Himley Hall Golf Centre

Played this course today for the first time in over 20 years and I'd forgotten what a nice little course it is. I say little, it's not that short with a distance of about 3600 yards for 9 holes, with a good separation between holes - you're not crammed in here Course conditions were tough today with a heavy frost and snow / ice all over the place. It made for a bit of a slog with a trolley. Ball didn't travel anywhere once it hit the fairway and it was very difficult to hold the green as they were rock hard through ice- putting was tricky. As my game relies on a bit of a run on the fairway this didn't help my scoring, nevertheless I scored 28 points against my (highish) handicap, so was quite pleased. Difficult to judge course conditions as the weather was quite bad - one of those days that if you didn't play with an orange or bright yellow ball you were guaranteed to lose it. I guess even the best courses would be tough today. Course layout - quite good and only one hill to speak of, but there is only 1 par 3 in the 9 (and 1 par 5). I'd certainly prefer another par 3 on the track. Excellent food and drink in the clubhouse cafe, but this appears to be first and foremost a walker's cafe, with signs up telling the golfers to sit outside if they're muddy and not to come in with their spikes. Very long waits (20 mins) to just get served on a Sunday morning - the woman on the counter seemed to be working quite slowly. Nevertheless, £2.80 for a bacon and egg sandwich and a cup of tea can't be knocked. I live very close to the course and am likely to favour this course from now when I fancy a quick 9 - but I suspect as it's a pay and play it gets very busy when the weather is good.

Played course for the first time (21/05/11) Weather was overcast Course was in good condition until you got to the greens which to be fair were a joke Full of weed & not true at all Was recommended to play here but wont again

After reading conflicting reports here is my take on Himley (played thur 20/5/10) Situated on Himley Hall park itself this course is fairly cheap at £8.50 for 9 holes. On my visit the weather was quality, I've played here in the past when it has been raining and just walking round the course can be hard work. No such concerns on this occasion as the fairways and greens were in decent condition - but fair to say not in the same league as nearby Worfield or Chesterton Valley. I can't comment on the bunkers as I managed to stay out of them. Yes, I agree that holes 1 and 9 do feel like somebody has just planted a flag at the end of a field but 2 to 8 are all pretty decent, the dogleg 2nd being my favorite. Practice area, putting green and pitch and putt are also available. There are no real clubhouse facilities to speak of, the tiny club shop where you pay your green fees backs on to the cafe. Make no mistake, bacon butties from here are class but as this is the only food outlet at Himley Park then you are more likely to be surrounded by ramblers and ice-cream munching toddlers than like-minded golfers. The cafe is not licensed so it is advised that you head back to the A449 for the post round pint. Not a course that will interest the serious golfer but more than good enough for the high-handicapper and casual hackers.

Played today as my own course had a society day on. I don't know which course these guys have been playing but unless this course has basically not been looked after for the last 3 months I can't understand the state I found it in. I used to play Himley and found it an enjoyable (If not that difficult) round of golf. NOT TODAY. The course was in a truely shocking state with Tractors marks all over the fairways, while I understand that drainage is a problem at clubs with massive budgets and that public courses are going to suffer even worse there is no excuse for blatant damage and what can only attributed to lazyness on behalf of the greens staff constantly zig-zagging across each fairway. Bunkers with about 2mm of sand in, no difference between rough and fairway, greens overgrown with score marks and lumps of actual sand left on, a truely sad state of affairs. The fact that the off course facilities are basically non-existant and that the gentleman in the "Clubhouse" (and I use that term very very loosely) seemed annoyed that I had disturbed him and let the cold in when I opened the door didn't help. I only hope that they see these views expressed by a genuine golfer who is not having a dig on purpose but hates being ripped off for what was basically a field with a flag stuck in the end. This course holds many memories for me and I hope that some if not all of my opinions are taken on board and acted upon.

Myself and a friend play the course maybe twice a month and for a public course you have to be impressed very well maintained both greens and fairways. A great course for the novice like me forgiving in places and difficult in others along with this is the great value. Try the Bacon and egg in the cafe.....

i played this course today,it was a very delightful course to play. tees,fairways,greens in tip top condition.very well maintained.enjoyed the true lush greens and the greenkeepers were very helpful.challenging course overall but good for beginners also. the only downside to the course was there was not enough sand in the bunkers and had an out of date feel to it regarding signage but overall a good days golf. shall be returning!

Well maintained public golf course set in beautiful surroundings. Holes 4 & 5 are challenging. Excellent for beginners due to wide fairways and very little rough. The only negative is there's no changing facilities or licenced bar.

JUST FINISHED THIS COURSE, PERFECT 4 THE BEGINNERS OUT THERE, FAIRWAYS VERY FORGIVING,HARDLY ANY ROUGH, VERY ENJOYABLE THOUGH. STAFF VERY FRIENDLY AND POLITE. NO MAP TO SHOW YOU AROUND BUT MARKERS AT SIDE SHOW WHERE THE NEXT HOLE IS (VERY CLEARLY MARKED UP) VERY BUSY ON WEEKENDS

Very well looked after 9 hole public course, pay and play so can be slow at certain times. Greens in very good condition and true. Good course for mid to high handicappers. A few challenging holes although most quite straight forward. I enjoy playing this course - just wish it was 18 holes.

having played the himley course today, it seems a nice course to say its council run. the only bug i had with the course was the straight forward holes which were all a mirror image of each other, but all in all a nice course at a very cheap price.