The Addington – Golf Course Review

Golfer’s Tips

• The par 5 12th is a gettable one for the longer hitter, but it does require your second shot to be played from the correct spot. If you can aim your tee shot down the left third of the fairway then your ball will avoid the heathered terraces down the hill, and will a fairway-like lie, from where you play an approach back up to the green which could possibly even be mid-iron length.
• Due to the firm nature of the course and the positioning of most greens, it is often the play to run in your approach shots on the par 4s and 5s which can land short of the putting surface. One exception to this rule is the strong 15th hole, which is played uphill to a significant green which cambers back to front.

Signature Holes

• 9th – the hole that most readily demonstrates the unusual contours of the Addington course. A tee shot that only needs to be 200 yards before the fairway (the next plateau) runs out, and then a left turn for the approach over yet another deep bowl to the green. In theory simple, but does require two good strikes to avoid lost balls or incredibly difficult stances amongst heather.
• 13th – a long, testing par 3 played over another ravine (requiring crossing by bridge) down to narrow, undulating green perched on a right to left slope, with bunkers left and short right. Visibly impressive but a par is a great score.

Review:

A proper golf course, which in no way feels as close to London or Croydon as it is, which proves a good test for your game.

Characterised by undulating terrain, with a few ‘bowls’ that present significant required carries on certain approach shots – this is very much the case on the Addington’s many par 3s, definitely the strength of the course, the long (and tough) 13th and 17th being particular standouts.

Beyond this it is a course that plays firm and fast, draining superbly due to its heathland nature and it being perched on a hill. The course starts with a fairly simple par 3, which perhaps is a little underwhelming, but the next two holes get the round going – the 2nd a nice, relatively friendly downhill par 5 but with significant mounding to the fairway, and the 3rd is a strong par 3 played uphill to a contoured green with a significant drop-off to the right.

The course really finds it feet around the middle stretch, with a number (including 9 and 13 detailed above) that feature required clearances of significant ravines and bowls. The course can be playable for an amateur golfing striking the ball reasonably well, as the green complexes are not overly protected except on the par 3s, but have a bad day and The Addington could no doubt feel quite the ordeal.

The relatively recent maintenance and renovation works, including a great deal of tree clearing, is obvious but in my opinion does not deter from a really good challenge and a well established and thought-out course. There are probably a couple more driver opportunities now that the cost of missing certain fairways is not as penal, and the green complexes are absolutely superb.

Overall a great course which is surely going to improve further when the recent changes bed in, well worth a visit.

• “Top 100” Ranking: 58th (England)
• Golfer View Rating: 80%

www.addingtongolf.com

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