Membership at Hindhead Golf Club

[GeneralStore]

Does anyone have an opinion on what a membership there would be like? The course is obviously very nice, but what are the members like?

I am thinking about membership here and I have heard from 2 different people that its quite stuffy and not very welcoming. Any inside knowledge from previous members or people that have played it would be appreciated

Thanks

 

[richart]

Does anyone have an opinion on what a membership there would be like? The course is obviously very nice, but what are the members like?

I am thinking about membership here and I have heard from 2 different people that its quite stuffy and not very welcoming. Any inside knowledge from previous members or people that have played it would be appreciated

Thanks

One of my regular playing partners at my Club was a member there for over 30 years. He loved it just didn't get time to play, and he lived by the first hole at Blackmoor ! Another mate has recently joined but not heard any feed back about the members. Must admit the course is too hilly for me to play on a regular basis, but I do enjoy playing there two or three times a year. Clubhouse is very nice now it has been extended, and the halfway hut is one of the best around.

 

[scratch]

Do you live close to the course? If it involves a bit of travel then it wouldn't be my first choice, I would go for Hankley then Liphook first. But if it's right on your doorstep then it's not a bad place to slum it :thup:

 

[GeneralStore]

Thanks guys, I walk my dog on the course all the time and it looks pristine. I live a 2 minute walk to the course, so that's why it seems an obvious choice. Hankley is about a 5 minute drive, but the joining fee is very steep

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Don't discount Farnham out of hand - maybe course is not as good as Hankley and perhaps not as good as Hindhead (debatable) - but we are a very friendly bunch - cliques are not really us (though we do have some miscreants)

 

[duncan mackie]

One of my regular playing partners at my Club was a member there for over 30 years. He loved it just didn't get time to play, and he lived by the first hole at Blackmoor ! Another mate has recently joined but not heard any feed back about the members. Must admit the course is too hilly for me to play on a regular basis, but I do enjoy playing there two or three times a year. Clubhouse is very nice now it has been extended, and the halfway hut is one of the best around.

good summary!

course wise the greens are the good bit - you learn to putt there! the normal mixture of good and bad holes

it can definitely come over as a little stuffy, but then again most clubs can at certain times of the week, members I know haven't commented adversly on it (and one would!)

as with most clubs I suspect you would get out of it what you put in.

 

[Piece]

I've been playing as a member's guest for a number of years now and would probably say its one of the best courses around. Certainly the front nine is the finest you'll play. The greens are the truest and fastest you can play on. For me the most compelling part is that it plays just as well in the winter as the summer and is only shut when there's snow.

There's definitely a certain element of old school about it from the senior members, but I have only heard this and not experienced it. A very small minority but thats the case with almost all clubs i would say. All members I have seen have been friendly to me as non-member. They were doing a special on joining fee...this may have expired but I'm sure a deal could be done.

The short game area is top notch whereas the range is average. The pros are welcoming and have been known to write in Golf Monthly and provide a short game app .

For me it is better value than Hankley and dare I say, a slightly better course overall.

 

[richart]

If you want the best course in the area it is Hankley without doubt. No argument it just is !!!!! Liphook is the next best, but very stuffy, the club closes at 7.00 in the summer, and not my idea of a members club. Farnham is not up to the standard of Hindhead, sorry it is not close (I was a member of Farnham for years so well qualified to comment)

Blackmoor is actually the best members club, very friendly, from the Pro through to the office and the bar. Only one of the mentioned Clubs I would go to just for a beer and a chat. Along with Hankley it is in the best condition over the winter, so guaranteed golf over 12 months. (other than snow, though Hindhead being higher gets more !!)

Just my opinions, but having played all the courses over 30 years they are right.:ears:

 

[scratch]

For me it is better value than Hankley and dare I say, a slightly better course overall.

 

[GeneralStore]

Excellent, thanks very much. Your comments are appreciated

Based purely on what I have heard Hankley certainly sounds great, I have never played it, charging 4.5k joining fee shows what kind of demand they have. No deals or offers there.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Excellent, thanks very much. Your comments are appreciated

Based purely on what I have heard Hankley certainly sounds great, I have never played it, charging 4.5k joining fee shows what kind of demand they have. No deals or offers there.

When I was looking to join a golf club (10 yrs ago) I phoned Hankley and was told that they were full. I asked for an application form so I could submit it and go on the waiting list - to be told membership was by invitation only. So I said OK thankyou and put the phone down. Not the sort of place for me - regardless of how good it is. Much prefer a club like my own - and with due respect to richart - though the front nine at Hindhead is stunning and a good test of golf - I'm not convinced that the back nine is THAT brilliant. Since we took the trees down from the holes around the turn at Farnham ten years ago, the heathland aspect of the course has developed very nicely - and we've certainly toughened things up a lot around the greens all round the course. But in truth, Blackmoor, Farnham, Hindhead, Hankely, Liphook, North Hants etc - all good tracks in the great scheme of things - so as I live 3mins drive from Farnham it suits me perfect. But I would very happily be a member at Hindhead.

 

[vkurup]

I thought Hooker was a member at Hindhead.. might be worth dropping him a PM about it.

On another note.. Richart, guess you seen my PM re NZ

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Might be a bit further but Puttenham is a very friendly club, I would imagine a much more cost effective option.
Ditto to Hogans view on Farnham

If you live by Hindhead it is a no brainer really, pop out for a few holes in the evenings etc.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Might be a bit further but Puttenham is a very friendly club, I would imagine a much more cost effective option.
Ditto to Hogans view on Farnham

If you live by Hindhead it is a no brainer really, pop out for a few holes in the evenings etc.

Puttenham is fine - a bit quirky in places but a lovely location - pity about the road on the final couple of holes.

 

[richart]

There is a top 50 courses in Surrey ranking list. Hankley is 10th which is too low, Hindhead 15th which is about right, Farnham 46th and Puttenham 47th. I would say that Surrey does have some pretty good courses.

I think Hindhead is a lovely course, just a tough walk. The front nine is great as it winds through a glacial valley. Not many courses can say that. Yes the back is not as good but hardly surprising as all the holes are above the valley. There are still some very good holes on it, 10,11,12, 17 and 18. The 18th is a really tough finishing hole right in front of the Clubhouse. Seeing as you are a fit youngster George, and you live beside the course I would join there. You might even get a game with Peter Alliss. Also means I can get to play there more often.

 

[richart]

On another note.. Richart, guess you seen my PM re NZ

I did and have made a mental note you are up for a game. I will sort out a fourball for us. Not had any details yet as they normally come out about a month before. Strangely the Society is playing Hindhead next week, but I am giving it a miss, as playing there later in the year.

 

[Piece]

If you want the best course in the area it is Hankley without doubt. No argument it just is !!!!! Liphook is the next best, but very stuffy, the club closes at 7.00 in the summer, and not my idea of a members club. Farnham is not up to the standard of Hindhead, sorry it is not close (I was a member of Farnham for years so well qualified to comment)

Blackmoor is actually the best members club, very friendly, from the Pro through to the office and the bar. Only one of the mentioned Clubs I would go to just for a beer and a chat. Along with Hankley it is in the best condition over the winter, so guaranteed golf over 12 months. (other than snow, though Hindhead being higher gets more !!)

Just my opinions, but having played all the courses over 30 years they are right.:ears:

Agree with Richart in that Liphook is stuffy. I know members that have resigned for that very fact.

Puttenham is not my cup of tea; can't get over that the finishing hole is a par 3! Criminal!

 

[Smiffy]

Problem you will find is that many of the clubs that are as well established as the ones mentioned will be stuffy to a certain extent. It usually goes with the territory. I won't say "all" but most. I have played Blackmoor on numerous occasions with Richart and found the members to be very friendly.
Liphook and Hankley are likely to be just as stuffy as Hindhead if you scratch beneath the surface.
When I first joined Crowborough Beacon in the 80's it was considered by many people to be a "stuffy" club, full of snobs and older members who were apparently so far up themselves it would be difficult to get a game. Nothing could be further from the truth. I joined the club on the merits of the course, not the members. It was a course I wanted to play regularly, and the only way I could do that was join! I was a member there for about 12 years and loved every minute of it. I put my name down for as many competitions as I could, played a lot of club matches while I was there and generally "put myself about". You soon get to know other members by doing this, and before long I was getting phone calls and requests from other members for games, both at the club and "away days". Like anything, you only get out of something what you are prepared to put in.
If you like the course, and want to play it regularly (which I would want to do if I lived closer) then join. Get your face known. Put your name down for roll ups and all the competitions going. After a couple of years you'll wonder what all the fuss was about

 

[GeneralStore]

Youngster? Thanks Richard, but I don't feel that young.

I went up there and played 9 holes to see what the story is and I am impressed. The greens were tremendous, course (first 9 at least) was a nice layout with some challenging holes. Awesome views, people seemed friendly enough, but I guess I wont really know without joining? Decent practise facilities, from what I saw I couldn't fault it.

 

[Piece]

Youngster? Thanks Richard, but I don't feel that young.

I went up there and played 9 holes to see what the story is and I am impressed. The greens were tremendous, course (first 9 at least) was a nice layout with some challenging holes. Awesome views, people seemed friendly enough, but I guess I wont really know without joining? Decent practise facilities, from what I saw I couldn't fault it.

Must have been playing at the same time as I've just come back after 18. Course was playing superbly.