Forest Pines Golf Club

I've been to Forest Pines 3 times with my society and each time it has been excellent. The 27 holes are really good and in my opinion there isn't a weak 9 out of the 3. The course is normally in good nic and the greens quite fast. In addition to this course the accommodation is really nice with good food and swimming pool etc on offer. Great championship golf venue, worth checking out if in the area. Thanks Jamie

First of all, don't believe the green fee. They carefully monitor usage and competitive fees on the internet and discount theirs accordingly. We played a four ball at FP on 26 August 2010. Offered them 2-Fore-1 vouchers and were told that as it was 'off peak' (11.15am) they weren't needed: fee was £22.50 each, not the £50 quoted. For anyone familiar with them, the layout is Woburn, Ladybank or Blairgowrie (Rosemount) with USA overtones in the form of large odd shaped bunkers. The trees mean that you don't feel you're sharing the course with many others. We played the Forest 9 first, then the Pines 9. The former were in excellent condition, but the latter was showing wear and tear - some large bare patches on some fairways, for example. It's certainly a challenge as it places a premium on both accuracy and length. We'll certainly go back (it's a 90' drive for us), but I wouldn't willingly pay the full fee. My rating for 'value' is based on the discounted rate. They certainly get it back in the 19th - £2.80 for a cup of coffee!

I visited Forest Pines last week-end after reading (and being given) good reviews on it. We played 18 on Saturday afternoon, stayed overnight in the hotel and played 18 again the following morning. Not bad value at all for £129.00 all in. I had heard that the "Beeches" course was the weaker of the three 9 hole layouts, so opted to play "Forest" and "Pines" each time. I have to say that I was very, very impressed with both the layouts and in particular the condition of the courses. Bearing in mind the amount of play these must see they were both in immaculate condition. The fairways were like carpets, (some of the best I've played on this season), and the greens were in very good condition although playing a little slow on the Saturday afternoon. They got a haircut first thing on Sunday morning though and were playing a fair bit faster after that. Lots of trees (lots) but not too tight. A good drive was not penalised in any way. The par 3's on these two 9's were very good, and varied. I hate it when you get 4 par 3's all very similar but these 4 as I say were great. Bunkering was good, with intelligent use of traps. A couple of holes where you stood on the tee and wondered what to hit, play safe with a 3/5 wood or iron etc. but once you had played them they became easier the 2nd time around. There's a lot more room out there than there looks off the tee! Par 5's were all good, a couple (at least) where a good drive gave you a good opportunity of going for it in two. There was a group of 24 of us and I don't think I heard one bad thing said from anybody regarding the golf courses. The hotel was fine, food wasn't brilliant but none of us went hungry. Breakfast was decent with a reasonable choice. Bar prices are a little on the steep side but that's what you expect when you stay at a hotel...you aren't going to get pub prices I guess. All staff were very friendly. I have also booked for a group of 12 of us to return in early August for a longer stay...two nights next time and four rounds of golf. After this recent visit I am really looking forward to the return where we will play the Beeches course as well. Good golf courses in their own right, but if you are looking for a value for money venue to visit with a few golfing friends for the week-end I can highly recommend Forest Pines. You won't be disappointed.

Just played over the weekend of the 10/11th April. Initial impressions were good as the guys in the pro shop and the lady in the starters hut were very friendly. Played Pines and Forest on the Saturday and there wasn't really a bad hole in them. I play off near enough 28 and played with a 20 and 16 handicapper, and we all thoroughly enjoyed the course. This was even though our golf was not the best, which I think is a good indication of the quality of the course. As a high handicapper I appreciated that whilst it was very challenging, it was not too hard to make it the round a miserable experience. Although it was quite busy, you never felt rushed. And the tree lined fairways meant that, whilst some of your more errant drives clattered into the trees, you were not being bombed with stray drives from other fairways all the time, like you are at a lot of other courses. There were not many leaves on the trees so you could sometimes hit through a corridor in the trees when you inevitably ended up in them. But I bet it's fun on the summer when the trees are covered in leaves. No complaints about the hotel or evening meal/breakfast. Also the Masters was on so it was great to watch that in the evening in the bar to compare your game against how it should be done. Next day we played Pines and Beeches. And Beeches was a great course as well. The standard of golf didn't magically improve over night, but despite that we still all enjoyed it. As a golf break I would thoroughly recommend it, you can get some great deals through the usual golfing holiday websites. We will be returning and hopefully next time the standard of golf will be better.

Played the course on a still, sunny autumn day at the end of October. The "Clubhouse" facilities are very nice. Very large pro shop, nice changing facilities, good size bar with verandas overlooking the course. A little pricey I have to say - 4 small bacon sandwiches and tea/coffee for £28 will hurt the pocket every time! Staff overall very friendly and accomodating. We used the practice putting greens before going out which were cut to the same pace as those we found on the course - a rarity indeed! On the course we were all impressed. We played the Pines/Forest combination. The fairways were in really good nick for the time of year, with some run despite the recent poor weather and firm enough to really nip your ball off the deck. Bunkers had plenty of sand in them - too much perhaps, but I'd rather have it that way that not enough! Greens were receptive, well manicured and maintained, and ran absolutely true. Tee beds were quite clearly regularly rotated as they were evenly worn and, as a result, in tip top condition despite the time of year. Rough was not too penal in all honesty but you would often find yourself blocked out if you missed fairways. I personally preferred Pines to Forest, though both are very good. The 2nd, 4th and 8th on Pines require good positional tee shots due to good use of natural surroundings to allow you any chance of attacking pins. The par 3 7th is also a belting hole, and 6 and 9 are also good challenging holes. On Forest, 3 through 7 are all really good holes, but the other holes I felt were a little weaker than what was on Pines. The stroke 1 9th, for example, just needs good straight hitting in all honesty. Get in the trees on this course and you are properly penalised as these treelines are well established and wide. Fairways are not onerously tight - the trees just make the course look tighter than it actually is. We played on a special offer of 2 for 1, so four of us played for £100. That is a real bargain for a course of this quality. I'd definitely return and would not hesitate to encourage others to play it.

myself and 2 friends played the pines beeches section of this course on the 18th august and ive only got great memories of the place. we travelled down from north of newcastle and the trip was a long one (over 5 hours there and back), but it was defo worth it for the £25 we paid. i dont think i have played a more beautiful golf course in my life. everyone associated with the golf course was courtious and very helpful and made our small group feel very welcome. the course was in immaculate condition with the fairways been superb to play from and the greens were like carpets. if you struck the ball well from the tee you could shoot low, but if you ended up hitting a way ward drive it was almost like a penalty stroke, having to play out from the many well established trees on the course. every hole gave you a challenge and made you think about your shots. the par 5s were particularly interesting as you had the risk and reward scenario of going for the green in 2 on some of them. my favourite part of the 2 courses we played was easily the pines, although the beeches isnt a bad track either. i would love to return and play the forest pines as the forest looked like an awesome course and probably the pick of the 3. we were informed at the time of booking that the forest would be closed due to course works, which was very courtious of the club. this leads me to my only gripe of the day. the back log on some of the holes was ridiculous at times ( we had a group of 4 and a group of 8 in buggies waiting behind us on the 1st tee box of the beeches section) but i would put this down to just 2 of the 9 hole courses being open. like i already said it was a fantastic day (if a little draining) and i would return to forest pines today to do it all again. i cant really say i had a favourite hole as they all stood out but i will say it was a superb course with great facilities. overall score 9 out of 10.

Played late June in a group of 18 from my own club. This complex is based on a hotel and you have to say they've got the whole thing right. Booking arrangements, starting, customer relations are all very efficient. We had a large group discount, but at the standard prices it's good value golf. The hotel is expensive for drinks and especially snacks etc., but you balance this out with the value for money for the golf. This is excellent. The 27 hole notion is a little peculiar, as clearly the Forest/Pines nines make the true 18 holes, but the Beeches is not a bad track even if it does have 3 par threes. All 3 nines were in excellent condition, winding between mature trees, so no traffic noise and lots of communing with nature. There are a couple of surprises in terms of hidden trouble on some holes, and with no course planners available some of our group were caught out on hitting good tee shots which ran out of room or hit water/bunkers. The greens are very challenging and were reasonably speedy. There is some good mounding around greens to challenge dodgy chippers. Plenty of variety in the par 3's, though some of the 5's are a bit short off the yellow boxes. All in all, a superb place for a golf tour.

i have just played forest pines, i have played the various loops many times before.i have got to say, the course was in the best condition i have ever seen.the roedidendrons and gorse were in full bloom and the fairways and greens,immaculate.we got the tee time, off one of the various internet deals and at £17.50 it has got to be one of the best deals you can get.ok the drink and the food after was a little dear, but hey come on this place is luxury.i must congratulate the green staff on the quality and work that had gone into the course,we were blown away.during these hard times some courses will find it hard to stay afloat,but if you take a leaf out of this places book,and provide quality at affordable prices,then there is a future.what i must say is,that with it being so accessable to the masses,please,what ever your standard,respect the golf course.replace divots,mend pitch marks and keep the pace swift and we can all enjoy.

played the beeches/forest course, and what a treat of a course it is to play, absolute QUALITY, a real pleasure to play in a stunning environment. The fairways were great and the greens were fast and true. I definately will be returning to this course asap, a real joy to play !!

Must be the best value £25 (2fore1) green fee in the country! I have played the course twice now and both times it has been a great experience. It's a real treat to play on a course where you tee off from smooth flat tee boxes, pitch from beautifully manicured fairways and putt on fast and true greens without paying the earth for the pleasure. I have only played the Forest/Pines loops of nine but would love to play all 27 in a day. If you are thinking of playing this course then think no more and book it now!

Played this venue on a sunday/monday deal on weekend of 08/06/08 and was blown away with the course. As the name suggests the fairways are tree lined and there are some stunning looking holes. However, the most impressive part of the place is the course set-up and layout. The holes are of good length and wind through the trees requiring straight, draw and fade tee shots to make the most of your drives. The fairways were superb and the greens were undulating. On top of this the bunkering is fantastic, well placed deep greenside bunkers with large mounding proved a real test of short game and fairway traps were not much shallower. The Forest and Pines loops are the best 18 combo with the Beeches still giving a stern test. The only complaint we had was the quality of the food in the evening. This may just be the best inland course (as links are a different animal and so cannot be compared) I have played in the country and must be ranked above the big names of belfry, arden, slayley (just) and priory.

Just played all three loops this weekend , and what a joy .I found the Pines was the toughest , the Forest was superb and Beeches although shorter has some excellent holes . I will be visiting again soon . 28 of us visited and no complaints so it must be good .

As good as the course is its disappointing that the course restricts the 2 fore 1 in that you have to play before 8am or after 4pm through the summer and this only applies to 18 holes. Travelling from any distance limits its appeal.

I don't care what people say about Forest Pines - it's simply stunning! And with 2-fore-1, it's amazing value for money too! My third visit and I'm still charmed by the course. Without doubt the Pines is the toughest loop but the Forest is still a challenge and a delight to play. People have comments on the greenkeeping staff... we caught them up twice filling in divots on the fairways (which explains the amazing condition of the course IMHO). They happily moved out of the way to let us through and even helped my playing partner search for a lost ball. All in all - a stunning course in amazing condition that can represent fantastic value for money. A challenge for any golfer and a course that everyone should aim to play at least once.

I played the Forest/Pines loops with a society. Absolutely brilliant. The greens were fast and true, and the fairways wide and receptive. Even if you find yourself in between the trees, the rough is trimmed so yo should always be able to chip back on the fairway, and play through. The setting is beautiful with glorious trees. I really enjoyed the small booklet explaining hole-per-hole (there are 27) which fauna and flora to look out for.

The course was in fabulous condition, but was suprised from my previous visit to see a lot of the course had changed. Trees had been felled to make way for bunkers, not sure of the reason why, but all the same these can't be replaced just like that. Putting greens amazing, just a shame that so many of the greens (after talking to members) had SO SO many unrepaired pitch marks made by visitors who really don't care (shame as they are so good). Come on! don't spoil them! For a 2-4-1 day out you can't beat this place, but take all your savings out your account as the food / bar is extortionate, prices for a small red wine £4.80. Bacon sandwich £4.90. Members get 10% off so try and find one before ordering! The fact of the matter is the course is 5* and will always be that.The hotel is being carried on the back of this by profiting from high costs for low quality food. The pro shop lads / girls in the restaurant are a pleasure, most attentative and helpful. Overall a good days golf spoilt by a hotel chain trying to rob people out of there hard earnt money!

Been planning a trip to Forest Pines for a number of years so really looked forward to it and was not disappointed. Played the Pines & Forest 9's and have to say they are the best conditioned courses I have ever played. Used 2FORE1 scheme £25 (£30 on Friday) but at £50 it's a bargain. The layout, the scenery the whole course was fantastic and a wonderful experience. Also stayed at the hotel which was also very good. BOOK IT NOW !!

played forest/pines what a fantastic golf course this course will test your handicap some of the best looking golf holes you can see.this course must be played if you want to test your skill.despite playing in january the course was in first class condition.

The second time I've played Forest Pines and again it was great. The greens were firm and decent which after a mid October rain storm the previous 2 nights says a lot. Service was excellent, at the second hole one of the green staff apologised, Apparently One of the bunkers had been washed away due to the storms! Having played the 3 circuits, the Beeches is possibly the weaker of the 3 nine holes but is still very good. We used 2 for 1 vouchers 20 quid per head, BARGAIN!! Without these 8/10 for value

Played this track a number of times now. Forest has 2 of the best par fives you will ever see and the par 3 over water on the Pines loop is a classic. The atmosphere when playing the "Punchbowl" is what golf should be all about. Don't get upset if you don't play to your handicap - most don't. Soak up the atmoshpere and just enjoy.

I just wanted to write and let you know about a very disappointing day out at Forest Pines Golf Course, Lincs. It isn't often that my Father and I would spend £40 each on a round of golf, but we thought that this place might just be worth it. I had booked six weeks in advance to ensure that we could play on my birthday, Monday 11th July. Everything went swimmingly until we set foot on the 1st hole of their forest course at 1:04pm. What we experienced over the next 9 holes was absolutely soul-destroying as six weeks of anticipation came crashing back down to earth. In preparation for a competition the next day, every hole that we played on the front 9 had three pieces of grass-cutting machinery on the fairways, one piece of machinery cutting the rough, plus two men fertilising and top-dressing every green. I repeat, this was on every hole. There was also a guy that we nick-named 'mad max' screeching around on a buggy emptying all of the bins; slamming the brakes on just as we were about to tee off on the 6th. So much for a quiet day out in pleasant surroundings! We were made to feel small, insignificant, 'in the way' and most unwelcome; I was close to tears and so upset after 5 holes of this that I nearly walked off. I couldn't believe that my 'big day out' could be ruined like this, after booking six weeks in advance!!! The front 9 was unnplayable and I had to pick my ball off the green a couple of times to avoid it being top-dressed. This really was a shocking way to treat two paying customers and the course management should be ashamed of taking bookings when they know that the course is undergoing maintenance such as this (we don't blame the groundstaff because we know that they were only doing their jobs, but we do blame a lack of communication from the course management). To add insult to injury, when we'd finished the front 9 at 3:00pm, all of the groundstaff went home and the course was empty!!! Why couldn't we have been informed about this and asked to move our tee-time, instead of being made to feel like second-class unwanted citizens? In my opinion, this just highlights the fact that big, group-owned courses such as this only want the corporate bucks and don't care about the little guy who wants to pay his £40 and be made to feel a bit special for the day. So if you visit Forest Pines, make sure that it's a big corporate day out; then you might just get a little attention and respect. We won't be returning because, when we contacted the course to explain our disappointment, they offered us a 2for1 voucher.

What an absolute classic this course is. Starts off with the stunning view stood on the first tee and continues the whole way round as the course winds its way through these mature Lincolnshire forests.A must play course for all abilities culminating in a great and friendly 19th.We enjoyed a weekend there in April and the course condition was fabulous.Made to feel welcome on arrival to leaving and can't wait for a return trip.

A First Class golging gem which twists thru the Lincolnshire pines,David Edwards proves there is a capital P in Professional. Awesome scenery and a complete test on accuracy and technique,hitting the greens is just a basis for negotiation and will enthrall all who dare. Great and can't wait to get back to a superb venue.A more freindly and comfortable hotel ,you will not find,10\10.

Eight of us (handicaps 6 to 25) played 63 holes over three days at Forest Pines in September 2004 and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. All three nines are good tests of golf and were in very good condition despite all the rain this summer. Be prepared to chip out sideways quite a lot if you are a bit wayward though. For the warm up addicts among us there was also a good practice range, chipping area and putting green. We would happily return.

The experience started in the Pro Shop- Fantastic service and very polite people. Good stock of Clubs etc. Played the Forest course(Just the 9 as I was struggling with cramp). Nice course and just one winter tee and green in use!The course makes one concentrate on the straightness of the shot.Yes you need soft cleats but if the course is kept like this using them, can all courses make them compulsory.I had a lesson on the Sunday which was very worth while and informative.