Wensum Valley Hotel Golf & Country Club

I do not understand why people complain about the length of the wensum course and the long Par fours, If its too long then play the other course. I play every week the wensum winter and summer, Im 68 years old and in my opinion if you have more than 15 handicap then you would be better playing the shorter vallet course. As for condition most people do not realise that there is a lot of natural sand under the course which means it drains and dries out very quickly, I enjoy these super dry conditions in summer because the ball travels farther and when winter arrives its pay back time so enjoy the long driving while you can, (all you have to do is keep it straight)

We have just come back from a 2 night/ 3 round trip to Wensum. Unfortunately, we chose the weekend of "the big freeze". When we arrived we found the course under 5 inches of snow so no play. The next day it hadn't gone down much (although we managed to get a game on the coast where they had hardly any snow). We woke up Sunday morning, to find that mostly all of the snow had melted and the news that the course was available to play. We played the drier Valley course on the advice of the man running thePro shop (Who was absolutely fantastic the whole weekend). Although it is meant to be the easier, with the gale blowing, it was challenging enough. The fairways and greens were ridiculously firm and very responsive (so much so, i was robbed of a potential hole-in-one!). Bunkers were satisfactory enough although there were a couple of stones visable. Tee boxes were absolutely fine. All in all the course was fantastic, considering the weather we had i can't imagine anyone played anywhere else in better condition. All of the staff were fantastic and couldn't do enough for us, and although we didn't get the full quota of golf, we had a fantastic time. We will definately come back.

Spent 3 nights (4 rounds) here earlier this month and I don't have any complaints about the place. The summer has made the fairways a bit dry as it has across the country but the tee boxes and greens were immaculate. Played both courses twice and was impressed with both. The Wensum course should be avoided unless you can work your driver but the valley is playable by anybody. Both have some excellent holes and where the river runs it is very daunting. (the 16th hole on the Wensum course bit me and wouldn't let go like a dog with a rag doll. I carded a 13 and an 8 playing off of 15!) The hotel and facilities are excellent with the only drawback being the wafer thin ceiling. If I go again I shall be asking for an upstairs room. The food was good and everybody at the complex couldn't help you enough. If you have a phobia of wasps then it may be best to keep inside when eating / drinking! Lastly (and as mentioned elsewhere) the locker facility was good. just one extra thing that made the trip a good one.

Just returned a couple of weeks ago from an annual 4-day golfing break. This was our first year at Wensum Valley and, having read some negative feedback on the web, we were a trifle apprehensive. I was very impressed with the whole setup. We played both courses twice each and found them well tended, interesting and set in beautiful surroundings. The Valley course has some tight holes and is well defended by large undulating greens. The Wensum is long and very challenging with several par 4s well in excess of 450 yds. One minor negative - it is possible to lose balls in the semi-rough or at least spend a lot of time looking for them. Perhaps this could be cut a little shorter to aid speedier play? The accommodation is excellent, the food is good and the service throughout the complex is also very good, all the staff being courteous and helpful. Golf clubs are not allowed in the rooms but there is a (free) vistor's locker room where clubs can be secured thus avoiding the risk of leaving them in car boots. An excellent idea! The leisure facilities are an added bonus and include a swimming pool with sauna, steam room etc, gymnasium and a snooker/pool room. If you have time, you can even go fishing (the club has a couple of miles of the River Wensum). A first-class venue all round - thoroughly recommended!

Having read the reviews and looked at it from google earth I must admit I was not too impressed.How wrong I was.Everything about Wensum valley was good. The hotel and all facilities, and the two courses were very impressive and a very good test.

Have just played both courses twice during a society golfing weekend. Contrary to some reviews (admittedly posted two years ago) both courses were in excellent condition. They were challenging - particularly the Wensum, but that is hardly a criticism! The entire weekend was a great success and all of the group were also impressed with the food and accommodation. This is not a 5 star cordon bleu experience but for great golf at a pleasant, friendly value for money venue, it has not been bettered in our 20 years or so of society outings.

Myself and 7 friends travelled up to the Wensum for a one night stay - a round on the Valley course on the Saturday afternoon, carvery in the evening, bed and breakfast and then a round on the Championship course on the Sunday morning. Firstly, the hotel itself, along with the facilities and overall standard, was average - don't expect the Ritz, whatever you do! That said, we got all of the above for £110, so couldn't really grumble. As for the courses, the Valley course was challenging, requiring good length off the tee but more importanyly accurate chipping to the broad and tricky greens; the fairways were bone dry with absolutely no attempt at any watering, so even if you managed a decent tee shot the ball bounced horrendously out of control and then rolled for about a mile! The greens were well kept, challenging and a good test of being able to read contours. The Championship course was quite frankly a joke, from an amateur's point of view; challenging is one thing, but when you have a 20ft wide corridor of fairway to aim at and, if you go 3ft off it you land in very deep grass, it just proved impossible. The difference from fairway to fringe/rough was way too much and even with some excellent shots we managed to lose a stack of balls. Coupled with that, there were three par 4s which were 468, 486 and 497yds and an amateur simply can't cope with that kind of length (uphill and with such tight fairways anyway!). Probably a decent course for a well versed golfer, but if you struggle on a par 3/4 course, give this one a swerve...or bring a couple of extra boxes of balls!

Played both courses at the beginning of September and whilst the overall package was good value both courses were lacking some TLC. The greens and fairways were patchy and we played "winter rules" on both courses. The championship course is just too brutal for the average player and combining that with the course condition it became a slog rather than an enjoyable experience.

In my opinion this golf course is poorly maintained. The fairways were bumpy and chewed up and, when I saw a large tractor turn a tight corner at speed in the middle of one, I came to realise part of the reason why. A lot of the bunkers were unraked and the greens appeared to be littered with unrepaired pitchmarks. The driving range, in my opinion, is particularly bad. A very large proportion of the balls were cracked or chipped and caked with mud. I've no idea how the pro is supposed to teach in that range! The range has not been separated with nets so you can't even use a driver in the 'driving range'. Finally I would describe the changing room and facilities as basic. All this is a real shame because this course could be pretty good. I tried on several occasions to speak to the owner about this but, alas, he was always 'busy'. Until things improve substantially - avoid!

Really friendly course with good service from all the staff. Played the Wensum course. Wide open but long course, with some extremely long par fours (470+ yards). Generally the course is in poor condition. Trees are in a poor state and it is difficult in places to distinguish the fairway from the rough. The front nine is particularly bad. Generally around the greens is really scruffy too.The condition improved on the back nine with some of the newer holes, which are also more interesting. Greens are no better than average throughout (and in some places not that good). Some food is included in your green fee here (the food is good) but at the moment this course is not worth the £30. There are better courses offering better value for money around Norwich. Can't comment on the condition of the Valley course as I didn't play it.

would just like to point out that the wensum course now measures 6942 yards and is an extremely strong test, may be slightly biased as i am a member!!!!

I have to agree entirely with the above comments. I've recently spent a weekend at this course with a group of friends and all agreed that the two courses, food and accommidation were excellent value.

The 18 hole course is very good drainage and only one hole, on very rare occassions, is subject to waterlog in winter months. The 12th. tee is a bit daunting for the faint hearted as you must shoot over tall trees to a fairway that is hidden by them. The 17th. is a long right handed dog leg and is a good challenge. All in all a good mixture. The 9 hole course is more flat with many more mature trees and very relaxing. There are some short Par 3's but the rest are good average. The greens are well prepared but bunker sand is a bit coarse

Our society had its first weekend away at Wensum and everyone agreed it was great. The courses are forgiving and therefore ideal for societies but have some interesting and tricky holes. The hotel is comfortable and the service and food first class. For the price I think that this venue is pretty much unbeatable for a weekend's golf.

Our society has been to wensum valley for last six years and found the food and hotel to be of a fine standard,The golf course is of fair standard and very good for society weekend. We have been unable to find anywhere that matchs wensum and will be going back year after year.