mbalmer

We like this course which we play every 6 weeks or so. It was great that it was open this time, given the overnight frost and temperature (around 2 degrees). The day was bright and sunny and there was little wind. Our only gripe was that there was still a layer of frost/snow on pretty much every green. Anyone playing in these conditions knows that the ball picks up a lot of ice and slush and it is impossible to putt normally. Eventually I took to scraping a clear run from the ball to the hole which gave me a chance of draining putts. But the grounds staff could easily have gone out early and cleared the greens. That's my only complaint. Otherwise a great day. Shame about the scores (and number of putts taken!).

Last time I played here in August 2020 the greens were in a real state through salt pollution in the water. That seems to have been fixed though we did find the greens a bit springy which slowed the ball unexpectedly. The biggest surprise on checking in was that we were not told they had switched the front and back nines, meaning we headed out to what used to be the 1st, and found a couple of holes later we were playing the back nine. No real issues but you'd think someone would let you know.

I play this course every couple of months and one thing that is clear is that - with the pending closure for housing development - no-one is spending much money on making sure the greens in particular are up to scratch. The recent aeration will help but the process of punching holes in the green left ridges every couple of inches, meaning the putted ball tended to bobble and change direction.

Cold and sunny but a well-draining course meant no issues of mud etc. A few of the holes used temporary greens but the surfaces were pretty good meaning you could putt properly and the ball would run true. I'm not a fan on winter tee platforms where you can't insert your tee where you wish, and as a leftie I always think the tee holders are badly placed for me. No queuing which was excellent and a good day all round.

The only downside to a good day was to be told no trolleys were allowed on the course because of heavy rainfall on previous day. If I'd known I would have packed my bag harness but had to walk all 18 (2 x 9) holes carrying my bag by the handle. Sure, there was standing water at various points but nowhere my trolley with hedgehog wheels would damage, so I was disappointed. Nonetheless a reasonably good day for all 3 of us (the others both had bag harnesses/straps).

First time at Caldecott Hall. Long course (>6,700 yards) with 5 Par 5s which is unusual. Sandy base meant it drained well and virtually no slushiness at all which was welcome. My only criticism is the info on the scorecard. I could have done with a course map (showing which way to go next) as not all the next tees were clearly signposted. And one significant hazard (a steep gulley halfway down the 14th which we all thankfully avoided) wasn't marked on the scorecard - though there were yellow posts - so could have caused problems. But a great day nonetheless. We'll be back!

It was a fairly good day all round. However we (2 players) were stuck for a while behind 3 fourballs, though they all kindly called us through at some stage. My main gripe is that several of the greens were being tended by groundstaff meaning we had a number of temporary greens, which I hate. Putting out on the first green we were actually sharing the green with a groundsman spreading grass seed. Seriously! We weren't warned in advance or I might have chosen a different day.