Yeovil Golf Club

We played the 18 hole Old course. A very pleasant parkland, tree-lined course. On a par with The Mendip or Cumberwell Park, better (in my opinion) than Orchardleigh or Rushmore. After a level 1st the 2nd, 3rd and 4th take you uphill. Not too many bunkers on the course, the good 14th would be even better if they reinstated the bunker short left of the green. The long downhill par3 15th is a challenging, good hole. Lots of trees give protection against the wind on the hilltop – very good views – the 11th is the straightest par 5 you will ever see, between an avenue of trees, but the willows before the 16th green are now crowding the playing line too much. Quirky uphill dogleg 17th. Course in good condition (July 2016) but curiously some greens were slightly bare in places, although they putted at medium pace well enough. Our twoball got round in 3 hrs 10 mins thanks to the members’ 3-ball and 4-ball who both promptly let us through - much appreciated. Large newish clubhouse and very large proshop. Well worth a visit and good value on the County Card scheme.

One of my favourite courses in Dorset and I always love playing away matches there. The last ten years has seen vast changes to the course, all of them good. The fairways and greens are always in fantastic condition, if you cannot putt on these greens then you need to find another sport. Not the most demanding course you will ever play, but like most courses trouble 'can' lurk around the corner. The first is a fairly easy par 4, but two of the hardest holes are the 2nd (uphill par 3) and 3rd (long uphill par 4 with OOB all up the left hand side). The views from the top of the course are spectacular, overlooking Yeovil and the surrounding Dorset/Somerset area. The one hole that every body remembers is the 15th, a fantastic par 3, played from the top of a hill to the green many feet below. Can be anything from a mid iron to a driver to reach the green. My favorite hole is the 16th, a par 5 that doglegs to the right and is down hill for most of the way. Get a good drive away and you can go for the green in two. The 17th is a strange hole and although short, has probably wrecked more members medal cards than any other hole on the course. The club house is friendly and welcoming although is starting to look a little dated. The pro-shop and driving range are excellent and the staff are always helpful.

Newton Course (9 hole) In my arrogance, I played here with the Dark Destroyer thinking that, being Yeovil, this was going to be a bit of a dive. How wrong I was. This is a great little 9 hole and, in fact, even that's being a bit patronising because it's based around proper-length holes. And a couple of them are fantastic – especially the risk/reward 266 yard par 4 3rd, where the risk is taking on a 200 yard carry to the far side of a river. I also loved the 435 par 5 7th, which may sound an easy birdie until you find out that you have to play strategically short and then blind over an old railway embankment, which still leaves you about 100 yards out for your third – a fantastically unique hole! Will be returning to the main course in 2008 with DD and if it's as good as this then I'm really looking forward to it. 6.75/10 'Young P'