The Inspiration

[KopiteKing13]

Thing is purests laugh but the members at ours love it.. it may claim to be inland links but in reality it's one of the best courses in the area. Mainly because Essex isn't blessed with fantastic golf courses with the clay soil.

Ours is £1800 7 day £1440 5 day. For London prices that's very reasonable. It's playable all year round (played today after solid rain last week and fairways, tees and greens outstanding)

10 mins from the M25 so good transport links for visitors

The purests get a bee in their bonnet and Scoff "it's not a links" but they miss the point. People don't actually care. They just want good quality golf course that's playable all year round and not far away. 10 mins drive from my house I'm delighted with that . All the other courses in the area are swamps ATM where as we have members of other courses popping over to play a course in good condition

Purists can stick it where the sun don't shine

I agree with all of this. I really don't care what marketing phrases they use, or if it's an 'inland links' or built on a landfill or whatever. I can't exactly play links any other way near where I live. So 'inland links' it'll have to be. I want a good quality golf course that's going to be open for 95%+ of the year. The fact it's different from so many other courses around here is a bonus.

Full disclosure, I've paid my deposit to this new place already, so I'm going to be one of these founding members. I live about 5 minutes away, did a course walk with the owner and about 50 other prospective members about 2-3 weeks ago and it does genuinely look like a fantastic course.

Where I'm playing currently (and actually, for the next 4 weeks, am still captain) is short, flat and has absolutely no drainage to speak of. It's also technically an active airfield (although the owner hasn't flown his plane in over 20 years), so that'll give you some indication of how flat my current course is. Plus, it's also about 30 minutes away, but it's cheap and very cheerful and I will absolutely miss it, particularly the people. I joined it because I have friends who play there and at the time, I wanted to join the cheapest course I could, which meant looking outside of London. But as far as golf goes, it's just not what I'm after anymore. I've reached the stage where I want something longer, with undulations on the fairways and greens, with challenging bunkers and massive water hazards and frankly, where they have the equipment and budget to take care of the course properly whilst keeping it open even if it's rained within the last 4 days. At the moment, if it rains on a Monday and Tuesday, there's a >50% chance my current course isn't yet playable by the following Sunday comp.

My current place was also shut for 22/29 days in February and the owner forced it to be open for another 3 or 4 days when it should've been shut because he was sick of the greenkeepers keeping it closed with all the rain. Apparently in those 4 extra days it was open, they had 6 players **combined**, and most of those didn't even finish the first hole before coming back in and complaining it was like a bog and asking for refunds.

I went on a walk of this new place just a day or so after a couple of weeks of nonstop rain and aside from the odd patch of ground between holes where they're still running maintenance vehicles over it and where it was slightly boggy, it was so firm underfoot I could hardly believe it. Just a different class from my current home course or frankly, a lot of the other courses around. It certainly beats anything the London Borough of Hillingdon has to offer, and the only other options near me are a similar price or even much higher than this new place. Northwood, I believe is £1900ish to join (with a huge joining fee) and then after that there are places like Moor Park and Denham, which are far more still. So £1,850 for a 7-day membership to a brand new place is very reasonable, as you say.

 

[Mark1751]

I really liked the idea of the course, I was considering it as my course (wexham park) is being redeveloped and won’t be ready for another year, membership is only £1060 plus all my friends play there. I don’t think I’d get value for money only playing /4 times a month at this course

 

[Orikoru]

I really liked the idea of the course, I was considering it as my course (wexham park) is being redeveloped and won’t be ready for another year, membership is only £1060 plus all my friends play there. I don’t think I’d get value for money only playing /4 times a month at this course

Damn, it feels like they've been working on Wexham for about five years now. I've played it a couple of times with my wife because the shortened course suits her, but some of the temporary holes are just rubbish.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Damn, it feels like they've been working on Wexham for about five years now. I've played it a couple of times with my wife because the shortened course suits her, but some of the temporary holes are just rubbish.

Agree. Feels like it has gone on forever and still nowhere near finished. As long as drainage across all the courses has been addressed I can't see what they were trying to achieve

 

[sunshine]

Damn, it feels like they've been working on Wexham for about five years now. I've played it a couple of times with my wife because the shortened course suits her, but some of the temporary holes are just rubbish.

Are they turning it into a 7000 yard championship course?

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Are they turning it into a 7000 yard championship course?

Certainly adding a Dino themed mini golf thang at the entrance
And yes it does seem to have been going on for years

 

[Mark1751]

Damn, it feels like they've been working on Wexham for about five years now. I've played it a couple of times with my wife because the shortened course suits her, but some of the temporary holes are just rubbish.

Agree, to be honest I’m fed up of the place but all my friends are staying to see what the new course is like, spring next year it will open. Been about 4 years doing it up and another to let it bed in

 

[Orikoru]

Certainly adding a Dino themed mini golf thang at the entrance
And yes it does seem to have been going on for years

Really? I can still remember the last time they rejigged everything and scrapped their red nine hole to fit a FootGolf course in.

 

[Mark1751]

Really? I can still remember the last time they rejigged everything and scrapped their red nine hole to fit a FootGolf course in.

The crazy golf has a sign saying opening Easter 2024………. More likely another 6 months of work. They have really been hampered by rain, the course has been closed more than open this year. Haven’t paid my subs yet as just can’t bring my self to do it and be bored out of my mind playing some pretty uninspiring holes

 

[Mark1751]

I agree with all of this. I really don't care what marketing phrases they use, or if it's an 'inland links' or built on a landfill or whatever. I can't exactly play links any other way near where I live. So 'inland links' it'll have to be. I want a good quality golf course that's going to be open for 95%+ of the year. The fact it's different from so many other courses around here is a bonus.

Full disclosure, I've paid my deposit to this new place already, so I'm going to be one of these founding members. I live about 5 minutes away, did a course walk with the owner and about 50 other prospective members about 2-3 weeks ago and it does genuinely look like a fantastic course.

Where I'm playing currently (and actually, for the next 4 weeks, am still captain) is short, flat and has absolutely no drainage to speak of. It's also technically an active airfield (although the owner hasn't flown his plane in over 20 years), so that'll give you some indication of how flat my current course is. Plus, it's also about 30 minutes away, but it's cheap and very cheerful and I will absolutely miss it, particularly the people. I joined it because I have friends who play there and at the time, I wanted to join the cheapest course I could, which meant looking outside of London. But as far as golf goes, it's just not what I'm after anymore. I've reached the stage where I want something longer, with undulations on the fairways and greens, with challenging bunkers and massive water hazards and frankly, where they have the equipment and budget to take care of the course properly whilst keeping it open even if it's rained within the last 4 days. At the moment, if it rains on a Monday and Tuesday, there's a >50% chance my current course isn't yet playable by the following Sunday comp.

My current place was also shut for 22/29 days in February and the owner forced it to be open for another 3 or 4 days when it should've been shut because he was sick of the greenkeepers keeping it closed with all the rain. Apparently in those 4 extra days it was open, they had 6 players **combined**, and most of those didn't even finish the first hole before coming back in and complaining it was like a bog and asking for refunds.

I went on a walk of this new place just a day or so after a couple of weeks of nonstop rain and aside from the odd patch of ground between holes where they're still running maintenance vehicles over it and where it was slightly boggy, it was so firm underfoot I could hardly believe it. Just a different class from my current home course or frankly, a lot of the other courses around. It certainly beats anything the London Borough of Hillingdon has to offer, and the only other options near me are a similar price or even much higher than this new place. Northwood, I believe is £1900ish to join (with a huge joining fee) and then after that there are places like Moor Park and Denham, which are far more still. So £1,850 for a 7-day membership to a brand new place is very reasonable, as you say.

What was the noise from A40 like while walking the course?

 

[LIG]

What was the noise from A40 like while walking the course?

I walked the the course too - probably on the same day as "Kenny Dalgleish" (KopiteKing13).
Was surprised that there was hardly any noise from the A40. I could see the traffic on parts of the road and it wasn't really busy at the time, but the screening trees seened to absorb most of the noise anyway.
Mark - If you've played Thorney Park then you'll know what I mean when I say that the noise was maybe 10% of that on the 1st and 3rd greens at Thorney. There was no need to raise your voice to have a conversation anywhere on the course, even the hole nearest the road. Everyone has their own irritation level so this is only my impression from a single visit. HTH.

Like KK13 and can confirm that the course was in great shape for having been deluged for two whole days, ending less than a day beforehand. I recall that it had been fairly showery for a few days before that too and it certainly surprised me that the course was practically perfect on most of the higher fairways. Even those fairways in the lower half of the course could be seen to be draining well and had only small areas of standing water - due to the countouring I was told.

Anyway, I'm paid up; 5-day only, as I can play weekdays without much difficulty.

 

[Orikoru]

An old football mate of mine says he's signed up for membership here so I'll be having a round there with him at some point this year.

 

[Orikoru]

An old football mate of mine says he's signed up for membership here so I'll be having a round there with him at some point this year.

Apparently the full weekend green fee is set at £120. I wouldn't be paying that for a drive to Northolt to be honest... Thankfully my mate reckons the member's guest rate is £45.

 

[Mark1751]

Weekday non member is £80.

 

[Orikoru]

Weekday non member is £80.

I have a feeling the £120 weekends will drop once the initial novelty wears off. I'm not sure they can sustain that price long-term, unless they're perfectly happy to not have too many visitors of course.

 

[sunshine]

The website is live for bookings starting next Monday. £70 Mon-wed, £80 Thu-Fri, £90 at the weekend.

I won’t be paying those prices for an unproven course

 

[Morfeen75]

A friend of mine has joined here. I am looking forward to playing it in the near future to see if this inland links cuts the mustard.

 

[Mark1751]

Rick Shiels was down there doing a vlog, they are getting a bit of hate over their prices.

They are steep but similar to The Shire and West London 9 over the road is pricey for a 9 hole course.

Will still be playing it to see what it’s like for next years membership.

 

[Orikoru]

An old football mate of mine says he's signed up for membership here so I'll be having a round there with him at some point this year.

He's booked us in on Sunday 9th June. Looking forward to hacking my way round to a 98 there.

 

[Deleted member 15717]

The website is live for bookings starting next Monday. £70 Mon-wed, £80 Thu-Fri, £90 at the weekend.

I won’t be paying those prices for an unproven course

Pretty good value for a round of golf, and where it’s located tbh