Aldwickbury Park Golf Club

Dropped on Alwickbury Park by accident after a detour from the M1 took me through Harpenden en route to St Albans. Having not considered having a game I took a punt at there being times available and was welcomed in the pro-shop by both staff and members alike - good start - plus they had times open - even better - and I managed to get a reduced twilight fee of £20 - better still. The pro shop itself was very well stocked and having been given the code to the changing rooms I was suitably impressed by the facilities available which were quite high end. On the first tee I was met by two members who were pleased to let me either play thru' or join them, I chose the latter in order to gain a bit of local knowledge for a course I knew nothing about. The course - due to the hot and dry weather we had experienced - was playing shorter than its suggested 6300 yards and the first whilst on the card at 421 yds from the whites plays downhill and was quite an easy opener and confidence builder. One thing that I liked about the course was the placement and strategic usage of the bunkers - with many placed on the inside corners of dog-legs and some encroaching into the fairway but at a distance which tempted you to have a go - fall short and the penalty was suitably severe (these are some deep bunkers...), get over and you find yourself in a fantastic spot to attack the green. The bunkers are also very well maintained with good sand. The greens are grassed with what seemed to be poa (?) and ran very true which was just a well as they are protected by some severe undulations - they also had very definite hole locations on them which meant that finding the right portion of the green was vital in order to protect yourself from the dreaded three putt - they're not overly large but were sized appropriate to the type of shot you'd expect them to receive - many had opportunities to play a bump and run shot should you be in the right position on the fairway. I discovered from the two members that the club had recently allowed the tertiary rough to grow long and the fescue gave a nice definition and texture to the course - it wasn't so thick though that you couldn't find or indeed play your ball from it. The front nine had a couple of stand out holes - no.2, a short par 4 dog-leg left played uphill between mature oak / pine trees to a two-tier green where the actual putting surface is not visible from the fairway and no.9, another short dog-leg, this time to the right, with a plethora of deep fairway bunkers protecting the green from the tiger line and OB running down the RH side - I know now the simple play is an iron off the tee leaving a short iron into the green, needless to say I took driver?! The back nine is more uphill down dale than the front nine and you may find yourself flagging after playing 13 and 16 which both play directly up a fairly steep incline. Holes of note from the back nine were no.11, a mid-length par 4 which if played correctly (a controlled fade round a stand of mature trees) leaves a chip into a heavily undulating green and no.18 which tempts you to open the shoulders and take on the green but with water right up to and aside the green and OB left you might want to play take the more conservative approach. Off course the bar was well stocked and the patio area overlooking the 18th was perfect to sit and down a beer or two. Overall, I was glad I had stumbled on the course, and whilst I wouldn't suggest you take a punt as I did with getting on, even if you haven't called ahead and booked, drop in, have a go, you won't be disappointed.

Bit worried about going to this course after reading previous reports but our society played there and thought the whole experience at the course was excellent.The only thing that was not good was the weather but i don't think any course can do anything about that yet. Course was in very good condition & a good challenge for any golfer.Our society has low handicappers right up 28 handicap & they all thought it was a good course.Out on the course we came across numerous members & they were all very pleasant & polite. Off course facilities were good with a nice clubhouse pro shop were very helpful with prizes for the day & the food at the end was lovely which capped off a great society day. Not the cheapest around for societies but general feedback from our golfers was that they would like to go back next year.

The course was OK, well kept, in good condition & challenging enough with storm force winds. My gripe is, on the scorecard the club claims to be friendly & welcoming. My experience was anything but. I found the members were snobbish & downright rude. my groups behaviour was normal, appropriate, polite & unobtrusive. The most irritating incident was at the end of the day. I was told I was not suitably dressed to use the clubhouse (wearing smart shoes, smart trousers & a polo shirt under a jumper, actually very smart. (Normal golf attire) aterproofs & golf shoes in the car by now. It was clear we were not welcome as I was looked up & down by an older chap & he was comparativley scruffy as he looked down his nose at me. I thought I was in Royston Vasey, "This is a local club for local people" was the attitude. I was refused entrance to the club house for no reason other than my dress was apparently inappropriate. "Oh, is that golfing attire, I don't think so" I will definatley not be making a return. I have played other clubs & centres of Burhill Leisure group & always found them to be friendly & welcoming. Whilst I understand the reasons for dress codes, I certainly did not breach them. The members need to take a look at themselves before behaving in such a jumped up manner. Left a poor impression & a sour taste. was glad to leave.

I've played Aldwickbury Park 3 times now and I would highly recommend it. I'm not sure why the previous reporter said he wouldn't go back. Maybe he didn't like the fact that the back 9 is quite hilly! This course is very well maintained and has a great variety of holes. It is not long but the rough can be quite penal. The greens were immaculate for our golf society day last week and very hard to read. Make sure you think before you putt as you will often find the ball breaking in the opposite direction to where you thought it might go. The clubhouse is very modern and the staff are friendly and helpful. There is also an excellent practice ground but you need to bring your own practice balls. With 2 for 1 vouchers this is great value golf.

Played it in August 2006. O.K. wouldn't go back

Played the course midweek which meant £15 for a very enjoyable, great value round indeed.Pros- something to think about on most shots, fairway bunkers, water hazards or undulating greens etc, lovely layout through mature trees or making use of natural lay of the land made more difficult again by the strong wind on the day we played. Cons-bit short overall (like the majority of courses over here, compared with courses back in Australia) managed to drive green on 9th, 10th, 11th, 18th (though with strong wind and uphill needed a 5iron third into Par 5 8th). About half the greens were being cored at time of round but those that weren't were in quite good shape. Using this site to play through a lot of courses in Hertfordshire and with midweek rates probably the best value I've found in the county so far.

Gotta say played in a scratch match here and the front 9 was awful but the backnine was swet out alot better. Greens were compared to other places poor and you never felt that if you hit it on line that your going to get full reward for your putt. Catering was brilliant and the last hole is very picturesque. 29 pounds is unreasonable maybe someone should have a look at this. mixed feelings

Played the course today and really enjoyed myself. Fairways and greens were in fair condition and I felt that several holes offered different ways to skin the proverbial cat, even for someone still struggling to consistently break 100 (like me)!! The back nine was the most challenging. It is fairly hilly with holes 11 and 12 taking you back and forth over (or through in my case) a 5 foot tall hedge. The most consistent feature was the well contoured greens meaning that "gimmees" were few and far between. I feel that this course would offer a decent challenge to other high handicappers like myself. Having said that, make sure you use a 2 for 1 voucher as I feel £29 per person is a little steep for what is on offer.

this is an appauling course.there were huge queues everywhere and the fairways were a disgrace. was also a ver easy course. exept a couple of longish par fours, all the holes are reachable in regulation. there are also a lot of "hackers" around the place most of whon are kids. would never play again.

Played the course on a cold and windy Tuesday in March. £26.00 for two using 2 for 1 vouchers presented pretty good value. The course itself is fairly hilly parkland with a number of interesting and challenging holes. The 1st is a fairly straightforward opening hole but the 2nd is a different kettle of fish altogether - only about 300 yards but placement off the tee is crucial to allow a chance of hitting a difficult green. I managed a 7. None of the other holes on the front nine particularly stood out but were by no means mediocre. Water comes into play on the 10th before the course starts to go up and down the hills. Beware the hedge across two fairways!! The 18th is another short par 4 with the green protected by lots of water, nice hole but slightly spoiled by the condition of the fairway. Predictably, for the time of year the greens were a bit ropy, however, a thoroughly pleasant if not outstanding course.

Played this course last Friday 21st March. Warmed up (needed to; it was really cold) on the par 3 course which was very enjoyable before having some lunch in the nice club house then tackling the main course in the afternoon. Not an overly long course but it is tricky because the course is undulating thus the ball doesn't seem to have a flat lie that often. I agree that the fairways were in excellent condition although the greens were typical of most courses at this time of year; a bit bumpy and uneven. That's not a criticism just something you have to expect at this time of year.Was heading for a decent score before messing up 3 of the last 4 holes. On the 18th hit my tee shot out of bounds on the left and then proceeded to hit my 4th shot into the pond in front of the green. Ended up with an ugly nine. Yuk! A good day alround apart from the "gentleman" who approaced one of our fourball on the 16th fairway and rather condecendingly asked if he knew the rules of golf. Basically there were two 2-balls behind us and this "gentlemans" fourball. He wanted to know if we knew the rules and etiquette of golf, why we had not let the 2-ball behind us through. As we pointed out, the 2-ball behind were never close enough to let through. If we had been in trouble or one of our group was looking for a ball we would have invited them to play through. Also the fact as a 4-ball we went round in 3 hours 52 minutes helped the cause (8 minutes ahead of schedule in accordance with the two or three notices on tees around the course). Having said that still a very good day out.

Played the course this week (before the snow)only to find it on 18 temporary greens. We were told by a member that it's a club policy to shut the greens for 2 months of the year.The website unfortunately gives no indication of this, although there is a reduced green fee. The course looked attractive with mature trees and water features and was on grass tees,but the temporary greens on what was firm ground was extremely disapointing. The clubhouse was very pleasant and all the staff helpful.

I am a regular visitor to the club, and have never been dissapointed to date. The course is a good chalange of tactical golf, both from the tee, and to greens which are well sloped and offer some exciting puts. The course is well maintained, and the greens are rarely closed, even in the most adverse of weather conditions. Holes of note are the 2nd - an extreemly tricky short par 4 where position off the tee is crutial to a well guarded green - the 9th, which is again short but well bunkered all the way to the hole - the 11th which is an excellent right to left dogleg to a green with big slopes - and the 18th which has water in play on both shots and finishes nicely infront of the club house. Changing facilities are also good, and the welcome has always been friendly. A rewarding golfing experience to people of all golfing abilities.

We had a recent round at this lovely course last week on a sunny morning. There is more than a hint of links about it even though it is an inland course - the hay-type rough, non-flat springy fairways, undulating greens and of course loads of pothole bunkers. The greens also allow for links-type run up shots into them. The course is not overly long but the beauty of it is that the long hitters, whilst having shorter second shots, do not necessarily have a huge advantage over shorter hitters. Longer drives on certain holes bring in different risks and also the sloping undulating greens mean that you have to be accurate with your approach, even with a wedge in your hands, otherwise you'll be left with a likely 3 putt. Combined with a pleasant clubhouse and friendly members, I would recommend this course for a enjoyable round of golf and day out.

We played here in driving rain for most of the day - more fool us! Even so, it provided us with an entertaining game - plenty of good holes, one or two of which were quite memorable, in particular the second, which forces you to play through a 20 yard funnel in order to reach the green. Plenty of bunkers, some where you don't expect them. Was looking at a par on the 430 yard Par 4 15th hole, until I chpped and ran over the green into a bunker immediately behind the hole - beware! I ended up with a seven! The course was in pretty good condition and presents quite a good test of golf.