S
Snelly
Guest
I had the pleasure of playing at North Hants Golf Club this week for the first time and with the H4H day coming up, I thought I would share my thoughts on the course.
In essence, I was impressed. North Hants is a lovely course and I found it reminiscent of the Army GC or a flatter version of either West Hill or the West Sussex. Good company to be in anyway..
Both nines start with excellent par 3's which is very unusual but I think makes a nice change and a different challenge. We started at the 10th and were given a first class welcome by a genial Irishman who was the starter for the day. He gave us a potted history of the club and a few tips before sending us off in true Ivor Robson style.
The 11th is a fairly gentle par 4 but the 12th is excellent. A slight downhill dogleg where a decent drive sets you up for a mid iron to the green. I liked the 14th too even though the T shot was blind. It is a good hole and one that you would need local knowledge of before attacking off the tee. 15th was a nice little par 3, notable for me as I hit a 9 iron to 8 feet past the pin which spun back, hit the flag (according to the group on the next tee) and finished about 4 inches away! The 16th is another superb par 4 and although stroke index 3, into wind, was much more of a test than the 12th which is SI1. 17 is a short par 5 and the round concludes with another really good par 4 at 18 that provides a lovely view of the clubhouse and practice green as you wander up the fairway.
Our second nine started at the first with a good par 3 then several excellent holes follow. The second is a good par 4, leading to the 3rd, a very nice par 5. As we stood on the tee, we could not quite convince ourselves that the marker post was the right line as it is a long way left of centre. Our drives consequently all ended up in the wrong spot and mine was just past a temporary green leaving a gap to the green between trees and over a large pond - a really good hole with good risk / reward options. This theme continues on the 4th as it is a short par 4 that could be reached with a good hit. I wimped out with a 6 iron but next time, it will be a driver or 3 wood at the green as there is a fair bit of bail out room on the right. The 5th was probably my favourite hole on the course with a nice view of all the hazards and rewards for good play. 6th - short par 4 and again, next time I play, I will be hitting a driver to get close to the green. I took a 4 iron and a wedge for safety and ended up with a bogey anyway so won't be cowardly again.
7th was another belter of a par 4 then to the 8th which was a par 3, playing only about 105 yards and reminded me of the 10th at St Georges Hill very much. 9th is a par 4 that you have to plot your way down the dog leg as a driver is too much club - a good sand save for par here left me with a decent score of +1 which was enough to take the trophy, playing off a handicap of 3 (subsequently cut to 1 for a year by the Hon Sec.).
In summary, I thought holes 1-9 were more challenging but felt slightly packed in to the available ground. 10-18 certainly feel more spacious but there are no weak holes and it is generally an excellent and fair test.
I thought the clubhouse was very nice indeed and the service, beef burginon, wine list and London Pride were all exemplary.
Looking forward to going back and using the driver a bit more. It would also be nice to play off the white tees next time. That said, like West Sussex, it has a short total yardage but doesn't feel short when you play thanks to those really good par 4's.
Highly recommended.
In essence, I was impressed. North Hants is a lovely course and I found it reminiscent of the Army GC or a flatter version of either West Hill or the West Sussex. Good company to be in anyway..
Both nines start with excellent par 3's which is very unusual but I think makes a nice change and a different challenge. We started at the 10th and were given a first class welcome by a genial Irishman who was the starter for the day. He gave us a potted history of the club and a few tips before sending us off in true Ivor Robson style.
The 11th is a fairly gentle par 4 but the 12th is excellent. A slight downhill dogleg where a decent drive sets you up for a mid iron to the green. I liked the 14th too even though the T shot was blind. It is a good hole and one that you would need local knowledge of before attacking off the tee. 15th was a nice little par 3, notable for me as I hit a 9 iron to 8 feet past the pin which spun back, hit the flag (according to the group on the next tee) and finished about 4 inches away! The 16th is another superb par 4 and although stroke index 3, into wind, was much more of a test than the 12th which is SI1. 17 is a short par 5 and the round concludes with another really good par 4 at 18 that provides a lovely view of the clubhouse and practice green as you wander up the fairway.
Our second nine started at the first with a good par 3 then several excellent holes follow. The second is a good par 4, leading to the 3rd, a very nice par 5. As we stood on the tee, we could not quite convince ourselves that the marker post was the right line as it is a long way left of centre. Our drives consequently all ended up in the wrong spot and mine was just past a temporary green leaving a gap to the green between trees and over a large pond - a really good hole with good risk / reward options. This theme continues on the 4th as it is a short par 4 that could be reached with a good hit. I wimped out with a 6 iron but next time, it will be a driver or 3 wood at the green as there is a fair bit of bail out room on the right. The 5th was probably my favourite hole on the course with a nice view of all the hazards and rewards for good play. 6th - short par 4 and again, next time I play, I will be hitting a driver to get close to the green. I took a 4 iron and a wedge for safety and ended up with a bogey anyway so won't be cowardly again.
7th was another belter of a par 4 then to the 8th which was a par 3, playing only about 105 yards and reminded me of the 10th at St Georges Hill very much. 9th is a par 4 that you have to plot your way down the dog leg as a driver is too much club - a good sand save for par here left me with a decent score of +1 which was enough to take the trophy, playing off a handicap of 3 (subsequently cut to 1 for a year by the Hon Sec.).
In summary, I thought holes 1-9 were more challenging but felt slightly packed in to the available ground. 10-18 certainly feel more spacious but there are no weak holes and it is generally an excellent and fair test.
I thought the clubhouse was very nice indeed and the service, beef burginon, wine list and London Pride were all exemplary.
Looking forward to going back and using the driver a bit more. It would also be nice to play off the white tees next time. That said, like West Sussex, it has a short total yardage but doesn't feel short when you play thanks to those really good par 4's.
Highly recommended.
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