Remedy Oak - Sunday 15 July

therod said:
you beat me to it. great conditioning, terrible atmosphere. flat and average course. I reckon there are 5 better courses in Dorset if you strip away the presentation
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I think we have said this before, Ferndown is always in top nick, but for me there is nothing extra special about the place. First time i played there I could not believe what all the hype was about. Not one hole makes you go wow.
 
Back to Remedy Oak. I played there yesterday in the Volvo event. They had a lot of rain before we got there and it was touch and go whether the event would be cancelled, but we got round.

Despite the very wet conditions, the course stood up well. Nice layout in great condition. A few quirky marmite holes, such as the 8th (short par 4 - a good drive could carry the water, but if you don't take it on, a 6 or 7 iron off the tee, and the 18th, a shortish par 4, hybrid or fairway wood off tee up onto flat, then 90 degree turn to a short iron across water. Some very good strong holes of various lengths.

Club staff were friendly and welcoming and the clubhouse is nice. Pro shop not very big, but has the essentials.

I would happily pay a decent green fee to play again in dry conditions.
 
(I was quite enjoying the Ferndown slag-athon, maybe one for a different thread)

I get what you mean about the 8th, It's maybe one you have to play a couple of times to work it out. Its only really a 7 iron to the landing zone.

I hope the course dries out in time for Sunday, we've had another bucket full of rain down here again today though.
 
therod said:
(I was quite enjoying the Ferndown slag-athon, maybe one for a different thread)

I get what you mean about the 8th, It's maybe one you have to play a couple of times to work it out. Its only really a 7 iron to the landing zone.

I hope the course dries out in time for Sunday, we've had another bucket full of rain down here again today though.
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I have always disliked the 10th at The Belfry, so it reminded me of that. I hate hitting 7 irons off par -4 tees. The hole isn't really set up for a fair crack at the green, with the slopey landing area anyway, and in yesterdays heavy wet conditions, I certainly wasn't planning to give it a crack.

I think one failing at RO is the use of water. It is not very subtly used, but it is put very much in your face. In my opinion well placed hazards should offer a greater range of options. On the par-5 2nd, I hit a cracking drive round the corner, but it stopped in its pitch mark, and I then needed a 240 yard carry to a very narrow strip of land over that water hazard. It was a very low percentage shot, so I hit a 9 iron down and another one to a back flag. No advantage whatsoever for a good drive because of the all-or-nothing placement of the water. The hole design equalises the good tee shot, and you may as well hit a hybrid off the tee and a 5 iron down to the bottom of the hill.
 
Weather looks good guys. See you all down there about 12.00. Smiffy is already on the road, so we are a four. Just need to decide how many balls to pack, taking into account the lakes at Remedy Oak.
 
therod said:
How was the course ??
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Errr.."ok".
A bit damp in places, and as has been mentioned, a few "Mickey Mouse" holes.
The course lacked something for me. Can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it was the condition, which to be fair was only to be expected with the weather we have been experiencing this "Summer".
Clubhouse very understated and it didn't help when my pre-match cheese and ham omelette was served up with a "short and curly" attached to it. :-(
Just not special enough for me to warrant
a) The journey
b) The £90.00 green fee.

Whenever I play Bearwood Lakes, I always come away thinking I've been somewhere a little special. I didn't get that feeling yesterday.
 
I really liked the course and reckon it is worth the hype. I would rank it in the top 3 of the parkland inland courses (excluding heathland/moorland like Kings at Gleneagles) I have played just behind Bearwood and the Marquess - but above the others at Woburn, Brocket Hall, Stoke Park etc - and it could be improved if they cut back a lot of trees/undergrowth and opened up some internal views. There are some really nice holes - pick of them, from memory are 2 and 15 - par 5s. It is a "big" course on a "big" scale. As with all courses at the moment the lushness was on steroids and the bracken etc was enourmous. There are several areas where it really needs some trees/bushes cut back - par 3 fourth - trees on the left about 100 yards down on the left make it almost impossible for a fader - and the view from 18 feels claustarphobic and would be much nicer with a lot fewer trees and undergrowth - there were other areas but I can't remember where! In general, all holes are totally isolated - it would be clearly improved if they opened up some internal vitas as it is a wonderful site but all you get is the view of the individual hole. I would love to come back and play again in top condition. A must play course - just need to go back in the summer - maybe picking mkid July was a bit of a lottery - will choose peak team of late March next year!
 
PNWokingham said:
Shock - Cooden Doubles champions felled in Dorset!:D:cheers:
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And my Singapore noodles on the way back courtesy of the champs tasted even nicer for it :cheers: (If it hadnt been for my implosion over the last 5 holes I might have had enough for crispy duck:D)

Course was, I thought, good but I would really like to go back on a brighter day with the course in proper condition; although I'm not sure I'd pay that again.

As Paul says every hole was cut off from everything which is nice in someways but particularly on such a dull day looking at tree after tree cant get a bit samey.

The greens in particular were a bit of disappointment but again I guess would be fine if it wasnt for the weather.

The welcome and halfway drinks and chocs were very pleasant and not something you get everywhere.

All in all a good experience - I'll be needing to try and revert my shot back to a controlled fade before Cooden though as it was definitely nearing a slice yesterday!
 
I played it in Nov when it was a touch wet also. then I got the felling that it was something special, maybe not top notch but certainly a treat to play. Interesting your views on some of the holes, I think with hindsight the 8th & the 18th let the course down a bit, There is really only 1 way to play either, it would be good if the had an element of risk/reward.

I'm back there again on the 12th August, so hopefully it will be dry
 
Thanks for the game guys very enjoyable.

Interesting course, and I would like to play it again when it was firmer. The greens were very disappointing, slow, and sparse. The fact I three putted six times in the first 13 holes didn't help. Not a patch on Cooden's either.

Course is nicely designed but I must admit I am not a great fan of courses cut through forests. Holes tend to be rather the same after a while, and no views to distract you. Touch of the Woburns about it.I do prefer links and heathland courses.

Not keen on trees in the middle of the fairways either. Guess who hit his best drive underneath the one in the middle of the third fairway. Must admit I am not used to hitting off woodchip either.

8th hole should have been a great par 3, or a longer par 4 but as a short par 4 it is disappointing. Last hole needs the trees cleared from the left handside, as from the tee you can only see a small part of the fairway.

Definitely lacking the wow factor, no memorable holes,( perhaps the second), although a lot of good ones. It was also a long walk round for an olden when carrying. Every tee seemed miles away from the previous green. Ache all over this morning although that may have something to do with hitting balls before we played on the practice ground.

Staff friendly and we were made to feel very welcome. Also had the course to ourselves which was just as well !?!

If I was to play all my golf in Dorset, Broadstone would be the course for me, followed by Parkstone.
 
I think you guys have summed the course up pretty well. Good...but could be great. I do rate all the par 5's, I think they are the stand out holes. I played it a couple of months after it opened and all the water hazards were clearly defined, now they are all full of reeds and in a lot of cases, look like rough from a distance. They should all be cleared out and the course would look a whole lot better. The greens always fool me there, you think they are going to be really quick but they aren't.

But glad you guys had a good day out, there are worse places to spend a day :)
 
Good point on the par 5s Gordon - I mentioned 2 above and the other one - the one that is much wider (!) is also nice - with a lake/pond at about 300 (Smiffy knows the one!!) - but I think there were trees in the fairway so Rich wouldn't like it!! Although I hated the bushes on the bunkers near the green on the last par 5 - 17 I think - they totall block the view of the green - didn't see any reason for them. Well said on the water as well - it was often invisible due to the undergrowth. Very good but could be great!
 
PNWokingham said:
Shock - Cooden Doubles champions felled in Dorset!:D:cheers:
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Pride has been restored, our Cooden champions narrowly avoided defeat in Hampshire tonight when Rich had a miraculous up and down from a greenside bunker on 18 to halve the match.

Oh, did I mention that due to a last minute drop out, I took the two of them on myself and they couldn't beat me :ears:

Great course (Liphook), great company. Thanks Smiffy and Richart for an enjoyable evening :thup:
 
drive4show said:
Pride has been restored, our Cooden champions narrowly avoided defeat in Hampshire tonight when Rich had a miraculous up and down from a greenside bunker on 18 to halve the match.

Oh, did I mention that due to a last minute drop out, I took the two of them on myself and they couldn't beat me :ears:

Great course (Liphook), great company. Thanks Smiffy and Richart for an enjoyable evening :thup:
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Gordon, good to meet up again and we really enjoyed the game. I think a halve was a fair result, especially after the three lost drives on one hole.:mad: So pleased you didn't mention my putt into the bunker.:o

Look forward to teaming up at Bearwood Lakes.
 
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