Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
Crap
Course review....Wellshurst, East Sussex
- Thread starter Smiffy
- Start date
bobmac
Major Champion
Concise, straight to the point and no beating around the bush.
Too many fairway bunkers for you ?
USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
You really do pick them, don't you?
steveyjd81
Assistant Pro
Yea it is except the par 5 that goes round the corner over water
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
That's crap too!
The only good thing about that dump is the way out
How would it compare with Lydd. What would HTL have made of it. Is it cheaper than Pyrford for a beer
D
Deleted member 1418
Guest
Finally (together with Lydd) two courses that even Paul_Stewart would be hard pressed to write a favourable review about!!
Paul_Stewart
Tour Rookie
Finally (together with Lydd) two courses that even Paul_Stewart would be hard pressed to write a favourable review about!!
Part of me is so tempted to go down and see if this place is as [****] as Smiffy says it is. But I'll take his word for it.
BTW, that is going to remain the greatest course review this forum will ever see. I would love to see it actually apppear in GM like that.
D
Deleted member 1418
Guest
Finally (together with Lydd) two courses that even Paul_Stewart would be hard pressed to write a favourable review about!!
Part of me is so tempted to go down and see if this place is as [****] as Smiffy says it is. But I'll take his word for it.
BTW, that is going to remain the greatest course review this forum will ever see. I would love to see it actually apppear in GM like that.
Go on Paul, you know you want to! Afterall, you've played and reviewed all the great courses recently, these should put your writing (and diplomatic!) skills really to the test!!
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
Go on Paul, you know you want to! Afterall, you've played and reviewed all the great courses recently, these should put your writing (and diplomatic!) skills really to the test!!
I double dare you.
Just don't ask me to come and play with you.
If Justin Rose phoned me up tomorrow and offered me 18 holes and lunch around there as his guest, I'd say "mine's ham, egg and chips and I'll met you in the clubhouse after you've finished"....
Try banging one down either the 1st or 10th fairways during the Summer and see if you find your ball in a "playable" position
USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
I think, that deep down inside, in that little secret place, where no one else can see, you loved it, and can't wait to go back.
Golfmmad
Tour Winner
I'd play it with Paul anytime, date and work permitting of course.
I quite like it there - now it's matured. 7-8 years ago the fairways were sparse and pathways were really muddy but that's been sorted now.
Sorry Rob, but I have to disagree with your views of the 1st and the 10th holes. Surely it's part of the challenge to get your ball in the right place on the fairway with the right club selection for the conditions of the day
I will add though, that the last is a disappointing finishing hole - uphill par 3 blind tee shot!
Golfmmad.
I quite like it there - now it's matured. 7-8 years ago the fairways were sparse and pathways were really muddy but that's been sorted now.
Sorry Rob, but I have to disagree with your views of the 1st and the 10th holes. Surely it's part of the challenge to get your ball in the right place on the fairway with the right club selection for the conditions of the day
I will add though, that the last is a disappointing finishing hole - uphill par 3 blind tee shot!
Golfmmad.
I'd play it with Paul anytime, date and work permitting of course.
I quite like it there - now it's matured. 7-8 years ago the fairways were sparse and pathways were really muddy but that's been sorted now.
Sorry Rob, but I have to disagree with your views of the 1st and the 10th holes. Surely it's part of the challenge to get your ball in the right place on the fairway with the right club selection for the conditions of the day
I will add though, that the last is a disappointing finishing hole - uphill par 3 blind tee shot!
Golfmmad.
Me too.
It's no way as bad as some I've played.
Ok it's short, only 6000 yards off the back tees, but the hazards are there to test your thinking.
1) A hybrid followed by a 6I sort of hole ( for me, obviously ). An attempt at a full tee shot could leave a ball in the rough either side of the fairway, because the fairway drifts off both ways. Which leaves a tough, blind shot to the green. There's a ditch running across the fairway to catch a slightly heavy second shot.
2) A short 90* dogleg to the right. OOB to the right, and another ditch short of the green stop this hole being too simple. It's basically a 4i or 5i followed by a wedge. Cut off too much of the dogleg and its a dropped shot for sure.
3) 140 yard par 3 slightly uphill. Straightforward enough.
4) Downhill par 4 with yet another ditch running across at about 150 yards. Anything half decent carries this one though, and as long as you avoid a slice, it'll be another wedge on
5) Much trickier par 4 back up the hill. For me it's often drive, hybrid, to reach. With a bunker protecting the front right, and the green above you, this is a tricky one to par.
6) Par 5 dogleg left. With a ditch to catch many a drive, the wise tee shot is a 5i, followed by a positional 2nd to leave a simple pitch on. The long drive to carry the ditch can make the green reachable, as long as you don't find the rough on the left, which will leave an impossible second to the green, and probably causing a bogey, or worse.
7) Very short par 4. But with plenty of bunkers and protection, it's a 7i / wedge hole. The risk/reward ratio is too high for a driver here.
8) Dogleg left par 4. Slightly uphill. OOB on the left if you try to cut the corner. It's drivable by the very longest hitters, but is protected by a tricky bunker. This green was damaged a last year, by an incompetent green keeper, but it's grown back fine now.
9) Tricky 210 yard par 3 to a punchbowl green. Tough hole, especially if the tee is set up to the RHS - it brings the trees into play.
10) Short par 4 protected by a ditch. A positional tee shot is a must, or the trees will block you out again. Another wedge in.
11) Par 4 SI1. Uphill, slight dogleg, reasonably long. A good drive is a must to have any chance of parring this one. A wide but not very deep green is tricky to hold.
12) The furthest point from the clubhouse. great views across the weald from here. Last time I played I disturbed a deer, and watched it leap the fence from a standing start an run away across the next field. BTW a straight hole with OOB down the right. Bunkers protect a forward pin.
13) Dogleg right, par 4. More geat views back towards the clubhouse, and a decent drive leaves a mid iron to the green.
14) Par 3. Short and boring off the yellows. Tough off the whites. A huge green with a bunker protecting teh front right. If the pin is behind the bunker and you play safe to the left of the green, it's three putt country, for sure.
15) Another dogleg right par 4. Positional drive leaves a short iron to a slightly raised green.
16) Short par 5. Either 5i, 7i, wedge. Or driver, wedge, wedge. The green is protected by a pond, so it's rare to see anyone attempt the green in two.
17) Short par 4. With the ground falling away and left, it's another hole to keep your pride in check. A long drive, with just a touch too much fade, with kick and bounce further right, and could easily end up with a lost ball.
18) Par 3 to a raised green. The correct choice of club makes this hole easy enough. Slightly underclub, and it;s suddenly a tough hole.
The greens are pretty good for a public course. If the couse were a few hundred yards longer it could be quite a tough test of golf. As it is, it's no contest for a thinking low handicapper, However there are a few challenges, even for the better players, and it's a pleasant walk, with some nice views, and a nice enough way to spend a few hours on a warm, sunny day.
In summary
It's a public course, so don't expect perfection.
It's short, so a cat 1 player would get bored rigid.
But
The greens are ok.
For mid - high handicappers there are a few testing holes, but enough holes that a bit of thought will make you feel like you're playing well.
If the company is good, and the weather is fine, there are a lot worse ways to spend a few hours.
I could name a few worse courses :
Lingfield, Benfield Valley, Hollingbury Park, Waterhall, Eastbourne Golfing Park, Horam Park, and Boars Head, all spring to mind.
It's a public course, so don't expect perfection.
It's short, so a cat 1 player would get bored rigid.
But
The greens are ok.
For mid - high handicappers there are a few testing holes, but enough holes that a bit of thought will make you feel like you're playing well.
If the company is good, and the weather is fine, there are a lot worse ways to spend a few hours.
I could name a few worse courses :
Lingfield, Benfield Valley, Hollingbury Park, Waterhall, Eastbourne Golfing Park, Horam Park, and Boars Head, all spring to mind.
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
A £705.00 a year membership plus a £200.00 joining fee doesn't sound like a "public" course to me Clive.
Or does the fact that you could turn up there in jeans, t-shirt and trainers and get on for a green fee qualify it as one?
So 2 Par 5's where you recommend hitting a 5i off the tee and a good few par 4's where you have to tee off with an iron (maybe as low as a 7!) or else you're in the shite....
And the "tricky" 210 yard par 3? SI 3??? What's that all about????
OK I'll accept that it's many years since I have played there, and yes, the grass could have grown a little bit and the greens could have "improved" over time. But it is a crap course.
"Fairways" that would put a council football pitch to shame, and the greens were like somebody had up-ended 10 yards of sand, levelled it, and then just thrown some grass seed in there for good luck.
Play it in the Summer and you could break your wrist on the bone hard ground, play it in the Winter and it's a bloody quagmire. I do not know of any other course where you would get so muddy playing 18 holes.
The driving range looks like a building site...how much more do you want????
I'd love Paul to go down there and review it
A £705.00 a year membership plus a £200.00 joining fee doesn't sound like a "public" course to me Clive.
Or does the fact that you could turn up there in jeans, t-shirt and trainers and get on for a green fee qualify it as one? Yup - Any old bodger and his dog can, and do wander round at the drop of a hat. The joining fee has long gone, btw. The fees put it somewhere between a muni, and a proper course, which is roughly where it should be.
So 2 Par 5's where you recommend hitting a 5i off the tee and a good few par 4's where you have to tee off with an iron (maybe as low as a 7!) or else you're in the shite.... Yup it's short, and I wouldn't want to play there too often, but those iron off the tee holes at least stop it being a drive and wedge course for 18 holes.
And the "tricky" 210 yard par 3? SI 3??? What's that all about???? It's the 9th hole. It's a par 3. It's, ummmm, 210 yards. And, er...., ummm, it's a bit tricky
OK I'll accept that it's many years since I have played there, and yes, the grass could have grown a little bit It has and the greens could have "improved" over time. They have
But it is a crap course. It's not the best, definitely. But to a mid/high handicapper there's a fair game out there. And if ever you need an ego boost, a decent player like yourself can go round, not forcing any irons, not worrying too much about encroaching rough, still have to think a bit, and have a pleasant walk, and maybe get your rhythm and mojo back
"Fairways" that would put a council football pitch to shame, Nope and the greens were like somebody had up-ended 10 yards of sand, levelled it, and then just thrown some grass seed in there for good luck. Nope. The greens aren't perfect, but the 8th was the only awful one, coz someone spilt hydrochloric acid on it, or something, but even that's pretty much back to respectability
Play it in the Summer and you could break your wrist on the bone hard ground, Nope play it in the Winter and it's a bloody quagmire. I do not know of any other course where you would get so muddy playing 18 holes. Yup
The driving range looks like a building site...how much more do you want???? The range uses crap balls and is only 200 yards long, but the mats are as good as any and it's got a roof. And it's only £2. Anyway, you've never used a driving range in your life, so what do you care about what us poor saps who practise have to suffer with, anyway?
It's £20 a round if you just turn up and play during the week, and £14 if you use the twilight. I played it twice last year, and have played it a couple of times this year. I thought about joining, coz of it's proximity. But it's just too crap for that.
It isn't, though, as bad as you painted it.
PS
The pro and his assistant are both good guys. They did me the deal on most of my Benross stuff, and cut down your old putter for nothing to make it useable again. And stuck a 'yes' grip on it for a tenner.
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
Eh????£720.00 is between a muni and a proper course?????
Eh????£720.00 is between a muni and a proper course?????
Willingdon £957
Eastbourne £900 with £500 joining fee
Highwoods £983
Wellshurst £705
Hollingbury 7 day season ticket with club membership £530
Yup
I'd say Wellshurst is somewhere in the middle between a muni and a proper club.
SyR
Challenge Tour Pro
Eastbourne golfing park is worse. That 'course' actually smells on warm days due to it's history as a landfill.
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
So it's fair to say it's a shithole then
