Swinley Forest – Golf Course Review

Golfer’s Tips

• Phenomenal practice facilities, but no drivers permitted on range.
• Generous landing areas on many holes, so driver can be the play (even for longer hitters) more than other, tighter heathland courses.
• Drink / food on terrace before or after golf, overlooking 1st tee and 18th green, is an absolute must.

Signature Holes

• 1st – a great start. Gentle dogleg left playing down and away from the beautiful old clubhouse, with the 18th approach up the slope mirroring the shape with vibrant rhododendrons in-between.
• 17th – delightful classical Harry Colt par 3, tiered green superbly framed by tall pines and bunkers short left and right.

Review:

A golfer’s paradise, a real treat.

Played on beautiful undulating heathland, as are many of the high quality courses in the local area, the highest compliment you can pay Swinley is that it absolutely feels like a golf course should be there and always has been. The use of the landscape and the fantastic quality of each and every hole is superb, and no wonder that Harry Colt was so proud of his work here.

It is not a long course, driver is often not the play off a number of tees but there is plenty of width on many of the fairways, and the feeling you get is that it is a very fair test. Hit the ball straight and plot your way around and scoring is very possible, which is perhaps not always the case on some of the neighbouring courses (due to length and/or overly penal heath areas), but at the same time it is a good challenge and poor shots into the wrong areas do get punished.

Difficult to pick favourites amongst a fantastic set of holes, but the par 3s are all excellent (and reasonably strong holes in the main), and the setting for the opening and closing holes, going away and back up to the beautiful old clubhouse, is something that will long remain etched in the memory.

Friendly reception from all at the club, and a largely empty course on a beautiful sunny Friday – very difficult to put this behind any other course in England for overall experience.

• “Top 100” Ranking: 4th (England), 17th (GB & I), 47th (World)
• Golfer View Rating: 91%

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