HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
Played at Temple Golf Course today as a freebie round with some of my regular Sarurday crowd. I hadn't played the course before and was looking forward to it. It's set high up on the downs just outside Maidenhead and has great views over Marlow etc.
I have to be honest and say it was a disappointing round, purely because of the conditions. All the greens and tees were open the course was in very good knick. However all the greens were frozen from last nights frost which meant that you couldn't hit anything into them from the fairway and even chip shots would not stop. This meant having to land the ball short. Sometimes they would run on and sometimes the ground was dead and so it became a lottery. As the course is quite hilly it also meant a lot of shots were thrown off line by the contours.
As a result scoring was not particularly good although I did strike the ball well. The 1st is a great opening hole played from an elevated tee in front of the clubhouse down into a valley. Shame I hit a duck hook and lost a ball.
I nearly got home in two at the par 5 4th (484 yards) and to illustrate the problems hit a great 8 iron at the 143 yard 6th which pitched on the front of the green and was 10 feet over the back when I got up there expecting a birdie putt. The 11th (SI 2) is 398 yards and has a tight drive with the slope going right to left and little room left as there is a road running the length of the hole. I hit a good drive and had about 205 left on an uphill lie. The green is protected by a slope all the way down the right and lies in a hollow with no room left. I didn't have the guts to commit to hitting up the hill and letting it release and so hit an iffy approach and cobbled a chip and 2 putts.
The 17th is another hole where you drive down from a raised tee. Its 414 yards and a slight dog leg and the second is played up a steep hil to a raised green. I pushed my drive which was pushed right by the hill and came up just short with my 5 wood. The 18th is only a short par 4 of 261 yards to a green in front of the clubhouse. It is a slight dogleg right with a safe shot up the left to let it run off the slight hill towards the green. We were 1 down and one of the opponents hit the green so I was forced to put the 3 wood back and go for it. I hit a decent drive to within 5 yards of the front and hit a great chip. Sadly it took a huge skid on the frosty green to about 15 feet. My opponent made 4 and my birdie putt was just too strong.
It is a very good test of golf and I'd love to go back when the greens are more playable and you can throw the ball onto the putting surface. The clubhouse had a very traditional feel but the members were all very friendly except the 4 ball behind us who complained we were holding the course up even though no-one was behind them and they were only on the tee as we were putting out on most holes and they even lost a hole on us.
I think you can book and just play and so if anyone is looking for a good fun course (not long - 5826 off the yellow) it comes with the Homer thumbs up
I have to be honest and say it was a disappointing round, purely because of the conditions. All the greens and tees were open the course was in very good knick. However all the greens were frozen from last nights frost which meant that you couldn't hit anything into them from the fairway and even chip shots would not stop. This meant having to land the ball short. Sometimes they would run on and sometimes the ground was dead and so it became a lottery. As the course is quite hilly it also meant a lot of shots were thrown off line by the contours.
As a result scoring was not particularly good although I did strike the ball well. The 1st is a great opening hole played from an elevated tee in front of the clubhouse down into a valley. Shame I hit a duck hook and lost a ball.
I nearly got home in two at the par 5 4th (484 yards) and to illustrate the problems hit a great 8 iron at the 143 yard 6th which pitched on the front of the green and was 10 feet over the back when I got up there expecting a birdie putt. The 11th (SI 2) is 398 yards and has a tight drive with the slope going right to left and little room left as there is a road running the length of the hole. I hit a good drive and had about 205 left on an uphill lie. The green is protected by a slope all the way down the right and lies in a hollow with no room left. I didn't have the guts to commit to hitting up the hill and letting it release and so hit an iffy approach and cobbled a chip and 2 putts.
The 17th is another hole where you drive down from a raised tee. Its 414 yards and a slight dog leg and the second is played up a steep hil to a raised green. I pushed my drive which was pushed right by the hill and came up just short with my 5 wood. The 18th is only a short par 4 of 261 yards to a green in front of the clubhouse. It is a slight dogleg right with a safe shot up the left to let it run off the slight hill towards the green. We were 1 down and one of the opponents hit the green so I was forced to put the 3 wood back and go for it. I hit a decent drive to within 5 yards of the front and hit a great chip. Sadly it took a huge skid on the frosty green to about 15 feet. My opponent made 4 and my birdie putt was just too strong.
It is a very good test of golf and I'd love to go back when the greens are more playable and you can throw the ball onto the putting surface. The clubhouse had a very traditional feel but the members were all very friendly except the 4 ball behind us who complained we were holding the course up even though no-one was behind them and they were only on the tee as we were putting out on most holes and they even lost a hole on us.
I think you can book and just play and so if anyone is looking for a good fun course (not long - 5826 off the yellow) it comes with the Homer thumbs up
