Gainsborough Golf Club

Played at Karsten Lakes on 19th June 2013 as part of a long established society that plays every Wednesday, Summer and Winter! We play a different venue each week and therefore feel qualified to make comparisons. Got to say that the greens were the worst that we have encountered this year. Every putt over six feet would leave the "dance-floor" at least twice they were that uneven. Bare patches all over them and what could only be described as large indentations on most of them. Fairways and layout very good. Bunkers were ridiculous. Very "crusty" top layer to them. Onto the "Hospitality" On arrival we entered the "Cafe 19" to purchase food. Most were looking for full breakfast and everyone else wanted a sandwich. (We had traveled from all over South Yorkshire). The response from the staff was "We don't cater for parties" Managed to get them to make a few sausage sarnies eventually (begrudgingly it appeared). After the round we came off at 3.45pm. A very humid day and everybody was ready for a drink. £3 for an orange juice!!! Over £10 for three standard strength beers (Carlsberg and Tetleys). We sat outside to do our handing out of prizes, heard a noise, turned around. The noise was the sound of the staff putting down the shutters and closing the bar (At 4pm on the hottest day of the year, with a dozen thirsty golfers in attendance). In the current economic climate our money can be better spent elsewhere. Will not be returning.

Returned to Gainsborough to play both courses this time (reviewed the Lakes course in August 2010) and had a great two night break courtesy of some fantastic deals they are doing at the moment. Arrived Sunday afternoon and played the Lakes, evening meal, overnight accommodation, full English brekkie and another round, this time on the Thonnock. All for £60.00. An absolute bargain by anybodies standard. Stayed an extra night (Monday) and played 2 rounds again, the price went up a bit to £90.00 but for £150.00 all in for the two night stay I don't think this will be beaten anywhere. Both courses were in reasonable condition, although I think the greens on the Thonnock looked, and played, a little better than the Lakes greens. Having said that, trying to get the ball to stop on any of them was a tad difficult! We were very impressed with the Thonnock course, the first few holes were a bit of a climb up and down, but then the course levelled out a bit and walking was a little easier. We played it off the whites, which meant that two of the par 5's became long par 4's and the par dropped to 70. Two of the guys who were with us were big hitters so this didn't present too much of a problem, but me and my mate are a bit older, and "tappers" so we still had to play them as par 5's (in our heads!). All in all a great week-end. The food was "ok" and the accommodation, whilst feeling a bit "70's" was fine. We will be going back next year if the same deal is available and can recommend it as a cheap way of getting away for the week-end.

Played both courses this weekend and stayed over on the saturday night in the on site flats. The accomodation was excellent and much better than expected, the staff were also brilliant and very happy to help. The courses are totally different to one another and our group really enjoyed them both, we couldn't decide which was the course we prefered as both were excellent. The tee boxes were in good condition, the fairways were excellent and the greens were in good condition and rolled true considering the recent rain we have had. I would 100% recommend going and visiting for the weekend, i will definately be going back at some point this year, well worth the 2 and a half hour drive.

Played both Thonnock and Karsten lakes recently and have to say I was thoroughly underwhelmed. The Karsten Lakes course which I preferred when I played a few years ago was in poor shape, the greens appear to have been ploughed and there is no distiction between fairway and rough. The bunkers were full of footprints, possibly because it would have been a 50 yd walk to get a rake! There are no ball washers or sand boxes to replace divots on tees. The thonnock course which is the easier to play is a disgrace, although there appears to have been some severe work on some of the greens the temporary greens provided were terrible, you have to see it to believe it! The greens that hadn't been worked on were poor even for the time of year. Tee boxes were uneven and patchy and there was no sign of green staff. I spoke to some members while on the course and they were embarrased by the state of the courses, and they believe it is down to poor management and a lack of care. I asked why they stay and the reply was that they can't believe ping put their name to these courses and at somepoint it will have to improve. I wouldn't recommend you go for a round of golf at gainsborough unless you're unhappy with your own course, you'll go back realising things could be a lot worse. At least they do give you your money back when you complain!!!

Played both the Lakes and Thonock 3 or 4 times each now at different times of the year. My overall impression of the courses is that they are good enjoyable layouts but the condition and maintenance of the courses could be better. Out of all the times played ive never seen the greens on either course better than what i would describe as average-they always seem a little bobbly. On a recent visit to the Thonock course they had just 'spiked and sanded' the greens, i have never seen this done so badly with bigger than i would have thought necessary holes in the greens. There were also areas of the course which werent evenly cut and patchy. There were also 2 greens with big GUR patches in them which looked as though they had been forgotten about. One bunker i played out of didnt even require raking afterwards as there wasnt anything to rake! No excuse for this. The Lakes course is the more testing course with plenty of water on it and its open and exposed to the wind. It is also long and your long irons/fairways will have plenty of use. The Thonock is the tighter parkland layout which is shortish but you have to position the ball well. Gainsborough's 2 courses are generally enjoyable and fairly challenging but the overall impression i get is that they could be looked after so much better and im suprised they arent with them being closelly assosiatted with Ping. If the standard of the course was kept up better and looked after then these would be too cracking courses.

A friend and I had an appointment at the Ping fitting centre last week to get fitted for new drivers, which we enjoyed very much. Whilst we were there we were offered the chance to play the Karsten Lakes course and thoroughly enjoyed it. After a fairly "average" start (2 straight away par 4's and a testing par 3) the course really came into it's own and we found it superb. The greens were a little bit "wooly" but were true and we soon got to grips with them. The course has some fantastic holes on it, and water does come into play on quite a few, but it's not overdone as it is on some courses I've played. I would certainly benefit your game if you played it once or twice (especially if you are a big hitter of the ball off the tee) to plot your way around, but neither of us found water at all during our round so that helped. Standout hole for me was the par 4 16th, called "Roys Creek". A superb par 4 that goes uphill and doglegs round to the right, with some tall trees strategically placed on the corner of the dogleg with (as the name suggests) a stream that meanders its way all the way up the right side of the hole. I can still picture it now, and think it is one of the nicest par 4's I have played anywhere. There were other very good holes but that one in particular stood out head and shoulders above the rest. We both played reasonable golf, my 6 handicapped friend scoring 36 points with a blob (he racked up a terrible 9 at Roys Creek!!) and myself 32 points with a blob playing off 12. My friend hits a massive ball off the tee and managed to eagle on of the par 5's (can't remember which one now!) with a big drive, 6 iron approach and single putt. We played off the white tees which on the card suggested a yardage of just over 6,600 yards but to be fair a lot of the tee positions were more where the yellows would be so I guess it was playing about 6,300 or thereabouts. A very, very good test of golf and I would love to go back and play it again despite the fact I live 200 miles away!

Played both courses on a society day. I have to say it was very disappointing. The greens may have been affected by the harsh winter but were in a very fluffy condition and were not in a very good shape - very slow and marked with patches. What was also annoying was the lack of golf ball washers, divot sand on the tee and water points. All in all it was pretty poor and not worth the money. Food was alright though. I cannot believe this is where Ping base themselves. If I was CEO I would be embarrassed by the state of the course.

Played late June 2009, Thonnock course a.m. and Karsten Lakes p.m. Both decent courses, Thonnock not quite as good as Karsten Lakes though the latter has a little too much water for my liking. The green fees were very cheap for the quality of the golf. Both courses in nice condition with reasonably quick greens. First class value for money.

Spent the Sunday night in the Apartments available on site. We did the meal package. So we had a Meal in the evening and the Breakfast in the morning. We played the Karston Lakes Course on the Sunday and the Thonock Course on the Monday Morning. Cost £85, which seemed to be a good deal. I am not sure where to start. The Karston Lakes course was very average. Very open and windy and the Greens were awful. The fairways were bare and hard. Was seriously dissapointed, having read these reports saying how good it was. We turned up for the meal, there was no choice, bland soup followed by a piece of Chicken smothered in a dodgy BBQ sauce. Bit of lettuce and some Garlic bread. We had to ask them to make some Chips or something to go with it. Pudding was a crumble. The staff were great, but the product was poor. We then went into the Snooker room for a few frames. At 9 oclock the bar was closed and we were chucked out and had to go back to the apartment. We were left on the complex on our own, almost like Night Watchmen. In the morning we played the Thonock Course. Although this I thought was a more interesting layout. The course was in rubbish condition. I can't say how bad the greens were. The Tees were uneven and patchy. It really was bad. So what seemed like a really good deal £85, I felt turned out to be a waste of money for me. Although all the staff were great and very nice. I am really quite surprised that PING put there name to this course it was shameful. I won't be returning.

I recently played the old Thonnock course as part of a society day. I have previously played the Karsten lakes Course and had always received positive feedback about the old course. I was extremely impressed by the assistance and welcome made by the staff and the course provided a tidy test for players of all standards. I felt the course penalised poor shots but true, straight driving was rewarded. The course wasn't particularly long and allowed some of our senior members a pleasant day out without being exhausting. the catering was first class and the setting of the venue very impressive. I shall recommend the course and facilities to all. Ironically I played poorly but that was down to a bad day at the office as opposed to the course.

played karsten lakes on 5th november 2007, anyone would have thought it was late summer not winter, the course was in fantastic condition and the greens were true. we booked a winter special not sure what to expect only to be met by friendly staff who directed us to where we got our coffee and bacon butty, there were loads of bacon on it and the coffee was good too. after playing 18 holes on karsten lakes which was a fantastic course and only got held up on the final 2 holes. we packed our kit into the car then went upstairs to get our meal, home-made meat pie with proper chips peas and gravy. it was delicious served up by very friendly staff. £22.50 for all this, we will be making a return visit soon, probably to play the other course which i've read is just as good if not better than the one we played. a must for any non-fair weather golfer this winter!

Played the Thonock Park course in the wind and rain last week and it stood up pretty well. This is regarded as THE championship course, rather than the longer Karsten Lakes course, although both are apparently good. Huge clubhouse and generally excellent facilities, especially the PING fitting centre and driving range next door.

Played this course on the 16th june 2007 excellent course with plenty of challenges the sixth is a great hole, will definately make the journey to play again

Played Karsten Lakes on 15/10/6. Phoned a week before and found the girl on the phone very friendly and the green fee of £30 included a full english breakfast, its easy to find (sat nav took me straight there). We were greeted by very friendly staff and the restaurant staff were also very quick and efficient. The full English is quality. We sauntered onto the 1st tee ten minutes early and there was nobody in sight, we caught a 3ball up after 8 and they very kindly let us straight thru and they were the only people who were in front or behind the whole way round. I've played 15 courses for the first time this year including Woodhall Spa and this one played the longest, ok, the ball wasnt rolling very far but there are no par 3's under 340yds and lots of really testing holes, the course is in fantastic condition for the time of year and the greens were very receptive and true. I enjoyed the 6th hole, but, to be honest every hole was as good as the last, no filler holes on this course. All this and I had the worst round of the year. The club really excel in every area and Ping have done a great job with giving the golfer just what they want, 2 great courses, courteous, friendly staff and a great english breakfast. We will definitely be going back here again this year.

cracking course championship length a real proper players golf course.

played carsten lakes at the begining of december.I would have been happy with the course conditions in the summer never mind winter.I have played quite a few courses in the last few month but none compare to this for condition or value for money.Every hole has something differant and is great for any level of player. The staff were more than friendly and i have booked to play again only a few weeks after.The full english breakfast was superb and i would recomend anyone to visit this course. for me it gets a 10 out of 10 on every aspect. FANTASTIC

Excellent course, both challenging for the good player and open for the lower handicapper. Greens and fairways in perfect condition for November and some of the best bunkers I have seen on a course. Staff and food were also brill

Played Karsten Lakes for the first time on 3rd November,(paid £20 which included a full english breakfast) a course which is worthy of the name Lakes, with water in play on many holes. As stated in a previous review holes 6 and 17 are probably the best two, but all 18 holes are excellent. We played on a windy Autumn day, but the greenkeepers were on hand with blowers keeping the tees and greens free of leaves, with not a temporary green or tee in sight, Karsten Lakes is a must play course for anyone in the area, I'm hoping to return to play Thonock Park in the very near future. All in all a great days golfing which I would recommend to anyone

Gainsborough has to have the 2 best courses i have ever played in my life since playing golf.Played a 4 ball the other week,played "BOTH" courses and on the second course we had hired buggies for are tired old legs.The normal price we worked out for this day was in the region of £50+.We did it for just under £30 and we got a full english breakfast with a lovely cup of coffee after the first round included in the price. The courses are in immaculate condition for winter,and they are still cutting the fairways and greens-unheared of on many courses due to boggyness!!.Just showing you how well both courses stand upto the winter elements.Thonock GC is a woody course with some excellent golfing to have.Karsten GC now thats a another golf course completely, this has everything you are wanting in golf ,long par5s lovely fairways and greens with breaks all over the shop, and water oh yes lots and lots of water and some more!! Higely recommend to all you "NON-FAIR-WEATHER_GOLFERS" out there.

played this course in a 4 ball on a week day both courses and a breakfast for £20 on a winter special offer.an absolute delight on and off the course.both courses were in pristine condition and a different challenge on each.and the staff were both courteous and very friendly.would recommend to all.

Played the Karsten Lakes course yesterday (27th June 2005) and had a fantastic time. Very easy to book a tee-time over the phone & with a first-class warm and friendly welcome from everyone. We played the Karsten Lakes course from the back tees (6900 yards)and have to say that it was in fantastic condition. Water is in play on many holes and the lakes make it look like a course you'd normally only see in Florida on Sky Sports! Pack some extra balls!!! The scenery on the back 9 is phenomenal; the most amazing countryside you're ever likely to see. However, the only problem with the back 9 is that many holes are uphill, so they play much longer than the yardage suggests. And believe me, this course doesn't need to play any longer. Favourite holes were probably the par 4 6th (second shot over water) and the par 3 17th (over a lake). Can't fault it for £30.

Played Karsten Lakes course this bank holiday weekend, course and greens are both in good condition although no buggies where available due to the wet ground on the Lakes course. We had the course almost all to ourselves on both days and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. There’s lots of water and lots of large well-placed bunkers, set in very quite and very peaceful settings. From phoning the club direct to arrange our booking and until the moment we left we where made to feel very welcome by all the staff who were all very helpful and friendly. The Food was excellent and very well priced and the Beers we managed to sample weren’t bad either. We stayed over in the clubs own flats which where a pleasant surprise being very roomy with kitchen and lounge area. Should you be contemplating having a fitting for your Ping clubs I would recommend an overnight stay to give you chance to play the courses. The Ping Fitting is well worth the while, a great experience and you will notice the difference. I Will be back again later this year - wife permitting. Cant rate highly enough.

How anyone can describe this course as poor is beyond belief. I played the Thonock Park Course here for the first time today. After torential rain yesterday the couse was still very playable and the greens were in great shape and pretty quick. Every hole has something different to offer, from the 1st which is all downhill for 322 yds., then the 2nd which is another 300+ par4 and feels almost like you are playing up to a mountain top, The long 555yds 8th, the "Road Hole" looks easy untill you get behind one of the 100 year old oaks that are to be found along many holes here. There are a few nice short holes including one over water, to a smallish green with water on two sides and bunkers on the other two. Then to finish you have to play the 404yds. par4 18th through "Moon valley", which is ideally placed to catch a poor second shot.

I have played both courses on a number of occasions and always found them to be in excellent condition. The Thonock course is a traditional parkland course with an excellent variety of holes and excellent greens. Karsten Lakes is a long, American style course with lots of water. If you have the energy, I would recommend a day out playing both courses. The staff are superb and friendly and the club house facilities excellent.

2 courses Karsten & Thonock. Karsten an exceptional course long, lots of water exceptionally well prepared and designed with some of the best holes i've played. The 6th is an incredible hole. Huge undulating superb greens. One of the best courses i've played. Thonock "don't waste your time, don't be tempted i'ts v poor".