Sunningdale (Old) – Golf Course Review

Golfer’s Tips

• The lovely short 4th hole may look nice, but has a devilish green – bunkers lurk below the front, so taking enough club up the hill is key to get on the surface, but prepare to have your pace putting tested if you are beyond the hole.
• The approach to the 18th green, played in front of the beautiful clubhouse and famous oak tree, is somewhat difficult to judge. The obvious fear is that going longs lands in someone’s Pimms, but the effect of the string of bunkers that cut across the fairway at around 50 yards out is the foreshortening of the hole, which can leave you with a horrible 30-40 yard pitch onto the green (albeit from a lovely fairway surface) in front of the watching eyes of the finished golfers outside.

Signature Holes

• 10th – an amazing hole visually, hitting down from an elevated tee in front of the half way hut to a fairway shaped from left to right lined with beautiful purple heather and mature trees. Heathland golf at its absolute finest.
• 12th – a classic Harry Colt hole. A longer par 4 with purple-heather lined bunkers on each side of the fairway on driver length, and then a gentle turn left to a false-fronted green with an assortment of bunkers dotted across the fairway in front.

Review:

I simply cannot imagine a golf course being more beautiful, maintained any better, and therefore any more enjoyable to play.

Having played other major courses in the UK, and the top 4 (plus many others) in the “Top 100” rankings – in my opinion this is definitely the best. There simply is not a boring hole or one that doesn’t give you a ‘wow’ moment on the tee, which are often elevated with purple heather lining the pristine fairways, and the all-round quality and class associated with the venue is absolutely second to none.

Its a stern but fair test – those amateurs that are really struggling will find the going tough, as the heather can be unforgiving, but the flip side is that if you are playing relatively well and keeping the ball in play, the course is not overly long and it is possible to navigate to a decent score.

The greens are immaculate – very quick but very true, and the rest of the course, like many other classic courses in the area, benefits hugely from the sand-based heathland in that Surrey / Berkshire “golf heaven” stretch!

I attempted to highlight some standout holes, which is difficult here for the right reasons, there are simply too many to count. The fact that I have not included any of the incredible par 3s is testament to the quality of the course as a whole.

I cannot recommend enough – comfortably my #1 course played on English soil.

• “Top 100” Ranking: 2nd (England), 9th (GB & I), 22nd (World)
• Golfer View Rating: 95%

https://www.sunningdale.com

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