Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
Just wanted to give some praise for the Belfry but let me preface it by saying that its the first golf resort of this type I've been to so don't really have anything to compare it to. I apologise for the length of the post and I'm sure some wont be all that interested but I just wanted to share my experience of the place.
So we booked a 1 night stay on a B&B basis with 2 rounds of golf, 1 on the Brabazon and 1 on the PGA. We arrived nice and early and had a bit of a look around to get a feel for the place and get a look at the famous 10th hole on the Brabazon but more about that later. The first thing we noticed was how well kept the whole complex is, nothing was out of place and it seemed like an army of staff were constantly working to keep it that way. The next thing we noticed was just how polite and helpful every member of staff were whenever we spoke to them, I had read some bad reviews in that regard but we only had positive interactions.
The hotel itself was fantastic and it was obvious that a lot of money had been spent on it, some work was still going on but nothing major and not enough to spoil things. Even though we were too early to check in before our round we still registered at reception and they explained what we needed to do and where to go etc which was very helpful. We had a look around the golf shop which is very well stocked and then registered for our round before heading over to the putting area next to the starters hut. Again the starter was a perfect gentleman and even managed to get us away a little early.
I must admit to being a little nervous standing on the first tee of the Brabazon with a bit of crowd watching but I managed to get a great drive away straight down the middle to leave myself a little flick with a wedge onto the first green. 2 putts later I was walking off with a par. The course itself was in great condition as I believe it had hosted the europro tour last week. The greens are so pure and true and a real pleasure to putt on but the rough is really testing. Overall I played pretty well shooting 86 with a 39 on the back 9. The highlights were 3 birdies, the 1st of which was on the SI 1 8th hole which is a par 4 of 409 yards. Again a big straight drive left me with a 9 iron into the green which i hit to about 15 feet and then holed a nice uphill putt for my first birdie of the day. That seemed to get me going and I played much better from there on. So a quick stop at the halfway hut for a chocolate bar and it was onto the famous 10th hole and a chance to follow in the footsteps of the late great Seve and try and drive the green. The yardage on the card is 284 yards from the yellow tees but its actually more like 245 yards as the crow flies and it is downhill so it was a 3 wood rather than a driver. I hit a good shot but pulled it slightly and hit it slightly long so was just off the back left of the green. A good chip and a 6ft putt later I was walking off with my second birdie of the day. As an aside my brother hit a great shot to about 20 ft but left his eagle putt 1 roll short. The rest of the back 9 was steady with plenty of pars and the odd bogey thrown in until the 530 yard par 5 17th. Its a big dogleg to the right and if your brave with your line off the tee the green is in range for your second. I must admit to pushing my drive a little to the right but it still made the carry and a well struck 3 wood to the back of the green left me with a 20ft putt for eagle. The putt lipped out which left a tap in birdie and after bogeying the 18th I was pleased to have shot a +3 39 for the back 9. Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable round I can see why the course has so many fans.
So after the round we were able to store our clubs with a member of staff rather than pack them all away in the cars which was a nice touch. Off to reception to complete the check in process and then off to our rooms for a quick shower and change. The rooms themselves were really nice and the room we had overlooked the 18th green of the PGA and had a nice little balcony area. We headed downstairs to Sams bar which was a sports bar type set up with screens everywhere showing the football and the PGA golf. We sat down at one of the modern comfy seating areas and within seconds a waitress had appeared to ask if we wanted any drinks and if we wanted a menu. Now don't get me wrong the drinks are expensive but I did like the convenience of having our drinks brought to us instead of having to go and stand at the bar and as we were only having a few drinks it wasn't so bad. The food was also on the expensive side but no more than other similar sort of place really and it was very nice. There was lots of seating outside as well which I imagine during the summer would be really nice to sit and enjoy the sun with a drink.
So onto the following morning and it was time to play the second round. We went down for the breakfast which is a help yourself style buffet with every type of breakfast item you can think of. The food was delicious and really set us up for the longer PGA course. We checked out and made our way round to the PGA course and had a good chat on the first tee with the group that would be following us. Again quite a few people were milling around watching but this time there were no nerves and again I smashed another long straight drive down the middle which was the story of the day for me. I hit every fairway and every GIR for the first 7 holes but a 3 putt and a birdie meant I was level par after 7 holes. I over-clubbed the 187 yard par 3 8th hole and pulled the tee shot slightly leaving me with a horrible lie but I managed to get it on the green but couldn't hole the par putt. I followed this up with yet another fairway hit and GIR but again managed to find a 3 putt so turned in 37 blows for a +2 front 9. Onto the back 9 and a bogey on the 10th was cancelled out by a birdie on the 11th and then lots more fairways and GIRs followed until a nightmare double bogey on the SI 18 par 4 16th hole. Another perfect tee shot left me with a wedge and I pulled it into a nightmare of a bunker which ended up costing me my only double bogey of the day. I managed to regain my composure after giving myself a good talking too and managed to par the last 2 holes for a back 9 of 39 and a total of 76 shots (+6) for easily my best ever ball striking round. My playing partners generally struggled with the length of the course and the punishing nature of the rough but as I was on the short stuff on pretty much every hole I didn't have to worry about that. I guess it was just one of those days for me which made for a great day personally.
Overall impressions then were that the Belfry is a great venue and the 2 courses we played were very enjoyable. We all felt that we got great value for money and we were really well looked after in terms of the golf and the off course facilities and would have no hesitation in recommending the Belfry to anyone.
Apologies for the long post but I'm aware the Belfry has had some negative comments in the past so just wanted to share my experience of the place.
Oh and thanks to Daveyboy for his advice earlier in the week.
So we booked a 1 night stay on a B&B basis with 2 rounds of golf, 1 on the Brabazon and 1 on the PGA. We arrived nice and early and had a bit of a look around to get a feel for the place and get a look at the famous 10th hole on the Brabazon but more about that later. The first thing we noticed was how well kept the whole complex is, nothing was out of place and it seemed like an army of staff were constantly working to keep it that way. The next thing we noticed was just how polite and helpful every member of staff were whenever we spoke to them, I had read some bad reviews in that regard but we only had positive interactions.
The hotel itself was fantastic and it was obvious that a lot of money had been spent on it, some work was still going on but nothing major and not enough to spoil things. Even though we were too early to check in before our round we still registered at reception and they explained what we needed to do and where to go etc which was very helpful. We had a look around the golf shop which is very well stocked and then registered for our round before heading over to the putting area next to the starters hut. Again the starter was a perfect gentleman and even managed to get us away a little early.
I must admit to being a little nervous standing on the first tee of the Brabazon with a bit of crowd watching but I managed to get a great drive away straight down the middle to leave myself a little flick with a wedge onto the first green. 2 putts later I was walking off with a par. The course itself was in great condition as I believe it had hosted the europro tour last week. The greens are so pure and true and a real pleasure to putt on but the rough is really testing. Overall I played pretty well shooting 86 with a 39 on the back 9. The highlights were 3 birdies, the 1st of which was on the SI 1 8th hole which is a par 4 of 409 yards. Again a big straight drive left me with a 9 iron into the green which i hit to about 15 feet and then holed a nice uphill putt for my first birdie of the day. That seemed to get me going and I played much better from there on. So a quick stop at the halfway hut for a chocolate bar and it was onto the famous 10th hole and a chance to follow in the footsteps of the late great Seve and try and drive the green. The yardage on the card is 284 yards from the yellow tees but its actually more like 245 yards as the crow flies and it is downhill so it was a 3 wood rather than a driver. I hit a good shot but pulled it slightly and hit it slightly long so was just off the back left of the green. A good chip and a 6ft putt later I was walking off with my second birdie of the day. As an aside my brother hit a great shot to about 20 ft but left his eagle putt 1 roll short. The rest of the back 9 was steady with plenty of pars and the odd bogey thrown in until the 530 yard par 5 17th. Its a big dogleg to the right and if your brave with your line off the tee the green is in range for your second. I must admit to pushing my drive a little to the right but it still made the carry and a well struck 3 wood to the back of the green left me with a 20ft putt for eagle. The putt lipped out which left a tap in birdie and after bogeying the 18th I was pleased to have shot a +3 39 for the back 9. Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable round I can see why the course has so many fans.
So after the round we were able to store our clubs with a member of staff rather than pack them all away in the cars which was a nice touch. Off to reception to complete the check in process and then off to our rooms for a quick shower and change. The rooms themselves were really nice and the room we had overlooked the 18th green of the PGA and had a nice little balcony area. We headed downstairs to Sams bar which was a sports bar type set up with screens everywhere showing the football and the PGA golf. We sat down at one of the modern comfy seating areas and within seconds a waitress had appeared to ask if we wanted any drinks and if we wanted a menu. Now don't get me wrong the drinks are expensive but I did like the convenience of having our drinks brought to us instead of having to go and stand at the bar and as we were only having a few drinks it wasn't so bad. The food was also on the expensive side but no more than other similar sort of place really and it was very nice. There was lots of seating outside as well which I imagine during the summer would be really nice to sit and enjoy the sun with a drink.
So onto the following morning and it was time to play the second round. We went down for the breakfast which is a help yourself style buffet with every type of breakfast item you can think of. The food was delicious and really set us up for the longer PGA course. We checked out and made our way round to the PGA course and had a good chat on the first tee with the group that would be following us. Again quite a few people were milling around watching but this time there were no nerves and again I smashed another long straight drive down the middle which was the story of the day for me. I hit every fairway and every GIR for the first 7 holes but a 3 putt and a birdie meant I was level par after 7 holes. I over-clubbed the 187 yard par 3 8th hole and pulled the tee shot slightly leaving me with a horrible lie but I managed to get it on the green but couldn't hole the par putt. I followed this up with yet another fairway hit and GIR but again managed to find a 3 putt so turned in 37 blows for a +2 front 9. Onto the back 9 and a bogey on the 10th was cancelled out by a birdie on the 11th and then lots more fairways and GIRs followed until a nightmare double bogey on the SI 18 par 4 16th hole. Another perfect tee shot left me with a wedge and I pulled it into a nightmare of a bunker which ended up costing me my only double bogey of the day. I managed to regain my composure after giving myself a good talking too and managed to par the last 2 holes for a back 9 of 39 and a total of 76 shots (+6) for easily my best ever ball striking round. My playing partners generally struggled with the length of the course and the punishing nature of the rough but as I was on the short stuff on pretty much every hole I didn't have to worry about that. I guess it was just one of those days for me which made for a great day personally.
Overall impressions then were that the Belfry is a great venue and the 2 courses we played were very enjoyable. We all felt that we got great value for money and we were really well looked after in terms of the golf and the off course facilities and would have no hesitation in recommending the Belfry to anyone.
Apologies for the long post but I'm aware the Belfry has had some negative comments in the past so just wanted to share my experience of the place.
Oh and thanks to Daveyboy for his advice earlier in the week.
I am looking for a break with the wife but woulf teh course be too hard for High handicappers like ourselves?
