Manor of Groves

[JohnnyDee]

Our away day organiser has come up with this venue for our 3-day trip next Spring. For some reason I have an awkward feeling about it. Just a bit of a bad premonition and not sure why.

Anyone played it? If yes what's the verdict? We're 24 blokes with handicaps raging from 8-24.

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

One round there was sufficient for my golfing life, there are much better courses within striking distance of it.

 

[spongebob59]

Our away day organiser has come up with this venue for our 3-day trip next Spring. For some reason I have an awkward feeling about it. Just a bit of a bad premonition and not sure why.

Anyone played it? If yes what's the verdict? We're 24 blokes with handicaps raging from 8-24.

A few nice holes but no great shakes.
Certainly not worth spending 3 days there.

 

[pendodave]

Sorry to say it, but I also think that one round will be (pleasant) enough.

Maybe try and get onto Bishops Stortford to break it up a bit ? Hanbury is also just down the road, but I've never seen a deal there that represents any sort of value for money.

I would also consider East Herts, Canons Brook or Whitehills.

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

Sorry to say it, but I also think that one round will be (pleasant) enough.

Maybe try and get onto Bishops Stortford to break it up a bit ? Hanbury is also just down the road, but I've never seen a deal there that represents any sort of value for money.

I would also consider East Herts, Canons Brook or Whitehills.

Agreed, any or all of the above are better options dependant on cost

 

[JohnnyDee]

Thought I'd bump this as our trip gets ever nearer.

Anyone played it recently?

We won't play anywhere else over the three days as it's 24 of us on an all in deal, and although for most of us it's the golf, the craic is also a factor.

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

Enjoy your break, I havnt played it in a couple of years but it was a farmers field then so probably still is now.

 

[swanny32]

We've drawn them away in our Jubilee Cup group this year, won't be playing it till June/July time though. Heard it's half decent but not one to rush back to, which seems to be the general consensus on here.

As PendoDave said, branch out and you'll find some lovely courses all within 30-45 minutes away, Bishop Stortford is a good one, as is East Herts, which IMO is a stunning course (George Graham, Frank Mclintock and David Dean are members there). Not played Canons Brook yet but my mate used to be a member there and his old man still is, both of them love it.

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

We've drawn them away in our Jubilee Cup group this year, won't be playing it till June/July time though. Heard it's half decent but not one to rush back to, which seems to be the general consensus on here.

As PendoDave said, branch out and you'll find some lovely courses all within 30-45 minutes away, Bishop Stortford is a good one, as is East Herts, which IMO is a stunning course (George Graham, Frank Mclintock and David Dean are members there). Not played Canons Brook yet but my mate used to be a member there and his old man still is, both of them love it.

was always a good course, not played it for years

 

[JohnnyDee]

Oh, well. I suppose there's always the bar and the health club then... :mmm:

 

[shivas irons]

A few years back a playing partner used to live 15 mins away from Manor Of Groves but would travel to Bury St Edmunds to play about 50 mins drive for him, he didnt rate the MOG

 

[Essex_Stu]

We won a four ball voucher at a charity day for winning team score. After speaking with members who had played there we raffled it off for charity-it only made £30!

 

[JohnnyDee]

We won a four ball voucher at a charity day for winning team score. After speaking with members who had played there we raffled it off for charity-it only made £30!

Oh Gawd! Perhaps I might be lucky and dislocate my shoulder a week before we're due to go 👀! 👀! 👀!

 

[swanny32]

Johnny, I went and played this place on Sunday. Really interesting course and one worth playing I reckon. Holes 1-3 and 13-18 are the new part of the course and very field like. You can pull out a driver on most tee blocks and have a spray although some of the hills leading to greens make the second shots quite long. Then you have holes 4-12 which is the original 9 and far more interesting! Leave the driver in the bag, you'll be hitting long irons off the tee and only a 8/9 iron in, very short holes but all about hitting the correct sides of fairways in order to have a line to the green, if you're on the wrong side of the fairway then 9/10 times you'll be 140 yards out but having to lay up short of the green as there just won't be a line in.

It might hold my interest for a 2nd round, just. After that I'd be shooting down the road and playing Bishops Stortford.

 

[drewster]

I'd play Saffron Walden before Stortford if i was you and Toot Hill is always worth a look too.

 

[JohnnyDee]

Thanks for the heads-up Swanny.

We're off in the morning and your review had given me a grain of hope. We!re on 3-day deal staying in the hotel so playing it Sun, Mon & Tue

 

[JohnnyDee]

Our trip went well and I played well. The food was good, rooms fairly good too, but the hotel needed a spruce up overall and as mentioned elsewhere online, the bar (in reception) is one of the least cosy places I have ever had a drink in. Must say that the staff were very welcoming and friendly though.

The course is as Swanny32 says in post #14. The last five holes are pretty awful and the 18th is a joke at 600+ yards into a 2-club wind every day we played.

The original nine (4-12) are as different as can be and are really very nice indeed. Not for the grip it and rip it squad though, very tight and need plotting around.

Best bits for me are the four par 3s and the old nine - worst bits are up-down-up-down slogs in the converted fields part of the course, and also the lack of a convivial bar to have a drink at the end of the day.