Playing Hersham - any tips

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Playing an inter-club match on Saturday away against Hersham GC, Surrey. I understand that it is nice but quite short (5304yd par67) - and looking at their website there isn't a course overview or guide of any sort (that I can find) - so any tips from members here or those who might have played it.

 

[Slime]

Playing an inter-club match on Saturday away against Hersham GC, Surrey. I understand that it is nice but quite short (5304yd par67) - and looking at their website there isn't a course overview or guide of any sort (that I can find) - so any tips from members here or those who might have played it.

Keep your car locked and alarmed at all times!
I worked in Hersham for over 20 years, so I know this ..................... unless it's radically changed over the last 15 or so years.
The course is quite nice, although it's been a while since I played there.

 

[Pathetic Shark]

Get someone else to take your place. It's a joke course. You'd be better off playing their crazy golf course. The first hole just sums up the stupidity of the layout, about a 140 degree dog-leg right. The greens are way too small, the fairways really narrow in places and the whole place is a waste of your time.

Sorry but that's my honest opinion on having had the misfortune to play it.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Get someone else to take your place. It's a joke course. You'd be better off playing their crazy golf course. The first hole just sums up the stupidity of the layout, about a 140 degree dog-leg right. The greens are way too small, the fairways really narrow in places and the whole place is a waste of your time.

Sorry but that's my honest opinion on having had the misfortune to play it.

Fair enough - but I won't pull out as I don't want to let the team captain down at this point - and actually quite happy playing any sort of course. Sounds I might keep my driver in my bag for much of the time. And I have no issue with small greens as ours are small - requiring accuracy - and nothing wrong with that IMO. Quirky holes - well so be it - really quirky holes present their own very specific sort of challenge.

 

[londonlewis]

I used to live in the area, have played the course many times.

Pathetic Shark is a little harsh but it isn't great.

Front 9 is more difficult than the back 9.

tips per hole:

1st
Iron off the tee to the top of the fairway will give you a shot at GIR. Green has some slopes on it but nothing too difficult. Don't play long, there's water behind the green.

2nd
aim for the middle of the green. It's a mid distance par 3

3rd
I would recommend leaving yourself a 7 or 8 iron into the green, rather than a wedge. Play to the right of the fairway so you aren't blocked out by trees.

4th
Par three, always difficult to know where in the green the flag is, so aim straight at it or slightly to the right of the flag.

5th
Keep it straight and ideally hit a big long drive so you can see the green for your second shot.

6th
If you are a big hitter, just smash your drive as far as you can, missing the rough on the right.
If you aren't a big hitter, play sensibly off the tee as you are more likely to hit par that way.

7th
Just smash it. Then chip.

8th
Lots of borrow on the green from the back right. So be conscious of where the flag is

9th
bomb a drive with a fade if you can. You'll have a wedge into the green

10th
Longer par 3 on the course. aim for the middle of the green. Water short and right of the green

11th
stupid hole. There's a revine before the green so choose to either smash a 3-wood and have a risk/reward. Or tee off with an iron and play safe.

12th
the green slopes. High point on the right, low point on the left. Leave the ball left of the flag for an easier uphill putt.

13th
Bad hole. It dog legs gently to the right. You need to get the ball down there to have a decent shot into the green as there is a revine about 30 feet short of the green

14th
poor hole. Just bomb it and leave a pitch for your second

15th
poor hole. Just bomb it. I've driven this green about 5 times.

16th
poor hole. Just bomb it and leave a pitch / chip for your second

17th
play for the middle of the green

18th
bomb it and leave a pitch. It's tree-lined the whole way down but it's wide enough for a driver.


Good luck. Hope it goes well.

Also - I've never heard of any criminal damage or theft from cars at Hersham.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I used to live in the area, have played the course many times.

Pathetic Shark is a little harsh but it isn't great.

Front 9 is more difficult than the back 9.

tips per hole:

1st
Iron off the tee to the top of the fairway will give you a shot at GIR. Green has some slopes on it but nothing too difficult. Don't play long, there's water behind the green.

2nd
aim for the middle of the green. It's a mid distance par 3

3rd
I would recommend leaving yourself a 7 or 8 iron into the green, rather than a wedge. Play to the right of the fairway so you aren't blocked out by trees.

4th
Par three, always difficult to know where in the green the flag is, so aim straight at it or slightly to the right of the flag.

5th
Keep it straight and ideally hit a big long drive so you can see the green for your second shot.

6th
If you are a big hitter, just smash your drive as far as you can, missing the rough on the right.
If you aren't a big hitter, play sensibly off the tee as you are more likely to hit par that way.

7th
Just smash it. Then chip.

8th
Lots of borrow on the green from the back right. So be conscious of where the flag is

9th
bomb a drive with a fade if you can. You'll have a wedge into the green

10th
Longer par 3 on the course. aim for the middle of the green. Water short and right of the green

11th
stupid hole. There's a revine before the green so choose to either smash a 3-wood and have a risk/reward. Or tee off with an iron and play safe.

12th
the green slopes. High point on the right, low point on the left. Leave the ball left of the flag for an easier uphill putt.

13th
Bad hole. It dog legs gently to the right. You need to get the ball down there to have a decent shot into the green as there is a revine about 30 feet short of the green

14th
poor hole. Just bomb it and leave a pitch for your second

15th
poor hole. Just bomb it. I've driven this green about 5 times.

16th
poor hole. Just bomb it and leave a pitch / chip for your second

17th
play for the middle of the green

18th
bomb it and leave a pitch. It's tree-lined the whole way down but it's wide enough for a driver.


Good luck. Hope it goes well.

Also - I've never heard of any criminal damage or theft from cars at Hersham.

Brilliant sir - just the job - many thanks

truth is I don't much care if a course isn't that great as, at the moment, my golf is all about trying to sort out my faults and a less than severe challenge is perfect timing - and for me better than an hour or two down the practice ground.

 

[TheDiablo]

Pathetic Shark pretty much spot on imo. Nowhere near enough land for 18 holes so its too short and always plays firm so even shorter First is a really stupid dog leg, I've hit 6 iron long over the only par 5 with my 2nd (I don't hit that far) and can't remember any of the other front 9 other than the one I see on the train every day.

They bought a field and stuck loads of up and down 300 yard par 4s back to back with internal oob on each of them. Aim way further right than you think on the first of these (11th?) Other holes are too short or tight.

Crap clubhouse, more interested in getting money in from the crazy golf so kids parties everywhere.

Why do Farnham play Hersham?!

 

[BubbaP]

So Hersham can play Farnham

 

[road2ruin]

I have recently left Hersham having been a member for 5 years. I think the comments about it being a joke course are a bit harsh, granted it's never going to win any awards but it's not that bad.

What I would say is that we always had a pretty good record against visiting clubs as they'd look at the course length and assume that they'd destroy it. The first 9 holes are pretty tight and there is no real rough, it just goes from fairway to trees to anything even slightly wayward is a chip out. If you can smash a ball straight then you'll do well however you really don't need length, you need to keep it straight.

In addition to the comments you had from Lewis, I would add:

1st
Iron off the tee to the top of the fairway will give you a shot at GIR. Green has some slopes on it but nothing too difficult. Don't play long, there's water behind the green. - Aim towards the large trees at the corner, don't go too far right as, if you're not long enough, you won't get a shot to the green as the trees will block you off.

4th
Par three, always difficult to know where in the green the flag is, so aim straight at it or slightly to the right of the flag. - Always plays a club further than the yardage says. It's SI 17 however always plays tougher than that as the green is pretty large and very undulating so easy to 3 putt.

6th
If you are a big hitter, just smash your drive as far as you can, missing the rough on the right. If you aren't a big hitter, play sensibly off the tee as you are more likely to hit par that way. - Short par 5, pretty easy although the rough down on the right hand side is long at the moment and can be hard to get out of. Given the length I'd just whatever gets you 200 odd yds down the fairway and straight. You'll then almost certainly be on in 3 with a birdie putt.

9th
bomb a drive with a fade if you can. You'll have a wedge into the green - Don't lose the ball right, there is water which is OB or if you are longer than that you'll be in the trees/blocked out for your 2nd.

11th
stupid hole. There's a revine before the green so choose to either smash a 3-wood and have a risk/reward. Or tee off with an iron and play safe. - Very little value going for the green in 1. There is a ditch running across the fairway about 30yrds short of the green. There is then fairly long rough which makes chipping out onto the green harder. Just knock a 6 iron down the fairway and you'll have an easy pitch on from 110/120yrds

12th
the green slopes. High point on the right, low point on the left. Leave the ball left of the flag for an easier uphill putt. - Definitely agree with leaving the ball left. Can be a long putt and if you're above the hole very difficult to stop once the ball is past.

13th
Bad hole. It dog legs gently to the right. You need to get the ball down there to have a decent shot into the green as there is a revine about 30 feet short of the green - This is really the only hole to worry about on the back 9. Internal OOB on the right and the brambles/horses field on the left. Just aim straight over the while concrete post, ideally with a fade.

14th
poor hole. Just bomb it and leave a pitch for your second - Not as easy as this IMO. Nothing to worry about on the driving front however whilst the green is very wide it's not that deep and has a habit of being pretty firm. It is quite easy to end up going over the back and it then drops away steeply which can give a tricky shot coming back up.

16th
poor hole. Just bomb it and leave a pitch / chip for your second - Depends on your shot shape, they have moved the OOB posts down the left hand side of the fairway further in to try and limit the number of balls going into the houses. The fairway also slopes in that direction so if you hit a draw and it starts a bit too far left you can run into trouble.

18th
bomb it and leave a pitch. It's tree-lined the whole way down but it's wide enough for a driver. - Aim for the right hand side of the fairway, the willow tree down by the left hand side of the green can make an approach tricky as you have to get it up and down quickly.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Well I rather enjoyed my match at Hersham - and for anyone in the know - my opponent was an auld fella called Tech. I had to give him 8 shots but managed to win 1up Not so easy as the course is short and he just kept his driver going - he didn't have to hit it that far to haver a shot to the green.

The hole assessments given are - I think - fair - so I needn't comment on the course layout and holes further. Fairways were a bit patchy and hairy and winter rules still in place - but the greens were just fine.

We were drawn away to Hersham in the 1st round of a KO national comp - that's why we were there.

So while I can understand where @PSs very critical assessment comes from - I felt it did paint the course a lot more negatively than it merits - well certainly on Saturday it was better than 'don't waste your time' - though their skip did say it was best condition it's been in for ages.

Nice bunch of guys and staff in cafe and clubhouse very friendly. And pretty good value I'd say for £24 pay and play.