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This is a must play course in the Midlands; quiet and hidden away it was in particularly good condition given the recent drought weather, fairways were much greener than anywhere else I had seen. The layout is very interesting, with many risk-reward holes, and good play is rewarded but bad play is punished.throughout the course, all carefully placed to catch poor shots. There are many ditched and ponds The interest begins with a 90 degree dogleg short par 4 over a pond. The 4th hole is a stunning par 5, a downhill tee shot and then a narrow approach to the green which drops off on two sides and has a road on the other. The 10th in one of the most challenging par 5 holes I have ever come across, a boomerang-shaped beast of over 600 yards off the white tees. The 17th is the standout par 4, 446 yards with a blind drive over a hill to a fairway that sweeps around to the left with trouble on both sides. Having played the course the first day I was so impressed I went back and played it the very next day. It is definitely a course where you benefit fro mhaving played it before. And at £15 for a midweek afternoon round, you will not find a better value round anywhere - a great golf course.

This James Braid designed course has elements of some of his classic Scottish courses, playing fairly firm and fast even after a summer of rain. It is a tight course, bordered by thick trees and bushes so you need to be fairly straight off the tee but get the ball in play and you can probably score well. I was a bit wayward off the tee and was punished with lost balls. YOu can come off here feeling beaten up if not being sensible off the tee.
Greens needed a cut but they were very consistent and steady. Definitely a course I will rush back to play. I had never played before and made some poor decisions with choice of club off the tee. Don't expect to play lights out first time you play here but some course knowledge will help with repeat plays.

This course is only 30 years old but the tree growth on this tight driving course makes it a real challenge. There are a few ponds and meandering streams that come in to play on may holes and accuracy off the tee is paramount to score well. While you generally always find a wayward tee shot, getting back into play is not easy and often results in a dropped shot. The course is often soft and damp and even after the long hot summer we have had, the greens were a bit soft underfoot and bumpy as a result. But well worth playing for between £20-25 visitor green fee.

Isle of Purbeck will give you some of the best views of any golf course in the UK. Overlooking Poole harbour, the views on a clear day are stunning. But this is a really tough golf course that, even after playing a couple of times, takes some learning. It plays quite like a links and is windy even on a calm day. There are a number of blind shots but the marker posts are all good lines to follow from the tees. The greens ae typically links-like; slow uphill and quick downhill, with the wind playing a part. Bunkers are of high quality, adding up to make this a good quality course. If you play it after 2pm as well, it is a bargain at £25 for a round.
The only complaint would be the lack of yardage markers on the course. My phone GPS app wasn't working for some reason and I was pretty much playing blind. There are 200 and 150 yard markers but nothing else, making judgement of approach shots from inside 130 yards very difficult. This is the one area that would improve the golfers experience of an otherwise outstanding course.

The New Forest club is a quirky golf experience but was certainly enjoyable. On the day we played, it had been raining constantly for 24 hours so it was very wet under foot and there were rain showers throughout. This contributed to very slow greens but I would imagine when dry and cut, they would roll nicely. The course layout is very interesting with some very attractive par 3s (a couple are very long), some very short par 4s but some long ones too and 4 very playable par 5s. It's not a hard course and will play short when dry but the green complexes are tricky. The quirk comes from the largely absent rough and the uncut fairways. You prefer lies all year which means you can always play from a decent lie. Wild ponies and cows roam the course and there is a lot of manure spread around. It is part of the character of the course so don't expect pristine fairways. at £23 a round, it is good value for money for a fun round of golf.

This is a course that is supposed to be steeped in history. It has a beautiful setting in the shadow of the White Mountains and overlooked by a stunning hotel. The tees and greens are very good but there are some issues with conditioning in areas on some fairways, possibly due to heavy rain. The layout is okay; there are a few impressive holes (1, 14 and 18) but it is a bit bland otherwise. I know the essence of Donald Ross courses are the green complexes but I was left a bit underwhelmed by this example of his work.