Basildon Golf Club

Went to the golf course last weekend (Sept 2011) payed £10 for 18 holes and wasnt expecting that my partner and I would be in for much more than a council run pay and play golf course. In fact, apart from the lack of 150 yard markers and the greens not being in fantastic nick (they were very true tho!) THE COURSE WAS FANTASTIC - I have played in Essex, Spain, Kent, West and East Sussex and I can honestly say I enjoyed this course as much if not more than anyof the so called "Posh" ones, The price is unbelivable and we shall be going back next weekend to have another go. The staff were very friendly and so where the other golfers, A real pleasure all in all.

I have been over there recentley and the course has improved a vast amount since my last game a year ago there are new managers and they are both golf professionals who are happy to help. They are starting to arrange new events and evry weekend they are doing a game of golf a beer and a barbacue for £20 you cant beat that. Those who havent been over there recentley try again i think you will see the improvements .

I have played Basildon golf course now 4 times in 3 years, and within that time twice the course was in pretty poor condition, but the other 2 times it has been good, all said though a few of the greens need a bit of tlc, but its getting there. Raeding other peoples coments i can see what they are saying, to a certain extent! perhaps a few more markers would help, but i played of 26 on the 2/9/2010 and scored 35 points, so it can't be all that bad.

Do not waste your time or money. This is a truly awful and depressing course.The owner has obviously lost all interest in maintaining the course to even a reasonable standard. Cheap but why bother when for a few pounds more you can pay at a decent club.

I went one evening after work a couple of weeks ago. Very cheap. £5 twilight. As has been mentioned, there are no markers on many of the blind tee shots. I think there may be one on the course behind a green. The course was very untidy and the fairways could have a used a mowing. The greens on the front nine were in pretty good nick though. On the back nine however, it was a different story. One flag had been replaced by a stick. One flag hadn't been replaced at all (on the shortest hole). A couple of the greens also had sand filler where they had either been attacked or just badly maintained. Still, for a beginner like me it was a decent challenging course. I'll give it another go if I'm in the area but I'm going to look for better kept alternatives.

Very disapointed. As mentioned, zero facilities for non-members and very tough for higher handicappers. Not because I played badly, but I had no idea where I was supposed to be aiming. One of the holes on the back 9 is almost a semicircle rather than a dog leg. The bunkers were in a terrible mess and there are no sign posts or markers. There was also a lot of rubbish on the course. Beer bottles and Stella cans left by the basildon locals, I know its a muni but it would aid the overall feel of the place if they stopped people wearing jeans and tee shirts. Not gonna go back

I feel the course layout and playability was very good. Fairways were nice and wide and consistant. Quite impressed and found it very nice to play with some interesting and challenging holes. But was very disapointed with the greens, every single green either had bald patches, lumps missing out of it, bobbles all over the place. Another thing I wasn't happy with was the course accessories, firstly the mats, they were inconsistant, wither rubber on florr or astroturf off the ground and these were uneven, boucy and sometimes pointing down which did affect alot of tee shots and that;s when you could get a tee to sit in them and stay upright. Secondly with so many blind tee shots and over the hill greens there were no aiming aids to help point you in the right direction of where the greens were. And lastly there was no next tee signs so it was abit confusing for new comers as to where the next tee was. I would class it as a cheap and cheerful course but with a little help and looking after could be one of the best in Essex and also have some eating and drinking facilities for before and after the game for people to discuss the day and get ready with some hot food.

Not great. None of the bunkers I saw had rakes. The only distance markers are tiny concrete circles in the middle of the fairways - fine if that's where you are. The greens, despite this being the start of April were absolutely knackered,some having large holes in them others being unmown - don't remember having a decent roll all day. The fairways were poorly defined and also needed mowing. The course has 6 blind tee shots and no indication of where to aim. As mentioned I played in early April and they were still using mats on every tee, which were of abysmal quality. Signage all round the course was nearly non-existant, on tees or for directions to the next. The clubhouse is members only as is the health club next door so there's nowhere to get a drink or even a tea after your round. The only good points are, 1, it is very cheap and 2, despite all of the above I shot 1 under my handicap on my first visit despite not knowing where I was hitting for a good proportion of the round. Unless your really skint there are plenty of better places to play nearby.

A good course, especially considering it is a municipal. However, Jack Barkers have bought a 99 year lease on the course. There are great practice areas which are free of charge if playing the course. The course has lots of trees and is very undulating, with large hills and contours. This is definitely a course for people with good course management and precision playmaking. Greens were quite fast and in good condition, and there were none of the problems that were experienced by the previous commentators. The 14th is still a lovely 95yd par 3, and the green IS there. The 13th is not a monster, it is a very strategic hole and a tester. All in all a good course, but could do with better off-course facilities (the bar is members only). However if you are a member of ClubKingswood (the gym opposite), then a drink can be enjoyed there. - Richard Cook

Local knowledge and experience certainly help around this place, many of the fairways have huge slopes in them and the greens have tiers and lots of undulation. It is a very good course if you know how to play golf(like me)but not nice for a beginner. Being a junior the rate that was given was good but it was a bit steep at weekends but despite that it is a great course.

first time playing this course and definately a placers course rathet than a sloggers. many fairwys run off one way or another, and you can hit a good long iron/5 wood down the left fairway and find it in the right semi on a hard surface. likewise approaches to the greens need to be thought out. many have severe slopes and pitching to twenty yards before the green pays better dividends than target shooting. apart from the first green, the rest were in good nick considering its a public course at 18.50 a sunday morning round. decent practise areas complete the day and, altho we played it on the best spring day this year, was very impressed and will be coming back. some of the holes are extremely impossible to play to par- cant remember which one, but your second requires accuracy defying natural elements as you need to hit up a hill to a hidden green thats 20 yards past it under a tree with a fairway that slopes right to left!!! challenging and enjoyable - on a bad weather day, take plenty of balls!!!!

As municipal courses go this is a pretty good one. Tough holes at a reasonable price. Silly comments about sacking greenkeepers should be met with the contempt they deserve. How would you like to work your fingers to the bone only to have some little vandal come along and wreck it. My hat is off to the staff for what they achieves under the circumstances.

Probably the nicest course in the area - and maybe the toughest. The first sums it up - a beautiful hole that anyone with a double figure handicap will find almost impossible to par. Local knowledge is essential as some of the rolls are killers, especially approaching the first and driving on the eighth. Treat 13 as a par 5 or go mad. The 14th used to be lovely but the local pikeys have ruined it. Was a 95yd pitch and putt, but now there's a "green" 50yards from the tee - a real pity.

Tough course. Best in April/May or September/October. Otherwise it can be a bog or a desert. The course sits on clay and holds water in the winter or bakes to a crisp in summer. Not unknown to lose balls in cracks in fairways. Very undulating, so finding a ball above or below your feet at address is quite the norm. If you can play here you will be able to play anywhere. I have to agree with the last persons comments concerning the trees to the right of the par 3 14th. The little darlings want shooting -carry a catapult with you to fire the stones back at them. Flagsticks, or lack of them, can be a problem as well. In fact once, we had the first tee time of the day and thought that the 14th green looked a bit brown. When we got there, we found half of it missing. Someone decided to liberate it to their back garden i assume. Freindly staff though, but facilities short. Rumours of the lease being sold on in 2005, so maybe there will be an improvement then.

Yes, it's a challenge alright - and it's not expensive. But for that you get indifferent greens and a chance that vandals will have removed flag-sticks and damaged the putting the surface. Last week, twigs replaced flags on three holes. One of my playing partners was recently bombarded with stones from assailants hidden in the trees above the 14th green. I agree with comments about the 13th; the design is stupid and is one of the reasons I find playing this course so unsatisfying.

A tough course set on the outskirts of this rough Essex hamlet. Challenging for even the low handicappers like myself and our friend Moranis from Great Baddow has not even broken 110! inspite playing " the best golf of my career". Fridge has also struggled but his big heart has helped him come to terms with some of the more difficult holes. The 13th hole is a beast.

Basidon golfcourse is a very challenging course,especially the 1st,12th&13th.The only downside to the course is the lack of condition,the greenkeeping staff need replacing as this has been the case for many years.The course still deserves a visit,as I find it's probably the hardest in the area.

Great course. Improved over the last three years but still too many people bunking the course without paying. This spoils it for people who actually pay to play. Still more security needed to avoid this.

Having played at Basildon for many years, the secret to playing the 13th is thus. Good drive. Good second. One putt.

Have been playing here on and off for years, A very interesting and tough course the only problem in the past was the awful condition. That now has changed as in the last six months everthing has impoved greatly, it is now no longer just a course for the locals but one i would travel a fair way to play. Very enjoyable and very tough.

Friendly atmoshpere and well laid out course on rolling hillside. Front nine are reasonably attractive holes and in good condition, although I have found the back nine to be in poor condition with flags missing, sometimes littered and on one occassion the 14th hole filled up with sand from the bunker!! During the winter months I have often found the course open when it is totally unplayable with waterlogged fairways and "marsh-like" around the edge of the greens. That said it is good value in the summer, if the course is in good condition and it does provide a challenging round of golf due to the rolling ground (plenty of opportunities to practice those above and below the feet shots!!) and the difficult approach to the 13th.

it's my local and i think its one of the hardest around - challenging is the word to play the 13th stay on the right side of the fairway and on your 2nd shot, plop it over the trees and your on for your birdie, simple eh??? (i just wish i could do it myself) very friendly staff - well maintained

Great value, very mature and in surprisingly good condition (though you might find the odd flag or tee marker missing). Only downside is the par 4 13th, which is not a golf hole. In order to get there in regulation you need to drive 350 yds off the tee and approach from the side, or hit a rock hard putting surface over 30ft high trees which sit on a mound across the front of the green. It's a stupid hole and rather spoils what is otherwise a challenging but fair course. If anyone has any better ideas how to play it I'd be glad to hear them.