Welcome to UK-GolfGuide's page which contains feedback from site users who have played at Cookridge Hall 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!.

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Paul Cockerham (England) 04/05/08

Played on the 1st of May - excellent value at £12.50 using a 2 for 1 voucher (hence the value rating), its still reasonable value at the full rate of £25.

I have rather large gripe about this course, see the other reviews - when i phoned to book a tee time, i was informed that there was a trolley ban and that the course was 'a bit damp' - this was a major understatement - whilst we had had some heavy showers the day before, you could actually here the water draing draing off the tees & fairways, some of the tees has standing water on them, nearly every drive plugged in the fairway and i actually found 2 golf balls in a puddle in the middle of 3rd fairway - if it wasnt for the greens, the course should have been shut.

Aside from the above complaint, the course is a great layout with plenty of dog-legs & water hazards and would be a serious challenge off the back tees - a course planner is very useful if you havent played the course before.

Considering how wet the course was, the greens were superb, probably the best i've played on at this time of year - very firm but receptive & quick.

Great clubhouse & facilities, & friendly staff.

I will definitly play the course again but only after a prolonged period of dry weather - think twice about playing if the weather has been wet.

Value for Money	10
Challenge	8
Off Course	8

Alistair How (England) 23/08/07

Played a twilight mid week session - £18 and got about 14 holes in. Much like previous comments the downside of pay and play is the time taken for poor golfers to get around. Many just did the first nine, so in hindsight it was probably worth trying to start at 10 which was easy to do.

Much evidence of drainage, with another year needed for the surface to recover. No GUR though.

Some good holes, particularly 6th over water - but no drop zone, and 9th. Agree on yardage markers - why only 150?

A few tee boxes were hacked up, and little evidence of pitch marks being repaired. Saying that the course was green and lush. Greens quite quick given longish grass.

OK for a mid week, but would not rush to return given local alternatives

Value for Money	7
Challenge	7
Off Course	6

David . (Scotland) 01/08/07

Played the course at the weekend, which managed to take nearly five & a half hours!!

The reason for the ridiculous time was that we were unfortunate to be out just after a visiting party of 15 or so. The last 4-ball had no idea how to play golf, or about course etiquette, and nor did the 4-ball infront of them. One of the players was that bad he couldn't even reach the Par 3 14th green despite hitting a driver!!!!

Whilst I understand visiting parties are a good & welcomed source of revenue for golf clubs, surely it is EVERY golf clubs responsibility to ensure that other player's rounds are not ruined by people who aren't golfers regardless of how much money is being spent.

That said, the two members infront of us, who walked in after taking nearly two hours to play 5 holes, were good enough to speak to the Pro about it. The Pro was out on the buggy trying to get the visiting party moving, and both he and the two members where good enough to apologise for this spoiling the round for us. We would have walked off as well, except we had paid £30 each for the privilege.

Anyway, that's my rant out of the way, now onto the review.

The course is a decent challenge and the layout is also of decent standard although there is a fair bit of walking involved between holes, especially the 3rd & 12th.

The course designer obviously liked dog-legs, as there's 6 of them to contend with. There are loads of water features dotted about, which enhances the layout, and the bunkers were well positioned, with some looking really tricky to get out of due to the steep banks. However, of the two bunkers I managed to find myself, I found them a little disappointing as they had little sand in them and hitting a decent bunker shot was near impossible.

Had read about the drainage problems of the course & I can honestly say that it wasn't an issue. The course was in good condition underfoot and although a few fairways were a little wetter than others, it didn't affect the round. The only bad areas of drainage were towards the rough and if you are missing fairways then you shouldn't expect ideal conditions. I, also, found the greens in good condition and they all seemed to run true from wherever I was putting from.

Only slight downside to me was the lack of yardage markers. The only ones they had were blue stakes, 150 yards from the centre of the greens, and some shorter Par 4's didn't have any markers so you just had to judge distances. I would much prefer 100 yard and 200 yard markers as well as this can help a great deal in club selection, especially for visitors.

Memorable holes include the 6th , a beautiful Par 3 here you hit over water to the green.

The 7th is a long Par 5 as you play uphill to a green that is well guarded with bunkers.

The 11th is another long Par 5, but if you're long enough off the tee you can cut the corner of the dog leg & have a chance at hitting the green, again uphill, in two shots.

The 18th is a lovely hole to finish on, although I think it would have been even better if you had to play over the water & fountain towards the clubhouse with the green just infront. Anyway, 314 yards was too much for me to try & go for the green, even though I drive with a fade, but longer hitters can be brave & go for it.

Of the club facilities, unfortunately we didn't manage to sample these as it was nearly 7.30 by the time we finished our round and we had plans for the evening.

The club does have a driving range, with a Spikes bar situated in a lovely old building with seating outside. As I didn’t have the pleasure to use the facilities then I've given then a standard 5 mark.

To conclude, putting aside the unfortunate time element as I doubt that will happen again, I found this course a decent enough challenge. There's holes that will that will require a little thought and prove a good test of shot making for low handicappers but at the same time there's some really straightforward holes which will benefit a beginner or high handicapper.

£30 a round is a little steep for this type of course, £20-£25 would be a more realistic tariff, but is well worth a visit.

Value for Money	7
Challenge	7
Off Course	5

Paul Godber (England) 26/07/07

Returned to Cookridge Hall to play today and was very impressed from start to finish.

First rate service in the pro shop with booking and welcome. Following repeated downpours I was unsure of the condition of the course but was very pleasantly surprised.

The tees, fairways and greens were excellent. In particular the greens ran fast,true and firm despite poor weather. Each green features a number of slopes which no doubt help drainage and add to the challenge

Many improvements apparent as I played round- copses of trees filling out, more dykes for drainage and high quality bunkering.

Off the course as previously mentioned the facilities are superb- great driving range, spike bar and a top class clubhouse.

Ten out of ten to Adam and his staff.

Value for Money	10
Challenge	10
Off Course	10

Alistair Armstrong (England) 08/05/07

Played on the 5 May with my brother who is a member. He echos the comments that in the winter drainage is a problem, but when I played it the course was immaculate. Interesting design on some holes (if you like dog-legs you'll love the course), plenty of water and on the whole the greens were in good condition. Memnorable holes were the 6th par full (full carry over water) and the 17th was fun, blind tee shot but the approach to the green is a beautiful hole. Even without 2 fore 1 it is good value at £25 a round. Club house seemed nice enough, changing rooms could be better but apart from that no complaints.

Value for Money	10
Challenge	8
Off Course	7

Paul Gardener (England) 15/01/07

Returned to Cookridge on 14th Jan to take advantage of their Winter £16 round deal. The round was booked midweek and when I asked about the drainage was told only a few problems on the 3rd hole.No mention of the following.

On arrival on the Sunday was told: no trollies allowed, mats to be carried and used all over the course and worse after the 8th hole you then were to move to the 14th and play in. This was for reduced fee of £12 plus £5 deposit for the matt.

Conditions were the worst I have ever encountered on any golf course with muddy standing water everywhere. The 3rd hole (usually a dogleg par 5) had apparently had a few more problems and was now reduced to a par 3.

Underfoot the fairways resembled a combination of the Glastonbury Festival 1998 and The Somme circa 1916.I have no idea how the course was deemed fit to play and we had to give up after 7 very muddy holes fearing an outbreak of trench foot.

Yes the weather had been bad and there is no problem with the layout of the course or the facilities. However the drainage is very poor and the course would be one better suited to a visit for summer play.

Good marks for challenge (I could barely stay upright), low for value for money even at winter rates and good for the facilities which remain excellent.

Value for Money	1
Challenge	8
Off Course	9

Steve Shotton (England) 13/08/06

Super course,will definitly play here again,with 2 for 1 voucher was only £18.50 including buggy,great value for such a good track.Played some of the best golf I ever played here,an inspiration.

Value for Money	10
Challenge	8
Off Course	8

Paul Godber (England) 22/06/04

Have played Cookridge over the last 2 weeks and am thoroughly impressed with the improvements in condition.

I was a very frequent visitor to the course in the mid to late 90s when drainage was a big problem (particularly on 2,3 and 10)aswell as putting surfaces that were inconsistent at best.

Fast forward to 2004 and the fairways and greens are in much better condition and are a credit to the club.Always a great layout (particularly the par 3 sixth over water at about 150 yds and the superbly challenging closing hole where you can risk a shot at the green)

Green fees are now £23 in the week and as mentioned previously the staff are very helpful.Overall a big improvement.

Tim Grey (England) 11/01/04

Regular member. Agree with the comments above, the drainage is greatly improved from the good old bad old days of the late 1990's when it was almost impossible to play in winter. Nowadays the rough is fairly formed and the new trees are of a size they have real bearing on how you play the course.

Highlights are, the tough uphill second hole with left dogleg, approaching the 7th green from 150, 200yds out, and the attractive 18th par 4.

Andy Moore (England) 01/09/03

Played This Course Yesturday 31/08/03, and was very impressed with condition and layout of the Course; would recommend it to anyone looking to visit the area, Impressed with feature holes 6 and the 18th and recommend taking the green on at the 18th, its looks tough but if you hit it right can get on to the green in one shot,

Mick Hill (England) 08/08/03

Found the greens to be in immaculate condition, as were the fairways and tees. The course in itself is challenging for any level of golfer, but offers the chance of pars and birdies if the fairway is hit. Par 3 fifth is a great golf hole, with a lake between the tee and the green, also the 18th hole, which finishes off your round in style. A tee shot across a road either aiming to the left of the lake, onto the fairway to chip onto the green, or to the right of the lake going directly for the hole. All in all, an enjoyable round of golf, with challenges all over the course whilst still offering that little bit to tempt you!!

Matthew Graham (England) 24/06/03

The course is in great condition after on going works during the winter to solve the drainage problem. Before the rain was an issue and it put golfers off playing there but it is a thing of the past. The fairways and greens are in top shape, and have been since the winter months. Also the members are very friendly in helping you out in any way, sort or form. Cookridge Hall provides a tough test of golf for anybody as hitting the fairways is no.1 proirity or you better bring spare balls as the rough is long but fair. Overall, the value for money is great as well as the course itself.

Richard Ludlow (England) 17/08/02

Visted the course twice in August 2002, found staff to be very friendly and helpful as i was late for both tee times!.

Yes drainage is a problem, my visit however clashed with the recent heavy downpours over Europe. That said the course was playable on both days and I have played on courses with worse drainage problems than this. There are long distances between greens and the next tee, further signs are needed to guide you. Have fun finding the 12th!

Well worth a visit, club house looks beautiful and you get to shoot your ball over gym members cars on the 18th as they drive their car to the gym instead of waiting.

Stephen McNiven (UK) 22/04/02

The course seams set to become a great course over the next few years with the installation of drainage and irrigation now being installed. I think the course layout is excellent which is also a very fair course to play - land on the fairway - you'll get a good (level) lie. Stray and you'll encounter undulations, sand, trees or water. Greens have good lush grass which hold well. Staff and members seam very friendly!

Andrew Roberts (England) 03/12/01

Date of play 17th November. Brilliant course layout and well kept greens, however American Golf (UK) have a long way to go before this course is playable in the winter months. Still worth a visit in summer.

Course layout: 7/10

Greens: 8/10

Value for Money: 1/10

(England) 03/11/00

Excellent greens and great course layout however with a little rain it is like a bog!