Stoneham – Golf Course Review

Golfer’s Tips

• Right fairway is a better angle into the green on the 3rd, so ideally start your tee shot down the centre and let the camber take it. It will be tempting for longer hitters to seek to shorten the hole by cutting the corner, but this only provides a more difficult approach and brings the large tree on the corner into play.
• The fairways severely narrows on 18 at around 50 yards out, with a sharp drop off right, so if this is around lay up distance then keep left or perhaps reduce your club so that you avoid this in order to hit a full shot over it.

Signature Holes

• 12th – attractive par 5 that emphasises the course’s parkland and heathland blend. Playing your tee shot over the brow of a hill with the fairway turning left but sloping right flanked by some tall trees, the hole then gently snakes toward a green nicely positioned in front of another copse of trees but not before you have negotiated a bunker that covers the width of the fairway about 150 yards out.
• 17th – a superb downhill dogleg par 4, the contouring promoting a lay up left prior to the dogleg, and then a very attractive approach to a beautifully placed green in a bowl among dunes and a snaking stream.

Review:

A beautiful course, surprisingly unheralded given the quality and beauty, and more than a match for many of the more famous Surrey heathland spots.

Stoneham is a really interesting mix of holes, with a good blend of 3s and 5s throughout, and it is probably these holes that linger in the memory. The holes feel like a cross between classical heathland, characterised by heather and clever fairway bunkering, and then a fair amount of more standard parkland. That being said the quality of the fairway and putting surfaces are excellent, and the clever and ‘natural feeling’ usage of the terrain is great.

The finish is excellent – 17 is a fantastic dogleg par 4 with a snaking stream meandering along the fairway all the way to the green which is beautifully placed within a bowl among dunes, and then 18 is a short but strong par 5 which sees the fairway incline up the hill to the green in front of the clubhouse.

Add in a friendly welcome and some first class practicing facilities it all combines to make Stoneham an excellent day out.

• “Top 100” Ranking: 65th (England)
• Golfer View Rating: 77%

https://www.stonehamgolfclub.org.uk

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