TheCaddie
Challenge Tour Pro
Anyone played there? Worth a visit? What's it like in Winter?
Chartham Park
- Thread starter TheCaddie
- Start date
richart
Major Champion
I imagine it gets wet in winter. OK course, but not one of my favourites in the area. Preferred JustOne's old course, Copthorne.
spongebob59
Journeyman Pro
Lots of goose poo from what I remember.
Norrin Radd
Tour Winner
some cracking holes and as said a bit of goose poo on a few holes .there is plenty of water lined holes and a couple of dampish holes when its been wet for a while .decent enough track and a definate play in summer .
as rich says copthorne is probably better but ,,,,its probably three times the price.
as rich says copthorne is probably better but ,,,,its probably three times the price.
Foxholer
Blackballed
I used to play it virtually every Summer evening on the way home from work in the late 90s/early 00!
Excellent value at the time and a pretty good course even for 'normal' price,
Reasonable amount of water to absorb what looked as if it could get soggy if wet for a while, but I never experienced much trouble on my 'selective' visits. Good facilities and greens but looked as if it had the potential to fail if the investment wasn't maintained.
As stated by others, Copthorne is probably a notch above, but priced that way too!
Excellent value at the time and a pretty good course even for 'normal' price,
Reasonable amount of water to absorb what looked as if it could get soggy if wet for a while, but I never experienced much trouble on my 'selective' visits. Good facilities and greens but looked as if it had the potential to fail if the investment wasn't maintained.
As stated by others, Copthorne is probably a notch above, but priced that way too!
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
Not a bad course, have played it loads, and used to hold a big society meet there every Autumn which was always well attended.
Some decent enough holes, with a bit of water thrown in for good measure. You can spray it around a little on a lot of the holes though, and you're not too severely punished.
Course does get a bit "boggy" during the winter months, especially down in the "dip" on the par 5 7th.
I guess the 6th (par 4) is the "feature" hole, can be a real tough one which needs a perfecty straight drive down a very claustrophobic fairway, anything left or right is in teddy bear country.
11th (par 5) is my favourite hole on the course, but that too gets a little big wet during the winter.
Closing 3 holes are toughies, a dogleg left par 4 where you have to hit a really good drive to give yourself a chance of clearing the lake with your second, a niggly little par 3 over water for the 17th and a really tough par 5 to finish Uphill for most of the way and a wicked tiered green. Come off those 3 on level 2's and you'll have played them okay.
As I say, good course, but best played in the Spring/Summer.
It also has a health club attached to it, and can be really busy in the car park. Quite noisy in reception and you could have a long walk from the car, but the bonus is there are some nice bums to look at on the way through.
Copthorne is a nice course, much tighter and generally in better condition (the course not the bums) but that too can get a bit boggy in the winter on certain holes.
It's a bit dearer but more of an experience I think.
Some decent enough holes, with a bit of water thrown in for good measure. You can spray it around a little on a lot of the holes though, and you're not too severely punished.
Course does get a bit "boggy" during the winter months, especially down in the "dip" on the par 5 7th.
I guess the 6th (par 4) is the "feature" hole, can be a real tough one which needs a perfecty straight drive down a very claustrophobic fairway, anything left or right is in teddy bear country.
11th (par 5) is my favourite hole on the course, but that too gets a little big wet during the winter.
Closing 3 holes are toughies, a dogleg left par 4 where you have to hit a really good drive to give yourself a chance of clearing the lake with your second, a niggly little par 3 over water for the 17th and a really tough par 5 to finish Uphill for most of the way and a wicked tiered green. Come off those 3 on level 2's and you'll have played them okay.
As I say, good course, but best played in the Spring/Summer.
It also has a health club attached to it, and can be really busy in the car park. Quite noisy in reception and you could have a long walk from the car, but the bonus is there are some nice bums to look at on the way through.
Copthorne is a nice course, much tighter and generally in better condition (the course not the bums) but that too can get a bit boggy in the winter on certain holes.
It's a bit dearer but more of an experience I think.
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swanny32
Journeyman Pro
Worked there for a year when I was 18 (now 31) and played the course an untold amount of times. Have been back a couple of times in the last couple of years as it's a Club Company course and so linked with my club The Essex. You'll be hard pushed to find a course in better condition around that particular area, there are definitely better courses but Chartham is generally always in excellent condition. Don't seem to remember it getting too wet during the winter months but if you'd seen what I used to have to put up with here in Essex, you'll realise that my idea of a wet and muddy golf course is probably a little more extreme than others.
Last time I went to Chartham I realised how easy the course is compared to what I play week in, week out, at The Essex. I pulled my driver out of the bag once in 18 holes, the rest of the time I was hitting 3 wood off the tee and only hitting 8/9/PW into most of the greens, whereas at my place you're hitting Driver followed by Hybrid/4/5/6 iron.
Lots of water jotted about the place, I make it 10 of the 18 holes have some kind of water hazard in play.
Clubhouse is lovely, as Smiffy said, it has the health club which means it gets rather busy but it's a pleasant atmosphere generally and the patio overlooking the 18th is always busy during the summer months. As it's club company though, drinks and food are expensive so don't hang about in there too long as it'll cost you a small fortune.
Last time I went to Chartham I realised how easy the course is compared to what I play week in, week out, at The Essex. I pulled my driver out of the bag once in 18 holes, the rest of the time I was hitting 3 wood off the tee and only hitting 8/9/PW into most of the greens, whereas at my place you're hitting Driver followed by Hybrid/4/5/6 iron.
Lots of water jotted about the place, I make it 10 of the 18 holes have some kind of water hazard in play.
Clubhouse is lovely, as Smiffy said, it has the health club which means it gets rather busy but it's a pleasant atmosphere generally and the patio overlooking the 18th is always busy during the summer months. As it's club company though, drinks and food are expensive so don't hang about in there too long as it'll cost you a small fortune.
TheCaddie
Challenge Tour Pro
Thanks Swanny, I am a member at Nizels, hence being keen to visit as I can play for free!
Bringing a friend along to play there next Friday, so just keep your fingers crossed for the weather!! The Essex will be on the list as well. Looks like a good course as well.
Badger
Assistant Pro
my home track, can get wet but spent a lot of money on drainage this year and early signs are that it is having an effect on the worst affected holes.
plays long enough off the whites in the winter, big difference on some holes, 17th for example, par 3 over water, 180/190 off the whites, 140 of the yellow tee.
smiffy has it summed up well (particularly the ladies visiting the gym) but if you need a more detailed report there are not many parts I haven't visited in the past six years.
keep meaning to get round to playing Nizels for free one of these days.
plays long enough off the whites in the winter, big difference on some holes, 17th for example, par 3 over water, 180/190 off the whites, 140 of the yellow tee.
smiffy has it summed up well (particularly the ladies visiting the gym) but if you need a more detailed report there are not many parts I haven't visited in the past six years.
keep meaning to get round to playing Nizels for free one of these days.
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
You must be either a massive hitter Chris, or playing it when it's bone hard off the red tees??????
Off the whites, from memory, my driver will be out on the 1st, 4th, possibly the 5th, (depending on the wind), 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th. And if the wind is in my face on the long par 3 13th I could be taking the big dog off of that too (235yds off the back tee!!).
I am not doubting your course is "harder" but there is no way you can call Chartham Park "easy".
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
That 17th, especially off the back, is one of the most deceptive par 3's I've ever played. Lost count of the number of times I've cocked that up with a decent score going....
The par 3 3rd is a tricky little bugger too, especially if you are above the hole on that bank (which you invariably are as you tend to oink it left trying to avoid the pond!).
My mate Ray Taylor won a nearest the pin comp there, the jammy git. Thinned his tee shot so badly, it never got more than about 2 feet off the ground. Hit a rake in the bunker and it ricocheted to about 3 feet from the hole.
And Nizels??? You've got the better course Badger.
Badger
Assistant Pro
chip from top of the left bank on the 3rd is not for the faint-hearted, also has one of the trickiest greens as well, i've four stabbed it a couple of times when pin at the back. not the easiest SI 18 around
TheCaddie
Challenge Tour Pro
Badger, I would still say Nizel's is worth a visit if you haven't been before. Although, worth waiting until the weather gets a bit better probably.
I don't think it suffers as badly in the wet as people make out tbh, but like any course, it's better in good weather.
I don't think it suffers as badly in the wet as people make out tbh, but like any course, it's better in good weather.
Badger
Assistant Pro
will get around to it, silly not to as it's free and 15 mins from home. mate at work is member of The Essex so will hopefully get over there as well.
think the "jewel in the crown" (or where most of the money goes ) for club company is The Warwickshire, some of our members make a weekend of it there a couple of times a year.
think the "jewel in the crown" (or where most of the money goes ) for club company is The Warwickshire, some of our members make a weekend of it there a couple of times a year.
TheCaddie
Challenge Tour Pro
Why is it so much better than the other Club Company places though? Do you know?
