# Hadley Wood Golf Club, Barnet, Herts



## Monty_Brown (May 28, 2012)

I had the pleasure of playing here in a club scratch match on Saturday and was blown away by the quality of the whole set-up. The clubhouse is a magnificent Georgian mansion that looks across a top-quality Alister McKenzie-designed track stretching over undulating parkland to the south.

The course isnâ€™t long or unduly tight from tee to green. Elevation changes, gentle slopes and brilliantly positioned fairway bunkers force you to plot your way round, rather than simply reaching for the driver on every tee. The lush green fairways and thick, well-manicured rough around the greens made every hole an inviting prospect visually, but a good test on which to put together a score.

We played two days after the course had hosted a local PGA event and the greens had been rolled, cut short and dried out to get them to top speed. As with McKenzie's most famous course design, Augusta, the greens are undoubtedly Hadleyâ€™s Woodâ€™s best defence. Most feature a raised approach, forcing you to fly the ball to the target, with finding the right position on the green key to ensure a makeable two-putt rather than a downhill horror. The putting surfaces themselves are super quick but rolling as true as anyone could want â€“ the perfect test.

There are several superb holes, but standouts include the downhill par 4 12th and the par 3 17th, a signature McKenzie hole complete with Augusta-style reverse bunker to catch long shots.

A superb club and course within striking distance of London â€“ a real gem.


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