Sandy Lodge Golf Club

Have played Sandy lodge a number of times. Challenging and a very very good course. All year round golf is one of the benfits of its sand base design. The modernish club house is accomodating and friendly. The course itself was in fabulous nick. Greens running fast and true. Whilst it does have 6 par fives I actually noticed the first was a par 4 for championship competitions. In fact taking that into account it really is a tough start. I can imagine when they grow the rough up to really give you that links feel this course could be a potential trip up but one you will enjoy and a walk round the Moor Park estate is always a pleasure. The have 5 par 4s from 426 to 465, so you will need to be a good long iron player to shoot well. That added to a few lengthy par 3s, 215 yards, 193 yards, 186 yards you will need to be striking the balls well to hold the fast firm links greens. Very very good golf course, friendly and with great facilities.

Played on the last day of winter artes for £30. Turned up on my own and was greated by very pleasent Pro Shop staff and invited to play with a member. Great draining course, good variety of holes, excellently maintained, very pleasent staff and members. All in all a very very nice expereince - I will be back. A special thanks to Dave Hill (the member who invited me to paly with him. Thank you for the company and guidence.

Many, if not most, courses would be delighted to achieve the high level of condition in the spring and summer that Sandy Lodge appears to enjoy for much of the winter. With six par 3's and five par 5's it is not a course that conforms to many of today's "standards" and is none the worse for it. Between them, the set of one shot holes play in four totally different directions giving great variety of clubbing obviously depending on the strength and direction of the wind. Likewise the par 5's so that some will offer real birdie chances while others will require three full shots. The two shot holes give a good account of themselves also with only one falling into the "drive and pitch" category. Long irons or even wooden approach shots will be needed on a couple of them. It's not often that a course genuinely does require you to use every club in the bag. I thought about it after I played and I really did employ every one. There isn't really a poor hole to be found with the "highlights" too numerous to mention. The only peculiarity being the short, uphill 8th. The second of consecutive par 3s, it looks, when viewed with the course as a whole, as if when they built the course they discovered that there were only seventeen holes and another had to be squeezed in somewhere, somehow. This is not a heavily wooded course and so, with the holes being adjacent to one another,if it is seclusion that you are after, look elsewhere. There are very few spots from where you can't see much of the rest of the course. There is an excellent practise area adjacent to the clubhouse which, itself, is everything you would expect. I have seen bigger and better stocked professional's shops but the staff WERE friendly and attentive. If I seem a bit over the top it's intentional. It's been a while since I came across such a consistantly good course no matter what set of criteria it is judged by. All this for a reduced winter green fee!

This is a fantastic course, especially for only £25 in the winter months. I played here once after it had snowed and rained heavily for over a week, I was fearing the worst but the course was in perfect condition. Miraculous! The greens and fairways were perfect. The greens are fast and true, some of the best I've played. It's very much set up as a links course, you can almost imagine you're playing in Scotland, particularly with some of the views you get. Tough rough and some tough bunkers make it a great challenge. One of the best! ps. Not sure how the person below thought the pro shop was unfriendly, I've always found them very friendly and accommodating. One-off experiences can cloud one's judgement!

Played this course in December 2003. All greens and tees were playable and the course was in excellent condition. The good points about the course are the location (1 min walk from Moor Park tube) and price (£25 per round is good considering quality of the course). Only negatives were slow play (lots of oldish men playing fourballs) and the pro shop was also unfriendly, forbidding me from starting on the 6th or 11/12th tees (I wanted to do this to ensure I got a round in before dark).

Played Sandy Lodge a couple Saturdays ago as a guest of a member. The club's setting makes it look and feel very special. Clear blue skies helped to promote the feeling. The course was in very good condition. Thanks to a sandy undersoil the course can be played fully (tees & greens) all year round. Some very good holes with generally difficult greens, although they run quite quick and very true. Atmosphere was very friendly and the stop-off refreshment hut next to the 11th green was very welcome. There are quite a few blind shots (both tee and approach) that need to be negociated, and when the rough is grown thicker and longer in the summer months you will be penalised severely for missing the fairway (the course was designed to play, for the most part, like an inland links course). Look out also for some monster sand traps, like the one guarding the second green, which gives that hole it's name. Unusually, there is a very tricky little par 3 to finish, which is very difficult to hit. I certainly look forward to going back.