Thoughts on Surrey club to join

[Hodge]

Hi all!

I know there have been a few threads on this subject in the past but was wondering if anyone here are members at any of these or have played them and can give me their insights it would be appreciated :thup:

So I've moved down from Norfolk to Surrey (Walton on Thames) and trying to work out which club to join, I've tried a few,

1 Hersham - closest, not that impressed with greens and overall maintenance so not keen on it

2 Silvermere - too busy, nice last two holes though

3 The Drift - they offered me a free round, got a meet and greet, good deal on with no entry fees. Quite liked the course and the vibe however I'm concerned about the clay and not being able to play throughout the winter

Other possibles I've narrowed down but yet to play are

West Byfleet
Pyrford
Chobham (Got concerns about how wet it gets and the number of par 3s)
Tyrrells Wood (got a meeting arranged this week - I like the look of this one and it looks like it drains well)

I think the other courses in the area are probably a little over my budget

I'm happy with a half an hour commute so Tyrrells just about makes it (I'm Walton on Thames) and that's my preference right now but it may change after I see it

Thanks very much

 

[FuzzyDuck]

I've played The Drift twice, it does get very wet and would avoid the winter months in future. West Byfleet is nice and still in quite good nick due to their private water supply allowing them to water the fairways on occasion.. Played Chobham once, no hurry to go back.

 

[Grant85]

Sorry I don't know the area, but I would recommend giving priority to the following;

1. How much you enjoy playing the course
2. The feeling / vibe from the place suiting you / your age group / personality (can be hard to determine this without spending a bit of time there, obviously)

If a course is in bad nick at this time of year, then I'd say it has problems.

Assuming all other things being relatively equal in terms of fees / location and that you don't have any friends already in one of the clubs. Sounds like you are doing thorough research, so you should hopefully have a reasonable idea of these factors.

Also, a joining fee is not necessarily a bad thing as it suggests the membership is relatively stable - assuming the fee is not fortunes.

 

[Hodge]

Sorry I don't know the area, but I would recommend giving priority to the following;

1. How much you enjoy playing the course
2. The feeling / vibe from the place suiting you / your age group / personality (can be hard to determine this without spending a bit of time there, obviously)

If a course is in bad nick at this time of year, then I'd say it has problems.

Assuming all other things being relatively equal in terms of fees / location and that you don't have any friends already in one of the clubs. Sounds like you are doing thorough research, so you should hopefully have a reasonable idea of these factors.

Also, a joining fee is not necessarily a bad thing as it suggests the membership is relatively stable - assuming the fee is not fortunes.

Thanks

Yes I think we are of the same mind - I'm 33 so luckily do not have to pay full joining at some of these clubs where they have age categories.

Effingham is another potential actually and that looks decent

 

[User2021]

Burhill has two 18’s, supposed to nice, but have no idea on prices.

 

[User2021]

Would definitely avoid playing Silvermere.
Great range
brilliant shop

but crazy long rounds

 

[Hodge]

Burhill has two 18’s, supposed to nice, but have no idea on prices.

I just assumed Burhill and St Georges would be well out of my price range!

 

[IanM]

Silvermere is a pay and play.....hence v busy.

I've been out of the area for years, but from what you said "West Byfleet" all day long! (but no recent experience)

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

A bit further out you get into the sand belt and so many of the courses are nice and dry all year. My place has just had some new members join who live Twickenham and Wimbledon way - they just pop down the A3 or M3 and I don't think it takes that long (just over half an hour from WoT). Depends how much you want pretty much 'on-your-doorstep' golf for an evening bit of practice or few holes.

 

[Hodge]

A bit further out you get into the sand belt and so many of the courses are nice and dry all year. My place has just had some new members join who live Twickenham and Wimbledon way - they just pop down the A3 or M3 and I don't think it takes that long (just over half an hour from WoT). Depends how much you want pretty much 'on-your-doorstep' golf for an evening bit of practice or few holes.

Which club are you at?

I used to be able to doorstep golf in Norfolk but its more tricky here so its not a priority, I'm sure I could get out in the summer for an hour or so in the evening even if it is 40 mins away

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Which club are you at?

I used to be able to doorstep golf in Norfolk but its more tricky here so its not a priority, I'm sure I could get out in the summer for an hour or so in the evening even if it is 40 mins away

Farnham (Sands)

The clue is in the name of the village the club is in

 

[Pathetic Shark]

Message me if you want to come down to Pyrford for a game. You get all the other Crown courses thrown in although one or two are not worth going near.

 

[r0wly86]

Message me if you want to come down to Pyrford for a game. You get all the other Crown courses thrown in although one or two are not worth going near.

Just to qualify that, you do not get St Mellion Nicklaus course with it. If you ever wanted to head down to Cornwall

 

[Doon frae Troon]

My old club Puttenham is just down the A3, on the Hogs Back before you get to Farnham.
West Byfleet is decent as is Tyrells Wood [except when the leaves are falling] and Leatherhead.

 

[Hodge]

Farnham (Sands)

The clue is in the name of the village the club is in

Ah ok so again only 30 ish minutes providing the A3 is running smoothly - fall into the over 30 category and the annual fee and joining fee are about max what I'm thinking

From a quick look at the website it looks a lovely course, there are just so many in the area I was limiting myself to not get too bogged down by all the choices

 

[Hodge]

Message me if you want to come down to Pyrford for a game. You get all the other Crown courses thrown in although one or two are not worth going near.

Cheers !

 

[Hodge]

My old club Puttenham is just down the A3, on the Hogs Back before you get to Farnham.
West Byfleet is decent as is Tyrells Wood [except when the leaves are falling] and Leatherhead.

Puttenham looks nice too, how was it for you?

 

[howbow88]

Is Hampton Court an option? I’ve never played it, but noticed it when having a picnic in the Palace grounds and it looked very nice. Great views too, I imagine.

 

[IanM]

Farnham (Sands)

The clue is in the name of the village the club is in

Small world, my wife is from Elstead... mum in law still lives there. I like Farnham, esp the loop over the road.


Back to the OP...wof you live in Walton, Puttenham and Farnham are fine, but you have just as good much nearer to home

 

[road2ruin]

Hi all!

I know there have been a few threads on this subject in the past but was wondering if anyone here are members at any of these or have played them and can give me their insights it would be appreciated :thup:

So I've moved down from Norfolk to Surrey (Walton on Thames) and trying to work out which club to join, I've tried a few,

1 Hersham - closest, not that impressed with greens and overall maintenance so not keen on it

2 Silvermere - too busy, nice last two holes though

3 The Drift - they offered me a free round, got a meet and greet, good deal on with no entry fees. Quite liked the course and the vibe however I'm concerned about the clay and not being able to play throughout the winter

Other possibles I've narrowed down but yet to play are

West Byfleet
Pyrford
Chobham (Got concerns about how wet it gets and the number of par 3s)
Tyrrells Wood (got a meeting arranged this week - I like the look of this one and it looks like it drains well)

I think the other courses in the area are probably a little over my budget

I'm happy with a half an hour commute so Tyrrells just about makes it (I'm Walton on Thames) and that's my preference right now but it may change after I see it

Thanks very much

I'm just down the road from you, Hersham.

My comments would be as follows:

Hersham - Used to be a member, small membership, good front nine, fairly boring back. Wouldn't bother.

Silvermere - amazing facilities, best in Surrey IMO however as already pointed out is predominantly pay and play so can be slow. That said if you go out with the members at the weekend and try and get an early tee slot I don't think it's nearly as bad as some make out.

Drift - nice enough, bog in the winter.

Twisted Stone (West Byfleet) - don't bother, course seems to get worse and worse plus in the winter the low parts of the course are underwater so you end up with an 11 hole course for 7-8 months of the year.

Burhill - decent track, two courses although a cut above the others mentioned and have a joining fee plus membership priced accordingly.

St Georges - almost impossible to get membership at unless you know someone down there.

Chobham - short, tight, okay to visit but wouldn't want to join.

Pyrford - personally I don't like the course, find you have to plot your way around too much as it has numerous holes that have ditches/water criss-crossing it all over the shot. Probably just says more about my golf than anything else!!

Hoebridge - just a bit further down the road from Pyrford, it's a pay and play with a small membership, has 3 courses and decent facilities. Gets busy at the weekends but the members tend to get out earlier and might be worth a look.

Hampton Court - part of Crown Golf. I quite like it although is tough in the summer as they're not allowed to mow the ruff so anything off line and it's tough to find let alone play out of!

Surbiton - members course, not horrendously expensive although the lower part of the course gets pretty wet in winter, not a lot in the way of facilities but I've already enjoyed a knock round there.

You're in an area well served by courses so you have plenty of choice!!