but then what is?), but is a very good course in it's own right. We all enjoyed our rounds on the (US parkland style) Bracken and thought that the contrast in styles between the two courses added to the enjoyment of our weekend.

The other facilities (driving range, short game area, etc) are all first class.

We will return next year, and the year after, and the year after, and.....

Jamie Barber (England) 07/08/03

I had been waiting to play this for a long time and it lived up to my expectations. Not excessively long off the dailies but a great course in top condition. You need long straight drives to score anything near your handicap (which ruled me out) and more than anything it's the huge bunkers you remember. I would also advise taking your medicine when you're in the heather and playing out sideways! Pretty good value at £45 for EGU members.

Harry Putter (England) 01/08/03

I could wax lyrical about the Hotchkin course all day and night. It is simply perfect, I cannot think of a single improvement that could be made to this course, and I cannot think of any other course I could say that about. The condition of the course is superb, the layout first class and the challenge is breathtaking. The things with sand in aren't bunkers, they're quarries. The 11th is probably the best golf hole I have ever played. I could go on and on, but do yourself a favour and go play the best inland course in the UK, one word of advice, I would pay the day rate for the Hotchkin course rather than play both courses as the Bracken is garbage. - 10/10

Neil Scott (England) 08/06/03

One of those courses where one visit is never enough. You will receive a very warm welcome and the practice facilities are excellent. Played Hotckin course one day and Braken the next. If the wind is up and you shoot near your handicap on the Hotckin then you have achieved, as this is one of the sternest tests of golf in Britain. The bunkering is cleverly positioned and getting out of them is a test in itself. Add that to the heather and tree lined fairways you can see why this course is held in such high esteem.

The Braken is more of a US parkland setting and presents a different challenge. The greens are excellent and when the course matures with time it will become a truly great course.

Tim H (UK) 06/08/01

The Hotckin is the most difficult course I have ever played. The comment below about not worrying on your score is very true - the bunkers are incredibly severe and the heather is harder to play out than normal rough. Still, its a joy to play and comes thoroughly recommended.

L. KINGSNORTH () 31/07/00

Played the course July 27th. This has to be the best value for money day out, a group of 10 of us played the Bracken course in the morning, although a new course the greens were excellent, fairways need just a little more growth. The Hotchkin course is just about as good as it gets! It starts with a "gentle" par 4, then the serious stuff gets under way. After every green you think this can't get better then you stand on the next tee and realise it can. This is a course that will challenge anyone, you have to think your way round every inch of the way, the bunkers are scattered all over and can be penal. The course is also protected by heather and gorse. Most holes are treelined too so keep it straight. We played after an hours torrential rain and although the bunkers were quite wet, no puddles, the fairways and greens dried out in no time due to the excellent sub-soil. Can't wait to go back again soon

chris () 23/05/00

Best inland course in the country. last league table i saw it was 28th in the world (including links). Definitely worth a visit. But practice your bunker shots, or you may be there some time.

Derek Pearce () 24/03/99

The Hotchkin course is a tremendous experience for any golfer. The condition of the course was superb.The only advice I can offer is 'Don't go in the bunkers' although that is easier said than done. The heather doesn't help either. Go to enjoy the experience and don't worry too much about your score and you will have a fantastic day.\r\nThe staff were courteous and helpful and helped to contribute to an excellent day out.\r\n'I will return'