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Stoneham
is one of the nicest clubs in the
Southampton
area but unfortunately does not have the reputation of
being very friendly. In fact, I considered joining the
club and had decided to play a round before I committed
myself to the large financial outlay. Unfortunately for
me I must have picked the wrong day to go into the bar
for a drink after the game, as I waited patient ally to
be served with my wallet and mobile sat on the bar I
noticed other players being served before me that had
come into the bar after me. Finally customers ran out
and the lady came over to me and I was just about to say
what I would like to drink and she interrupt me and with
attitude and very loudly for all to hear that mobile
phones are not allowed in the bar. I pointed out I was
quite aware of the rules and it had been switched off
before I played my round in the morning, lets just say
she made my mind up about joining.
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- The heath land course has nice
spongy fairways with the odd gorse bus scattered about
along with avenues of trees lining the fairways. The
course opens with tee shot over a small valley to the
fairway guarded by bunkers just on the drive. At 499
yards off the tee, the green lies just below the fairway
at the bottom and cannot be seen from the fairway. If
you hit it straight and long there is a possibility
rolling the ball onto the green in two. The second is a
tough par three, which will play longer than the yardage
given, and although the green looks small from the tee
there is plenty of room to land your ball. The third is
a great par four your tee shot should favour the right
hand side towards the large oak as anything on the left
could find your ball rolling back down the hill, then
you should have a lofted to the green. The tee shot on
the next is very difficult the fairway runs right to
left and down a hill towards a stream anything to long
will be in the stream anything short will find deep
rough and trees on the left. If you mange to get to the
fairway just before the stream you should have an easy
shot to the green up the hill. The dogleg fifth hole is
only 326 yard long but has out of boards all they way
down the right and a large slope in the green making
putting difficult. Next hole is a straight par five,
which has a dip before the green; two good shots will
find you at the bottom of the hill leaving a wedge to
the very large green. The next two holes are par threes
starting with the seventh at 231 yards, the only way of
hitting this green is to come in just slightly off the
right hand side as every heads left of the fairway. The
eighth's long green cannot be seen from the tee and sits
on the other side of a hill at 167 yards. The front nine
finishes with a great par four again your tee shot is
over a valley to the fairway on the other hill the green
is down the out of view with a small hollow before you
reach it. The tenth hole is a par three around 180 yards
with a bank on the left side which feeds balls onto the
green. Hole eleven is a great par four straight of the
tee with a second shot over a valley just before the
green which sit on the side of the hill in front of you
anything short will find the stream at the bottom of the
valley. Followed by another par five with a straight
shot the only trouble is the bunker you have to clear
with your second shot sitting in the middle and to the
right of the fairway, you will have a downhill lie for
you third shot to the green. The thirteenth a very short
par four at 273 yards don’t be fooled into taking a
driver unless you can control your shot you are better
off taking a long iron over the mound then chipping onto
the raised green. This is followed by a par five a
straight shot is needed to the bottom of the fairway and
is better kept to the right hand side of the fairway.
Then a second towards the green keeping it well left of
the fairways as it drops off on the right hand side,
this should leave you with a chip onto the large green.
The fourteen is my favourite hole on this course at 423
yards long the par four has a tricky tee shot which
should be kept as close to the right hand side near the
woods as possible. Then you have a mid iron to the green
that slopes from back to front that sits on the hill.
The sixteenth a par three is only 134 yard long but the
green is raised up so you cannot see the top and
protected by bunkers front, right and left. The next two
are great finishing holes, the seventeenth is only 380
yards par four but you will need to play your shot down
the left hand side then you are faced with a green with
a stream running down the left hand side. If you are
tired by now, you will not like the eighteenth, as it is
479-yard par five straight up a hill that seems to go on
forever. The tee shot seems to balloon up off the tee
and hardly get any distance on this long fairway then
when you have walked up to you ball and regained your
breath you are face with another tow good shots to reach
the green.
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