Erlestoke Golf Club

Steady! I played Erlestoke on 1 Feb. Before I went I looked that the reviews. Having played the course I can say they are out of date or incorrect. The course is in a very good condition, wide open fairways, challenging holes and a good test of golf. The staff I spoke to are very friendly, as are some of the members I spoke to. There is clearly a great deal of work going on around the course to make it better than ever it was and the club is to be congratulated on that. The only other observation I have to make is the beer is a bit expensive!

The course was very wet, the greens was wet on some of the holes. As the course was wet had to play 9 holes twice. The fairways needed cutting but because of the rain they haven't been out. I would only play this course in the summer

We played on a rather damp Saturday afternoon. There were only a few other people on the course.
When we arrived there was no one in the pro shop. I had to ask someone in the car park where I could get range balls. There were no signs or notices warning us about the state of the course.
The course is beautiful and some of the holes are stunning.
However, the course was waterlogged. My playing partner and I hit several good shots, some onto the fairway, but couldn’t find our balls because the were plugged. Most of the tee boxes were very muddy and it was difficult to keep your footing after drive and some of the greens were almost impossible to putt .
We are not fair weather golfers but these experiences spoiled our round.
I’m sure the course is amazing in the summer months but in October it was almost unplayable.

If you are looking for a course that is challenging for all levels of golfer at a reasonable price - this place is for you. I have been a member for 2 1/2 years, and this course is by far one of the most interesting tracks in all of Wiltshire. I first joined when the course was worse for wear, due to a lack of investment for many years under the previous owner - however the new owners, who came in this year, have worked tirelessly since April to put the course back to its former glory - and it shows! Greens have been properly maintained throughout this summer, and have seen a remarkable improvement since last year (see the photo attached from a fellow member). Further maintenance and work has been done to trees, previously overgrown foliage and the water features, and the general improvement it has made to the course has exceeded most of the expectations the members had for the new owners in their first 6 months.

Previous reviewers of this course may not have enjoyed their round - that is a matter of opinion that should be respected. Conditions wise, the course has undergone a much needed maintenance period, due to years of neglect previously, but, in my opinion, I have found the maintenance has had no effect on my game or my enjoyment. Greens have been recently scarified, and a program to deal with the molehills and the bunkers has started this week. All I can say to those who with negative views of the maintenance is 'Rome wasn't built in a day!'.

However, there are some misleading comments that need addressing. Previous reviews suggest the new owners have been in for 2 years, and are looking to sell the land for housing. This is not true. As I have already mentioned, the owners came in April this year - greeted with rapturous applause when our Members AGM was held in the same month. They share a passion for golf, and have a year-by-year plan in place to put Erlestoke back on the map as a premium golfing venue. To also say fairways are 'never cut' and the 'clubhouse is shut' is also misleading - if you play here as regularly as I do, you'll know those comments are completely false!

I have thoroughly enjoyed playing the course for the past 2 1/2 years - and I look forward to enjoying it for many years to come!

Work in progress for new owners they are doing a good job and will be better than before once complete

Arrived and warmly welcomed in the pro shop. We arrived early so had a look about. Everything seemed tired. Went onto play and then realised that course maintenance was severely lacking.
Grass needed mowing, molehills everywhere, bunkers unplayable covered in weeds and no sand. Greens ok if you like playing on the beach, 90% sand 10% green. Half finished water projects that were just mud. The pace of play was only fair due to trying to find the ball in the long grass on the fairways and semi rough. The signage to the next holes is lacking, We actually went onto the academy course because that seemed to be logically the next hole (no signage). A member put us right and said that it is confusing!! We made sure we kept a eye on the players in front to see where to go next after that. Over all, IF the club invest VERY heavily in course maintenance including cutting back trees and reinstating tiers around the greens as well as all the other very basic tasks, then it could be a decent course. A member told us that in the autumn and winter they cannot play some of the holes so have to use some of the academy course holes. Not going back very bad value.

Erlestoke has the potential to be a beautiful course, and probably was previously. There is amazing mature trees, undulating geography and some stunning holes but is let down by being in awful condition and clearly hasn’t been looked after properly for a long time.

The bunkers are all filled with weeds and are completely unplayable. The greens are mostly scarred, rutted and unloved. The fairways are covered in mole hills, divots and more weeds.

The mats on the driving range are so thin and frayed, the ball just rolls off. £4 for about 17 balls is also too £.

And lastly, the clubhouse/‘pro shop’ (I use that term tentatively) again, have heaps of potential, positioned on the 18th green but are very tired and reinforce the general dilapidated feel of Erlestoke.

Im afraid we won’t be back.

I (and 2 others) played our first round at Erlestoke this July 23, which we were all impressed with the course and layout.
The one negative was all the bunkers did not have any sand in them, I know it had been raining, but the bunkers that did have some sort of sand/dirt in them were not raked at all.

If the club addressed this sand issue then it would be a hidden gem.

Really enjoyed our round. Friendly welcome, hit a few balls on the range and got going. No-one else around on our mid morning tee-off. Some of the fairways have some mole-hill damage and are a bit ropey but we could see good work being done. Some greens looked patchy but all were smooth and true - no excuses for a bad put! Many had inclines and tiers. Some great holes: the massive drop down to the 7th and the climb up the 17th. Overall a very nice course. Can’t wait to play it again.

It has the makings of being an absolute beaut of a course and certainly worth giving it a go. Just expect a tough round unless you hit every fairway and green or a higher handicapper.

Layouts good, setting is brilliant and club house is dated but friendly and spacious, however….there is zero forgiveness on this course.

Rough is very thick and high, with lots of bunkers void of sand. Rough also lines every fairway and green meaning anything wayward is severely punished, even good shots that just skip into the edge of the rough are impossible to find. Replacement balls between us will cost nearly the price of the round - some of this is totally on our poor driver performances!

So close to being a great course but if you want a challenge give it a go.

First time going round this season.

Lots of working going on but also lots of improvements being made around the fairways and greens.

Absolutely fantastic value for money 👍🏻

Course was taken over at Easter, it's rapidly Inproving with investment on the greens and aprons, and drainage is hugely better than prior years. Paths are being re-stoned too.

During our visit there were people working on sprinklers that will further enhance during hot summer weeks.

Will be playing this more and more during the summer.

Played here in early may, the course was in bad condition. If the ball went slightly off the fairway you’d struggle to find it and in some occasions even in the middle of the fairway. Bunkers were unplayable and the greens inconsistent. Layout of the course is good and new ownership which is promising but will not be coming back and certainly not paying the cost of the green fee. Good luck to any venturing out here.

Under new ownership the course is already beginning to recover. The improvement in the greens over the past few weeks has been remarkable. With the planned works this will become the course it deserves to be. A sleeping gem of a course is reawakening.

Course is coming along great, greens are far better than last year. A great test, keep your ball in play or pay the price

The course layout and what it could be is amazing!
Just needs a bit of money put in to sort out some of the greens and a bit of drainage!
It is winter and some of the fairways were in good shape for it.
For the price I’m certainly not complaining and will come back during the summer to see what the difference is!

Had high hopes for this course as I’d heard it was pretty good a few years ago.
Sadly the condition of the course was very poor and not even worth the £22.50 we paid. Fairways were in poor condition and the greens can only be described as shocking!
Not sure if it’s neglect/lack of investment or they’ve just suffered badly with the extremely dry summer we’ve had.
With some decent investment this could be so much better, the layout of the course is good and some really nice holes to play.
Just sad to see it in such a sorry state.

Having played here for several years I have seen the state of the course go up and down but a real lack of investment is tying the hands of the hard-working and friendly staff at the club. The state of the greens is nothing short of embarrassing. The bunkers are undergoing some improvement but there doesn't seem to have been any work to improve their drainage or the problem of weeds. New sand has simply been laid over the old. The layout and aspect of the course is beautiful and there is a good variety of attractive and challenging holes. With investment, this could be a stunning course but as it stands it is declining rather quickly. Would I recommend to a friend? Yes if the greens were improved but as is, sadly not really. A real shame.

Played Erlestoke for the first time today. Both Staff and Members seemed friendly, but the course was a let down.
Some really nice Golf holes, but the Greens are very patchy with cracks running through them and very little grass on them.
In my opinion, £35 is overpriced for the standard of the course YMC.