Brackenwood Golf Club

Slim fairways and unforgiving rough makes Brackenwood a difficult course to play. Good value for money at just £13. I played at around 8am and most of the greens had not been rolled. Also the first couple of holes had no flags! Guy in the clubhouse said they would have been taken by kids during the night and the greenkeeper hadn't got round to replacing them yet!! Thought that would have been top priority!? Even so, enjoyed the course all in all.

Not much improvement since Dave Williams' review. Its been a wet summer but in late July when we've had hot, sunny weather for the past week you don't expect 3 temporary greens. Greens are very spongey, and it's difficult to find a level tee with any grass left. Speaking of grass, they haven't been picking up the grass cuttings, and its so infuriating losing balls on the middle of a fairway because it's under a pile of grass. Some nice holes, and good scenery, but for the same price both Arrowe Park and Hoylake municiples are in much better shape.

I've played Brackenwood many times, in fact it was the first course I ever played on when I was a young whipper snapper as I only lived about a 100 yards away and my Dad was one of the green keepers when the course re-opened after the war. The last time I played was yesterday (August Bank Holiday)with my three sons. Although generally the course seemed to be in good condition we were all disappointed with the state of the greens which were very spongey and some were so bad that deep foot prints were left in them as we walked off.There were four temps on, this would have been OK if they had been waterlogged or closed for repair work, but they seemed perfectly good when compared to the twelfth and eighteenth greens which even to the untrained eye were in terrible condition but still open!! Brackenwood has always been one of my favourite "munies", but seems to have lost its way a little. Sorry to sound negative but Brackenwood has always been a beautiful parkland course by any standards and hopefully with a little more TLC will be again.

typical muni. ok. some good holes but condition nothing to really get excited about. cheap and chirpy and keeps the hackers off the good courses.

Brackenwood is a very pleasant parkland course with a good variety of testing holes. The course is easy to locate, being just a couple of minutes from the motorway and being well signposted. It has a pro shop (I have yet to frequent the clubhouse), which stocks the basic of golfing items. There is a putting green which lies between the 1st tee and 18th green. The first is a gentle opener, a par 4 which low handicappers may get close to. Holes to look out for - 9th - Dogleg left par 4, longer hitters can consider going over the trees to shorten the hole. Otherwise its a 3 wood/long iron and then short iron into a difficult green, well protected. 13th - Uphill par 3, enough club needs to be taken to reach the green. 16th - Difficult long par 4, anything left off the tee will be costly. A par here is good. 18th - A narrow difficult finishing hole, with out of bounds and bunkers threatening on every shot. An excellent way to finish. As stated earlier I have yet to try the clubhouse, so can't comment on hospitality or refreshments etc, there is a couple of pubs nearby that serve good food. The only downside to Brackenwood is that, like many municipals, it can get busy. However if you like a course thats well looked after, good value for money and a good challenge, you won't go far wrong in giving this one a go.

An interesting test for Golfers of all handicaps. The course is well used and very busy at weekends. A parkland course with some interesting holes, it is well maintained and drains very well apart from around the 6th and 9th tees which can be a bit muddy. Quick review of the course follows :- 1st : Par 4 336 Yards : Don't fall into the trap of taking a wood off the tee, the hole is far more difficult if you are long and inaccurate, rather than short and straight. A solid 5 iron will leave an 8 iron to PW into a flat green. 2nd : Par 3 137 yards : a lot shorter if played from the yellow tees (around 97 yards). Just a 9 iron or pitching wedge into another flat green but accuracy is important as the green is protected by two long bunkers. 3rd : Par 4 424 yards : First hole where you should reach for a Wood. You can lay up right side of a bunker at about 200 yards or try and fly your drive over it. A straight shot is essential as their are trees and bunkers for the sliced drive and severe rough for a pulled tee shot. This hole is usually played into the wind so can play longer and a second shot of a 5 or 6 iron is quite common. 4th : Par 4 473 yards : Toughest hole on the course (though I think the 16th runs it close). A lot shorter from the yellow tees but still requires a good drive and a nice 6 or 7 iron to reach, however with the wind in your face the higher handicapper would be best advised to play his second shot into position rather than attempt to take on the green. Green slopes steeply from upwards and has a lot of ridges and mounds, so its best to leave any approach below the hole and take time to read your putt carefully. 5th : Par 4 325 Yards : Irons only off this tee. Quite straightforward as a 7 or 8 iron off the tee down the middle will bring you 10-30 yards short of a stream that runs across the course and leave you with a 7 or 8 iron into a flat green.Don't be tempted to try and carry the stream as there is no advantage in getting over it for your 2nd shot. Best to under-estimate with the club for your approach as a shot over the back will put you out of bounds or at best in real trouble in the woods. 6th : Par 3 : 180 yards : A good little par three that requires plenty of accuracy. Can be as little as an 8 iron or as much as a 4 or 5 iron depending on the wind. Bunkers and rough protect an errant shot left, whilst Woods mean a sliced tee shot will result in problems. Green slopes from front to back with the hole usually at the bottom end of the green meaning it can be hard to position your tee shot to leave you with an uphill putt. 7th : Par 5 : 516 yards : More like 480 yards from the yellow tee. A solid drive of 280+ yards will mean you can go for the green with your second shot, and with the wind behind most of the time that is possible. A more conservative approach is to play a tee shot parrallel with the first bunker with a fairway wood or 3-4 Iron, then play your second shot into position about 100-150 yards from the green. The green itself looks very flat, but there are a few telling breaks which can push even the best putts beyond the hole. 8th : Par 4 : 362 Yards : Leave the driver in the bag. A nice 4 or 5 Iron straight puts you in a great position around 150-160 yards from the green, whereas an errant drive means you will be struggling to get anywhere near par. Green slopes from front to back and is protected by one bunker on the right, with the flag usually cut behind this bunker on most days. 9th : Par 4 : 350 Yards : Another hole where people drive themselves into needless trouble. Play it as the previous. A nice 5 iron puts you level with a long fairway bunker which leaves you with a good 7 iron shot into the big green. Beware, this green is very fast and balls do tend to run on a lot. 10th : Par 3 : 202 Yards : Around 170 yards from the Yellow tee. A hole which looks simple enough but can be quite tough. A long bunker protects the green which slopes from front up to the back. Trouble if you go too far left in the shape of a pond, whereas a shot too far right will leave you an awkward pitch onto a tricky green. 11th : Par 4 : 343 Yards : A tee shot with a 5 or 6 iron directly above the fairway bunker at about 150 yards puts you in a great position for your second shot. This green has two levels and its important you try and get your approach onto the same level as the hole as this green can be a nightmare to putt on. 12th : Par 5 : 561 Yards : a lot shorter from the yellow tees. Perhaps just a bit too long for most Golfers to reach in two as it will require a good drive and strong fairway wood to get even close. A safer way to play is to take an Iron off the tee, play to the right of the Woods down the left, and then lay your second shot to about 140-150 yards from the green. This is quite a forgiving hole though, so if you do not hit it too straight, the penalties are not so severe. 13th : Par 3 : 190 Yards : A deceptive par 3 and one where many golfers frequently leave their ball short of the green. A big uphill hole means that its best to go with at least a club more than it looks. Green is flat without too many undulations. 14th : Par 4 : 409 yards. A tough par 4. A solid drive is imperative here as you can leave yourself with a very long second shot if you are inaccurate. Hit a good drive and it may only be a 7 or 8 iron into a small and well protected green, a poor drive means that you may not even be able to reach the green in two. A good approach is key as well as it is easy to miss this tight and well protected green. 15th : Par 4 : 331 yards : One of the simplest holes on the course if you play this sensibly. The temptation is to take a wood, but leave it in the bag. A nice 5 or 6 iron down the middle of the fairway will leave you in a great position to attack a tricky and tough to read green. Avoid going right off the tee as you can ruin a round in the woods to the right, 16th : Par 4 : 433 yards : A long narrow and very very tough hole, which I feel is the toughest on the course by some way. A good tee shot is absolutely vital, but it has to be straight as a hooked shot takes you out of bounds and a slice means you end up on the 17th fairway with no view of the green. Higher handicappers may be best to play this as a par 5 and take two shots to position themselves 100 yards or so from the green. A 5 is not a bad score here and a 4 a real achievement. 17th : Par 4 : 293 yards : In the right conditions this green is reachable with a well struck and straight driver or 3 wood. However many attempt this and end up on the 16th fairway trying to play a very tricky 2nd shot over a clump of trees to a tight green. A more conservative approach is to play a 6 or 7 iron off the tee and an 8 or 9 iron into the green. 18th : Par 4 : 403 yards : Looks longer than it plays as you stand on the tee. A solid drive with a 3 wood leaves you with little more than a Pitching wedge into the green, whilst even poor drives mean that a good second can put you back in position. The green though is the toughest on the course with a huge slope from left to right and many undulations throughout. Even 18 inch - 3ft putts can be very testing. So that is about it. Overall a good test for any keen golfer, the lower handicappers may take the course apart on a good day, especially if the Greens have had a dousing of rain and are taking a ball, but for the mere mortals its a fine test and gives you the chance to test your game on all levels.