# CAME DOWN GOLF CLUB, Wessex



## Pathetic Shark (May 24, 2017)

*History of the club*
Play at Came Down dates back to the end of the 19th century when a nine-hole course was opened in March 1896.   Within ten years it had been extended to 18 holes under the original name of the Weymouth, Dorchester and County Golf Club.   The name was changed to Came Down in 1924 shortly before Harry Colt was employed to renovate the course, the same year as club professional Ernest Whitcombe finished a shot behind Walter Hagen in the Open at Hoylake.course, the same year as club professional Ernest Whitcombe finished a shot behind Walter Hagen in the Open at Hoylake.


*The costs*
Â£40.00 per round, Â£50.00 per day, Â£25.00 after 12.00 with further twilight discounts.

*Location and website*
The course in the heart of Wessex and overlooks Portland Harbour.     Higher Came, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 8NR
_http://www.camedowngolfclub.co.uk/_

*The front nine*
The first is a downhill par-4 that takes you away from the clubhouse and down to the lowest point on the course which you reach with the similarly-designed 4th hole.   The 6th is a long par-3 playing across the valley that you have just walked, followed by a long par-4 with an approach to a sloping green where missing right is going to lead to a big number. 

The 8th hole is a short par-4 from an elevated tee set in the trees but with the temptation of trying to carry a large pit on the left hand side of the dog-leg.    The final hole of the front nine is a par-4 played back up the hill to the clubhouse that plays every inch of its 411 yards and is deservedly stroke index one.


*Signature hole*
The 5th is a classic uphill par-4 through a valley to a sloping green that requires one or two more clubs than you may think on your approach.


The back nine
This is played across the highest point of the course and hence more exposed to the wind.  There are two par-5s that play parallel to each other so if you find one gives you the chance to open your shoulders and try and reach the green in two, the other will naturally force a more defensive posture.   


Match-play supporters will enjoy the risk-or-reward short par-4 17th which features another large pit, this one to the right side of the green.  Big hitters can make the green fairly easily but a wayward shot will see more than just a bogey recorded.


*Signature hole*
The par-3 15th is played to the most remote part of the course, one where in Thomas Hardy country, you will definitely find yourself far from the madding crowd.  Its 179 yards are guarded by a stone wall around the boundaries of the green, thereby giving over-hit shots the chance to bounce back to the putting surface.


*The clubhouse*
Small and friendly and with excellent views over the Wessex countryside.   The welcome I received from players and management alike went above and beyond most I have experienced on my travels.


*Overall review*
Being on a somewhat exposed part of the area, there will be days when wind and bad weather would make this a very tough proposition.  But when the sun is out, the views are glorious and the course is well worth the green fee whatever time of day you play.   If you are on the Jurassic Coast, then leaving the family down by the beach whilst you drive a few miles to Came Down is well recommended.


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