Hankley Common – Golf Course Review

Golfer’s Tips

• Currently the one real let down on the course is the bunkering, which due to recent works sees differing types of sand in different traps. Not the easiest to negotiate while playing, something that definitely needs to be sorted, so golfer diligence is advised.
• The approach and green at the first hole play considerably downhill and away from you – on a dryer day then allow for at least one club less and take advantage of the contours.

Signature Holes

• 7th – one of the most memorable par threes in English golf. A breathtaking longer par three played over a valley of carpeted heather, up to a table top green with bunkers short left and right.
• 8th – the most elevated tee box at Hankley, affording a wonderful view of the snaking fairway meandering through the heather as well as several other fine holes.

Review:

Surrey heathland golf at its absolute finest. An incredible route through a large expanse of undulating heathland – expertly treading the fine line between perfectly manicured and a brilliantly natural feel. What a golf course.

After a start with a fine long part four, followed by the second which is a taster of the excellent par threes to come, for me the third is a terrific heathland hole. Cascading around to the left and down to a green framed by heather with two excellent bunkers short left and right. A fair test for an accurate hitter, but loose shots will be punished.

The feeling of space and tranquility sets Hankley apart from its rivals. Each hole is its own entity and sits expertly carved into the vibrant lush heathland. There is no cross over with any other holes, and the large expanse of land affords wonderful elevation changes which further increases the enjoyment and golfing interest.

Seventh and eighth rightly take a great deal of the plaudits as a phenomenal one-two punch. The seventh is the standout hole, a long par three played over a carpet of heather up to a tricky tabletop green, and then the follow-up is a beautiful long part five played from a very attractive elevated tee, with a beautifully manicure fairway meandering between bunkers and heather up to a green with nice run offs beyond two heather-lined traps.

The greens at Hankley deserve mention – not as overtly sloped as Woking, for example, but instead there are more subtle borrows and undulations with phenomenal fast surfaces running true.

Having done a little research and pre-reading prior to my round, I had anticipated the perhaps the back nine might be slightly weaker – how wrong could I be? Aside from perhaps the 12th, which is a relatively straightforward mid-length par four which perhaps lack the strategy and intrigue of others, the entire back nine is of the highest quality.

The 11th is another stunning longer par three, playing shorter due to its downhill nature but a phenomenal green with a cavernous bunker left, and thirteen is yet another wonderful par five, with bunkers dotted along each fairway edge and a superb green complex sitting above a tricky false front.

A difficult job to pick between the various excellent, high-quality heathland courses across the Surrey and Berkshire region, but Hankley Common oozes absolute class and, despite its lofty heights in the rankings, it is surely underrated considering its absolute quality, playability and interest throughout.

• “Top 100” Ranking: 25th (England), 55th (GB & I)
• Golfer View Rating: 86%

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