Stockley Park

[r0wly86]

Has anyone played it.

It's not far from me, it looks like it should be a good course, I think it was built with the idea of being a course that would hold pro events.

But the reviews are pretty horrific and by all accounts it is in pretty poor condition.

So was wondering if anyone had any input, is it a course with a good lay out that's poorly managed or is it just a cruddy course

 

[USER1999]

It was built on a rubbish dump. They should have left it as one.

 

[r0wly86]

It was built on a rubbish dump. They should have left it as one.

Haha, promising start. What in particular was bad about it?

layout
condition
hazards etc

 

[Orikoru]

I've never played there, but my dad used to many years ago. Apparently it used to be nice, then they left it to rack and ruin for several years. Then they changed the course layout as well I think. No idea what it's like now. It's not too expensive anyway - probably no harm in giving it a knock and finding out?

 

[r0wly86]

I've never played there, but my dad used to many years ago. Apparently it used to be nice, then they left it to rack and ruin for several years. Then they changed the course layout as well I think. No idea what it's like now. It's not too expensive anyway - probably no harm in giving it a knock and finding out?

I get daily offers for a round for £10, part of me thinks that's cheap why not, and another says if it's that cheap it's probably not worth playing

 

[Orikoru]

I get daily offers for a round for £10, part of me thinks that's cheap why not, and another says if it's that cheap it's probably not worth playing

I guess I'm not too fussy, but I'd figure 10 quid for 18 holes you've not really lost much. I was debating booking a round there myself actually but didn't get round to it in the end.

 

[USER1999]

Haha, promising start. What in particular was bad about it?

layout
condition
hazards etc

A mate of mine was a cook/chef there and he could play there for free. He used to pay to play my place.

As has previously been said, bang average layout, in poor condition. Yes, £10 is cheap, but you do get what you pay for.

 

[LIG]

As Murph says, it WAS built on a rubbish dump...... but they spent a lot on it and made a great course and layout.

I first played it about 5 years after it opened and the whole course was in superb condition.
Unfortunately, the fact that it was over-priced (had hosted an europro tour event and charged accordingly) meant that it was always under-funded and eventually the company running it for the council went bust. Cue the saga of the new management and truckloads of construction spoil laying waste to the course in the guise of "improved falcilities", followed by court cases and company collapses, en mass membership departures and similar influxes of annual deal hunters until we get to what we have now - A place that has, for the visitor, a bit of a soulless vibe, not quite corporate emptiness, not quite over-priced road-side cafe.

They have tried to keep looking after the course but not quite managed to get on top of the fact that some holes were so badly ruined during the construction spoil period that only a herculean effort to remove some of the excess will bring it back to what it could be, even if not back to what it was in it's heyday.

The last time I played it, around 12months ago, I was duped by reports they had improved considerably and also sorted out the 1st hole - which I can only describe as worse than any tricked up par 4 I've ever seen. For YEARS this hole was "temporarily" shortened to a par three.

The redeeming features of the place are the picturesque holes "over the road" which have been untouched by the spoil issues, just by the gradual decline of the course as a whole. In fact, I would play those 5 holes anytime as long as I could avoid seeing all the others!

HTH

 

[USER1999]

You also get panoramic views of West Drayton. What's not to like?

 

[r0wly86]

As Murph says, it WAS built on a rubbish dump...... but they spent a lot on it and made a great course and layout.

I first played it about 5 years after it opened and the whole course was in superb condition.
Unfortunately, the fact that it was over-priced (had hosted an europro tour event and charged accordingly) meant that it was always under-funded and eventually the company running it for the council went bust. Cue the saga of the new management and truckloads of construction spoil laying waste to the course in the guise of "improved falcilities", followed by court cases and company collapses, en mass membership departures and similar influxes of annual deal hunters until we get to what we have now - A place that has, for the visitor, a bit of a soulless vibe, not quite corporate emptiness, not quite over-priced road-side cafe.

They have tried to keep looking after the course but not quite managed to get on top of the fact that some holes were so badly ruined during the construction spoil period that only a herculean effort to remove some of the excess will bring it back to what it could be, even if not back to what it was in it's heyday.

The last time I played it, around 12months ago, I was duped by reports they had improved considerably and also sorted out the 1st hole - which I can only describe as worse than any tricked up par 4 I've ever seen. For YEARS this hole was "temporarily" shortened to a par three.

The redeeming features of the place are the picturesque holes "over the road" which have been untouched by the spoil issues, just by the gradual decline of the course as a whole. In fact, I would play those 5 holes anytime as long as I could avoid seeing all the others!

HTH

That's great thank you, just what I was after and unfortunately confirming what I thought, but with a lot more details.

I have no issue it being a former rubbish dump. I work in county planning which deals with restoration of former sites including landfills. Putting a golf course on one is a sensible approach and won't affect the former landfill or golf course.

That is a shame though, part of me was hoping it was a good course with a bad reputation, trying to get it back, that I would enjoy

 

[Pathetic Shark]

It was a fantastic track about 20 years ago and I was there as a member for a couple of years. Went back there with a work society about five years ago and it was an utter embarrasment. They took out three of the best holes to build a crap driving range and let the rest of course go to ruin. I wouldn't go near there even if they paid me £10 to play it.

 

[Foxholer]

My experience is pretty much the same as all the rest - a once really good (Robert Trent-Jones design) course ruined by several factors, including simply bad timing - built at/past the peak of golf course 'requirements' and has been on a downhill slide since it opened - to considerable acclaim.

I remember some really good holes in many (well, several) parts of the course, but even when I played it regularly there were problems - stones in un-maintained bunkers etc.

It's been a Tenner to play (at certain times) for some time now. If I worked in/very near Stockley Park Industrial Estate, I might play it after work, otherwise I wouldn't go out of my way!

 

[Piece]

Yup, in-line with all that's said. Was a good course...the only thing I like about the course is I got my hole-in-one there, on the fourth!

 

[IanM]

The website looks great! Then you see £20 a round and think "umm." AND read your comments and think NO!!

Was that the course you used to be able to see travelling clock-wise on the M25 from the M4 juntion? (Now the trees have ground up and you cant see it)

 

[USER1999]

The website looks great! Then you see £20 a round and think "umm." AND read your comments and think NO!!

Was that the course you used to be able to see travelling clock-wise on the M25 from the M4 juntion? (Now the trees have ground up and you cant see it)

I would have said that was Thorney Park?

 

[MegaSteve]

I would have said that was Thorney Park?

Another former landfill site...

 

[Foxholer]

Another former landfill site...

Properly done, Landfill sites can be great for use as Golf courses!

Apparently, much of the old Wembley Stadium now lies under The Shire London's turf!

 

[Orikoru]

I have now played here as I did it last weekend. I feel like a lot of the bad reviews are from people who played it in it's heyday, and are disappointed and how it compares to that. Whereas since I never did, I thought the course was pretty decent. The first hole is rubbish, only about 95 yards long from a scrappy tee, but the rest of I enjoyed. There were a lot of twisty little par 4s, which suits me as I like holes where you just need to pick your spot with an iron off the tee rather than blasting the driver each time. We got it for £25 green fee, I think that was maybe a fiver too much as it's on a par with the usual £20 courses I play. Maybe my opinion is biased by the fact I had a good round there though - as I said, the short twisty par 4s suited me. There is a bit of water to consider on a couple of holes though. Some of the greens had some tricky slopes and were quite testing. The front and back nines are a bit imbalanced though since the pars are 34 & 37, with one par 5 on the front and three on the back.

We did have a bizarre moment on the 17th though. For some reason all the sprinklers were on on the tee. We had to run over and hit our shots while they were pointing the other way. That was a new one on me... Not sure if they were on by mistake or whether we missed an alternate temporary tee, but all the tee markers were still in the ground.