Cottesmore Golf and Country Club

Played the Phoenix course today. When we turned up this morning we were told that there was a temp green on the 2nd & a temp tee on the 3rd. We weren't told that the 2nd was now a long par 3/short par 4 instead of a par 5. We couldn't see the temp green as it wasn't marked out and the flag wasn't in a hole. We only saw the flag after playing a 2nd shot down the fairway and looking back to see it laying in the second cut! The 3rd was half the distance it should of been as the temp tee was about 150 yards down from where they are working on the tee ground. On two of the greens there were several strips of turf removed right across the greens leaving it impossible to put across! There were no yellow tee markers on the 12th tee ground. The bunkers were very poor and there was plenty of grass growning in them. When we got back to the club house and complained we were told that the Phoenix was going to be changed into a nine hole. They apologised and gave us a voucher to be used on the Griffin. In this state the course should not be open. I have never left a negative review after years of playing, but if I had known what the state of the course was like I would not of played here.

Played the Griffin today, and I must say that for a relatively short course it's rather good. The greens were in good condition. A few holes with water which comes into play , requiring good concentration. A pretty good challenge overall, and the green fee was not expensive.

Played the "Griffin" yesterday(27/03), i have to say as layout the Griffin is not a bad track but it is let down by its greens. Hitting putts and seeing them hop,skip and jump to the hole becomes quite annoying after 4/5 holes. If they can sort their greens out, this would be a decent course, not long but some nice holes on some good golfing ground

Played Phoenix on 6th July. Green fee of £10 reflects the lack of length (just 5063 off the whites). Firm conditions probably made the course trickier. I am struggling to recall one memorable hole and the stroke index is utterly bizarre as a 466 yard par 5 is SI 1. There are some quite good par 3's. The course condition was generally ok though in spite of automatic watering some greens were really poor. I combined my round with one at Tilgate Forest and am pleased I did so as on its own this course did not merit the mileage and time from my home address. I am still waiting to be served at the bar (no staff and no bell). I think this is the first time I have felt a £10 green fee was too much. People have rated the Griffin course much higher but it has very little to beat. I won't be back.

Played as one of a group of 20 on a golf weekend break on the weekend of 21/23 May 2010. Weather was absolutely superb which was just as well as the golf courses left a lot to be desired. We played the Griffin twice and the Phoenix once. The greens on both courses were some of the worst I have played on,they were bumpy hard ,needed a cut and very slow.Found the Griffin course to be good greens let it down badly and the Phoenix course OK but with some very dangerous cross-over holes. Tees on Phoenix are poor. In fairness we were told by the Pro shop about the greens but they were worse than they said. Now for my real bone of contention, each time we teed off we were met by one of the guys from the pro shop,who explained the rules of the course, which was fine but for the one about they expect you as a four ball to be round in 4 hours. We never managed a single round under 5 hours and like I said the weather was brilliant. All very well having rules like that but they must not fill the courses so it is impossible to do. Plus when we played Phoenix we saw one guy playing wearing a pair of flip flops and cut-off trousers which says it all. Just not acceptable. Hotel was OK,a bit like a 60's holiday camp and in desperate need of some TLC and modernisation. Food was OK and the staff were friendly and helpful.

Played the Griffin. 8th June 2009 on a fair day after a night of heavy rain. Course was in good condition - greens true, if a touch slow for personal liking (could have been overnight rain, but looked like they needed a cut). Has a nice mature feel about it. Short, but tight and a great test. Long par 3 - has a big green, short par 4s have small greens requiring accurate second shots. 'It's all about the approach' sums this course up well. Few dog-legs, look forward to returning now have played it once and know where you're going! Played after 2pm and got Twilight - £23 - cracking value. All very friendly.

We played the Phoenix in the morning, and having read disparaging reports about it, was pleasantly surprised - it was in very good condition, especially the greens, and whilst some of the par 3s especially were short, and there was a lack of bunkers, it was an enjoyable round. The radar is a bit scary though! Clearly it pales into insiginficance next to the Griffin which I thought was excellent - very well designed, with some beautiful holes, and the fearsome water hole at 17 was a special treat. Best of all, though, was the fact that the two rounds combined cost £30.50 per person (£16 for Phoenix; £14.50 on a 2FORE1 on the Griffin). That said, I would be happy to pay the full fee for the Griffin any day of thwe week. All personnel were very pleasant and welcoming and all in all we coudln't have asked for a better experience. Ratings based on the Griffin.

As its been so long since the last review of this course, i felt obliged to add some comments. We played The Griffin Course, on a glorious sunny day, first weekend of April 09. We were warned of a large society out in front of us and that play would be slow, however, we were not held up at all. The course was in great condition, especially for the time of year when the greenkeepers are obviously carrying out some work to improve and prepare the course for summer. The course is interesting and quite picturesque. There are some holes which require a bit of thought off the tee....a big drive is not always the best option. Ive never played the Pheonix Course, which is supposedly of a lesser standard (because its cheaper), it did look in just as good condition, although it was much busier than The Griffin. The clubhouse was very busy so we did not go in for a drink after the round, but it does look very nice. The pro-shop staff were knowledgeable and helpful...my biggest gripe about golf courses in general is the attitude of the pro-shop staff but these guys were very good. We played on an Open Fairways Two For One Card which made for excellent value, so we got a buggy which was equipped with very useful SatNav. All in all, a lovely course, the only thing it lacks is a decent practice area....there is a practice area which is only 150 yards long, and two nets, the practice green is quite small and was packed with people waiting to use both courses. I would recommend this course and I will certainly be returning to try out the Phoenix Course in the near future.

What a disappointment. I used a voucher to play and was using the round as a "scouting" visit to see for myself what the course was like. I am an organiser of a large corporate golf society that has given Crown Golf a great deal of business over the last few years. Several members of the society had told me that the course was not good and should not consider it as a society venue. Before I go on any further I must say that Crown have proven to be an excellent company to do business with and have played on probably half their courses and they are superb. Arrive at the first on the "Griffin" course to find the tee in an absolute mess. It looked as if one of the ground staff had tested a rotorvator. Continued down the fairway and was pleasantly surprised at the condition considering the tee. Get to the green and could not believe my eyes. The green was terrible, probably in the worst condition that I have ever had the displeasure to play on. We carried on with no improvement to the tees or greens until the 4th. The 4th green should be renamed a "brown" There were holes and mounds of earth everywhere. It is very sad and the green keepers should be ashamed. The layout of the course is so nice and it is so disappointing that the tees and greens are in such terrible condition. The condition of this course is the poorest I have ever played and am glad I played it before I took the society. The message to Crown Golf is to do something soon before the club closes, because it will not survive in its current state. I will definitely NOT be taking my society to Cottesmore.

Played the course yesterday. Arrived the night before and stayed on site. The room was lovely. The staff was very polite and the bar very cosy and reminded me of a little ski lodge. The next morning came and we were all excited for a round on the griffin course. It was only 30mins before tee off that we got told that we were infact moved to play the not so good pheonix course as there was a ladies competition on the griffin (infact there a ladies competition for about 6 women, in 3 2 balls, hardly going to hold up a four ball) I haven't played the pheonix course before so i gave it a chance. The first hole is fairly dissapointing, facing a muddy hill to tee over. Every hole was pretty bland and unmemorable. There was one nice down hill par 3 in the front 9, but in general fairly easy and boring. The condition was pretty awful. We did play in mid december, so maybe thats one reason it was sooo waterlogged. On several occasions the ball land on the green and actually plugged and then dissapeared. I wouldn't play this course again. However the Griffin is absolutly superb. The condition is wonderful and i just feel that the griffin is where the ground staff spend 90% of their time. I would definatley stay and play there again but not on the phoenix.

Played the Phoenix course one day and the Griffin the following day, during a golf break at Cottesmore. The Phoenix is short (an unusually high number of par threes and two holes under 100 yards), but demands accuracy and good course strategy. You definitely need a course guide and, even with this, it's not easy to find your way around if playing for the first time. Better signage would help, especially as the two courses criss-cross in places. I found the Griffin far more enjoyable. It's a really good test, but is not too difficult, even for the high-handicapper. There are several stunning holes which play across water (the 2nd and the 17th are great par threes). Golf facilities were pretty good overall, although a practice range would help (there are two practice nets behind the golf shop). Staff were friendly and helpful. Hotel facilities were less impressive - rooms are a bit tired and in need of modernisation and the restaurant doesn't do much more than bar food. I was told that the Cottesmore was going through a transitional period and I do think that they would benefit from some investment in the non-golf facilities.

I just played the pheonix course this sunday gone (May 14th) and found it a very enjoyable experiance. this may be because i am only a junior but i think that out of many courses that i have played it beats a lot of them. the course can be very challenging for example key iron play is vital for playing this course, because if you cut or slice your ball you may be in for a long and expensive round of golf. my favourite hole is the par3 13th in mid summer this hole looks like something from the Augusta National course, and if the griffin is anything like the pheonix then i cant wait to play that asswell. i would recomendit to anyone!!!!!

Have just played Phoenix course...Very wet and in poor condition.Some tees open mats on others (mats very uneven and appeared not to be laid in pemanent bases) This course has some tight drives but appears to have been squeezed in where space permitted. A short course but a very long walk. To describe it as "championship" is stretching it a bit!!!

Called the Pro Shop to see if there was any space as a single on Friday 7th April. I was asked which course I wanted to play, as they have 2. Pro Shop said the Griffin was a Championship course and I could go out @ 11.26am. Asked how much the green fee would be and the reply was £29. Arrived a 11am and went to Pro Shop to pay for my round. Was a little concerned when told it was £33. I told the gentleman that I had been told, about 2 hours ago that it was £29. "Yes sir but that is for during the week", I replied with that fact it was Friday which is a weekday. "Not here Sir, we class Friday as the Weekend !!!!!!!!!!!!" I know the difference is only £4, but that was not the issue............. I have played many many courses, and this in my opinion was certainly NOT a championship course. 1) None of the T Boxes were even 2) Ball washers were only on about 7 out of the 18 holes, which after a week of rain meant the ball became quite dirty after each hole !!!!!! ( I ran out of spit by the 18th!!!!) 3) Whilst playing my T shot on the 11th there was a 3-Ball with 2 buggies playing the 12th green. One of the players had great pleasure in driving the buggie backwards and forwards rond the side of the green near where I was trying to T off. After 3 attempts I had to have a word with him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4) The 15th T is sort of just in front of a group of trees, with the 8th green on the left. I was about to T off when a ball flew past me into the trees. It couldn't have been more than 5 inches away from my head !!!!!!!!!!! There was no shout and no warning signs stating to beware of errant T shots.(I only noticed at the end of the round that stapled to the back of the scorecard was a warning that 4 green keepers had been hit by golf balls in the past week and anyone now doing so would have their embership revoked !!!!!!!!) I know points 3& 4 are concerning course ettiquete, but for £33 you do expect more....... The course is relatively short at 5840 (Yellows) which I was told to play off, and 6112 (Whites). The course itself was in OK condition. It is not a course where you can get your Driver out and let rip. Most of the T shots require well placed irons or 3/5 woods. There are some nice Par 3's but the Par 4's I found quite short. The 3rd at 370yds was a 5 iron to leave about 160yds at the dogleg, then 6 iron and putt. 6th is 290yds, 6 iron to front of the pond and pitch over and putt. 9th & 14th I felt were the best holes with the latter having a lovely view down the fairway from the T. I may play there again in the summer to give it one more try when all the trees are in full bloom, but I can guarantee it will be on a weekday for £29, not on the weekend (Fri-Sun!!)

Played the Phoenix course last Friday (22-JUL). Initially I was a little disappointed. The teeing areas were poor (uneven, unwatered and like concrete) and the greens were inconsistent in quality and on the small side. I was left with th eimpression that this course is by far the poorer relation of the Griffen course, which is a shame. It feels mismanaged and overplayed. The course guide was not helpful, key features are not marked and that includes the bunkers! I stopped using it after 5 holes and relied on my 'distance finder'. I agree with a previous poster about the back 9, there are some stunning holes and some of the views very picturesque. I was fortunate enough to play on a "2fore1" deal, but For the money, there are far better courses in the area. This is a real shame, because with a little more TLC my Phoenix course experience would have been far more enjoyable.

Just returned from a three day break at Cottesmore, all staff very friendly (even Stan the Starter)! 16 of us played four rounds in two days, with buggies on both days, we were not rushed or hurried by the on course travelling marshall, but infact were guided on certain holes as to where to play our tee shots!! Both courses were well maintained. With the Griffin being the longer course, we assumed it would be the harder, but in fact the shorter Pheonix course, was more 'target' golf, which accuracy was the key, and all found this course harder than the Griffin, both courses were well manicured and had loads of wild life. Hotel staff were friendly and the foof ok, room were well appointed. I would recomend a visit anytime

Played both courses on the weekend of 12/13 Feb and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Griffin is certainly a good test, the Pheonix less so but good nonetheless. There are actually good course guides for each course and very useful too when playing the Griffin as many blind shots and unexpected hazards as mentioned below. Hurried along as the Pheonix as the club had chosen to play numerous twos behind us but a minor gripe. Rooms are good and spacious, good facilities, ok food. I'd certainly recommend playing there again.

Have just spent a very enjoyable weekend at Cottesmore (29-30 Jan 05), playing a round on each course, both of which were a pleasure to play. The Griffin is the longer, better-maintained course - a good test for all levels of golf. I particularly enjoyed the 2nd, a beautiful par 3 over a lake to a very receptive green; the par 4 14th, which offers a great second shot over a slight gully to a tight green; and the 17th, a long par 3 over a lake which needs a good smack to avoid the drink. The Phoenix is a great second course, especially if you are suffering from the night before, as it is a lot shorter and a bit less demanding. That is not to say it is unattractive or lacks character - if anything, I found it more memorable than the Griffin (maybe because I played far better that day!). Holes that stand out include the 2nd, a very picturesque par 5 that allows you to really let rip; the 13th, a short par 3 which drops about 50 foot; and the par 4 14th, where you tee-off about 20 foot up in a man-made tree house - very novel and great fun! Both courses were in pretty good condition considering the time of year - winter mats were in use, but there was no trolley ban, which was a surprise. Also, no temporary greens, which was great. The Phoenix was quite boggy in a few places but nowhere near unplayable. One thing that I feel lets both courses down is a lack of a course guide or shot saver. Being a first time visitor there were several occasions where we were unsure of yardages, which way the fairway was doglegging, and where hazards were lurking etc. We all lost balls in a lake we didn't even know was there, thanks to a blind tee, and more than once we thought our balls were just in the fringe and by the time we got to the green we realised they were in a trap we couldn't see from the fairway. Most courses now provide a detailed guide for its visitors, why not Cottesmore? Could not fault the facilities at the club - good changing facilities, welcoming pool and health suite, hearty food and friendly staff. The hotel accommodation was also of a high standard. Overall I have no hesitation in recommending Cottesmore - we had a great weekend and hope to play the courses again soon.

I played the Phoenix course last week and truly amazed by the beauty of the course. The back nine is simply outstanding... the best holes were the 13th with its terraced approach, the 14th with a great elevated tee from the wooden stand, the 16th with the killer bunker covering the green and the 18th across the lake... all well maintained!! Well done to the committee! Everyone must play this course and am hoping to play the Griffin as well soon. The two negatives which I hope the club will rectify are that the course details could be better explained on the score card (slopes, distance to the hole, etc,..) and the mats (winter season play) should be larger for tall golfers. Overall a great experience and would love to go back again and again. Cheers!!!

Having played golf for 6 months (Lots of practise of the driving range at Tilgate GC- which i recommend) I felt I was ready for my first 18 holes. I chose the Phoenix course to play on as the pro said it was easier for a beginner in myself. The staff were very friendly and I wasn't made to feel an outcast just because I was a beginner. The members were also very friendly. Whilst there are some hard holes on the course, I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon of golf and when I become abit better at golf, consider taking up membership at Cottesmore. If you are going to pick any course, choose Cottesmore.

Both the courses great fun. The Griffin is a challenging course with a few great holes, the 2nd and 17th are par 3’s over water. The 14th and 15th holes a par 5’s measuring 460 and 561 respectively are great fun but hard to get par. The phoenix course is great for beginners and for practice. The quality of the phoenix has improved since the drainage work has been put in. Overall Cottesmore offers a course for all types of golfers and the atmosphere is very good, even towards juniors, who are made to feel welcome.

Two course, one a pleasure to play on. The Griffin course has some great holes, including a par 2nd that accuracy is the key in negotiating the water hazard and trees to the right of the green. Then the 6th ensures that you select the right club again to make sure of missing the lake. An enjoyable course but the Phoenix course is for beginners and does not really test anyones ability.