viscount17
Money List Winner
Think of a parkland course and it may be that like me you imagine a flattish course with a few trees, maybe some water and many look-alike holes. Not this one, at around 6000 yards you will need your hiking boots on - flat it is not!
Trent Park is a North London course conveniently located not far off the M25 Junction 24. The SatNav takes you through Cockfosters and most of the off-motorway route is simple and direct.
It's a pay-and-play Crown Golf course with a lot going for it. To be honest there are also one or two negatives, so start with those.
As pay-and-play you do take a chance on how busy the course will be. On the Wednesday afternoon that I went it was busy and it was a 4-hour round, the previous day had been quiet. Tee-times though are much too close (they have obviously not read the GM article) but as with any course, providing groups approach things with the right attitude and a bit of give-and-take, any problems can sort themselves out. We were behind a four-ball who were playing quickly enough and who were more particularly cheerful and sociable, even though a couple of really well hit approach shots did get close. The group behind, who were in a buggy and who also knew the course well, were friendly and not pushy.
The course has a 2-tier range, which on the face of it should be a bonus, but its location alongside the 1st fairway can be a problem. Far too many balls fly over and through the netting screen that when playing the first you need your wits about you. Balls do reach the out-of-bounds on the far side of the fairway. Mishit your drive short left, as I did, and you'll be searching amongst a multitude of range balls.
On the day I played the greens were recovering from tining and sanding but there were also more than a few patches that needed the greenkeepers attention. With all that, the greens ran well with some 'interesting' contours.
Other than that, it's pure unadultered fun, so much so that despite a recurrence of my driver problems neither I nor my mate Rob could keep silly grins off our faces. Much, much better place to be than an office!
The first is a blind par 5; downhill, over a brook and a dogleg with the green masked by trees if you get it wrong, so won't be appreciated by all.
The second of course, is uphill and seen from the first looks daunting.
There is a lot of straight driving required and straight second shots too, particularly on the 16th where you will have to negotiate a pair of guardian trees and get your length right. Lots of that too, with ditches and water to punish. Not a lot of gimmes to be had on this course. Get out of position and you'll work hard for a score.
The par 3's are all reachable but there are enough risks to keep you honest. The shortest is easy to over or under estimate from an elevated tee downhill to green that can seem all too narrow.
And the cost - around £20 midweek, and they take Green Free vouchers.
Trent Park is a North London course conveniently located not far off the M25 Junction 24. The SatNav takes you through Cockfosters and most of the off-motorway route is simple and direct.
It's a pay-and-play Crown Golf course with a lot going for it. To be honest there are also one or two negatives, so start with those.
As pay-and-play you do take a chance on how busy the course will be. On the Wednesday afternoon that I went it was busy and it was a 4-hour round, the previous day had been quiet. Tee-times though are much too close (they have obviously not read the GM article) but as with any course, providing groups approach things with the right attitude and a bit of give-and-take, any problems can sort themselves out. We were behind a four-ball who were playing quickly enough and who were more particularly cheerful and sociable, even though a couple of really well hit approach shots did get close. The group behind, who were in a buggy and who also knew the course well, were friendly and not pushy.
The course has a 2-tier range, which on the face of it should be a bonus, but its location alongside the 1st fairway can be a problem. Far too many balls fly over and through the netting screen that when playing the first you need your wits about you. Balls do reach the out-of-bounds on the far side of the fairway. Mishit your drive short left, as I did, and you'll be searching amongst a multitude of range balls.
On the day I played the greens were recovering from tining and sanding but there were also more than a few patches that needed the greenkeepers attention. With all that, the greens ran well with some 'interesting' contours.
Other than that, it's pure unadultered fun, so much so that despite a recurrence of my driver problems neither I nor my mate Rob could keep silly grins off our faces. Much, much better place to be than an office!
The first is a blind par 5; downhill, over a brook and a dogleg with the green masked by trees if you get it wrong, so won't be appreciated by all.
The second of course, is uphill and seen from the first looks daunting.
There is a lot of straight driving required and straight second shots too, particularly on the 16th where you will have to negotiate a pair of guardian trees and get your length right. Lots of that too, with ditches and water to punish. Not a lot of gimmes to be had on this course. Get out of position and you'll work hard for a score.
The par 3's are all reachable but there are enough risks to keep you honest. The shortest is easy to over or under estimate from an elevated tee downhill to green that can seem all too narrow.
And the cost - around £20 midweek, and they take Green Free vouchers.
