Nigel Mansells Woodbury Park course is located in what seems the middle of nowhere and the entrance can be easily missed on the winding road leading up to it. As you drive into the club and notice the impressive hotel complex, which boasted a museum, holding some of Nigel’s racecars, unfortunately on our visit they had been removed for some reason. After the long drive down we were all looking forward to a drink before our tee time at 1.30pm so we all made our way round to the back of the hotel which overlooks the short par three eighteenth for a pint. We have played here two or three times and it is one of our favourites on route down to a weekends golf in Cornwall. The course is always in superb condition as you would expect from a championship standard course and a quick visit to the putting green to see how undulating and fast the greens can be is a wise move.

 

Our tee time arrived and we made a way over to the first hole, which is a short walk from the clubhouse.  The first is a real tease called twin peaks because of the two mounds hiding the fairway that doglegs left. From the tee you are tempted to cut the corner off but a better shot is with a lofted wood straight over the mounds to the centre of the fairway, which opens up the large green.

The second called Bluebells because that is all you will see if you hit the woods from your drive down this tight tree lined fairway. If you are wise you will take a three wood or medium iron off the tee to take you to the top of the rise before the valley. Your second shot to the other side of the valley needs to be kept left of middle and long, anything short and right has no chance of hitting the green. Kingfisher the third hole a short par three plays all it yardage over a small valley and pond to a green which is hidden from view by a bunker just left of middle. The forth called lakeside has a narrow fairway just before the end of your drive with a large tree on the left that catches any drive slightly off line the green is also protected by another tree on the right just before the green so you best angle of attack is from the left hand side of the fairway. The fifth a very short par three plat toed green surrounded by bunkers that’s why it called Sandy looks very easy but you need just enough and not any more than the right club here. After a short walk through the hedge row you come to the next hole Deer’s End a par four the dog legs to the left from the tee you will see a bunker the best line is tight to the left of this bunker the green has a large contour. Hedge way the seventh is a difficult par four the green is tucked away behind a hedge that narrows the fairway about 70 yards from the green there is also a large bunker right in the middle of the fairway which will catch any bad drives. The hardest hole on the course is Clubs Corner the eighth this has a small ditch that runs straight through the fairway which catches any short drives and you have to be long enough to give you any chance of a second shot over the pond in front of the green. The last hole a par five on the front nine is called Castle View I'm not sure why they named it that because I couldn't remember seeing one when I played it. Your first shot is over a hill and you will probably find your ball in the valley on the other side after that you have to negotiate the bunkers on your right for a clear third shot into the green which is large and tiered. The halfway hut greets you don’t' worry if no one is there as they have a number of vending machines to keep all happy. The tenth par four called Curlew takes you back down alongside the ninth, tee shot to the same valley the over the hill protected on the right by trees. The eleventh hole shares the ninth tee and you stand plat formed above a bunch of bushes straight in front of you, which is slightly off putting, but you can really open your shoulders on this hole. Called Four Acre your drive is to a fairway the runs away down hill with plenty of room either side, try and land left of middle of the fairway for your best line into the green. The twelve Ducky stroke 2 par four straight tee shot through a narrow gap and the ball runs down the hill leaving you a second shot to a green at the bottom protected on the left and part of the front of the green by a large pond. This is followed by Drakes Island, which was covered in Canadian geese pooh when we played it. Its a short par four don’t be fooled in playing anything more than a mid iron to leave you a wedge to the green. The fourteenth called the bowl because of the shape of the green is a shortest par five but all up hill the shot into the green is difficult to judge because you can not see the bottom of the flag and putting is very interesting especially if the flag is at the back as it was when we played it. Little badger the fifteenth is a long par three at 220 yards plenty of bail areas but difficult chip back onto the green if you miss your tee shot. The sixteenth will leave you gasping as you make your way back up the hill called buzzard you will need a accurate tee shot to give you another long shot up the hill to leave you a short iron into the green at the top of the hill. Squirrels the seventeenth leaves you wondering which shot to play the fairway looks fairly narrow but you are tempted to pull the driver to get you over the valley to the hill on the other side to leave you a short iron. The last hole is unusually a par three at only 129 yards over a large pond on paper it doesn’t look much of a challenge but when you are faced to play it with a lofted club in your hands its a different matter.

 

Kevin Burnett-Whalley