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Notts, England |
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“After being too long away I lately went back to Hollinwell, which, as all the golfing world knows, or ought to know, is the course of the Notts Golf Club,” wrote Bernard Darwin in an article for Country Life. “On one side of it, there runs a pleasant wooded path by a series of lakes, and by this path Byron used to walk from Newstead to see Mary Chaworth at Annesley. Behind the course stands a hill covered with bracken from which Robin Hood used to watch for signals at Nottingham warning him that the Sheriff was setting out in pursuit. These are romantic circumstances, and I thrilled as I was told of them.”
Hollinwell is so called because there is a holy well located amongst the trees close to the 8th fairway. Water from the well is said to lend much needed strength to the golfer, especially during the heat of summer. One of Britain's finest inland golf courses, Notts opened for play in 1887, originally designed by Willie Park Jnr. Modifications (primarily to bunkering) were later made by John H Taylor, to whom the club paid the princely sum of five guineas for his services! The bunkers at Notts are relatively shallow, unlike some of the cavernous bunkers found at Woodhall Spa or Ganton. Perhaps the price of sand was factored into Taylor’s wages!
The course plays across wonderfully undulating ground where some of the fairways sweep through wooded hillsides and where others run through heather, fern and gorse clad valleys. Unusually, there are a number of varieties of gorse at Notts, and even in the depths of winter, you will find some in flower.
The course feels very much like heathland (the soil is sandy and the turf is springy), but it also has a moorland flavour and a touch of woodland. Despite the varied landscape, this attractive course comes together really well and actually gets better and better as you progress from hole to hole. It is also worth mentioning that a great deal of effort is being put in to encourage the heather to return to its former glory.
Over the years, Notts has hosted a number of professional and amateur events. The 1970 John Player Classic (won by Christy O’Connor Senior) was probably the most notable, with a world record first prize of £25,000. Notts is a monster of a course (at more than 7,000 yards long) and it is probably capable of hosting a modern tournament.
Keep an eye out for the fabulous 13th hole; six bunkers surround the green. It’s a downhill par three (228 yards from the back tees) with stunning views. | |
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In the section below, headed “Your Reviews”, are golf course reviews posted by visitors to the Top 100 website. There are no specific rules for reviewing a golf course except you MUST have played the golf course first. Merits of each course are left entirely to your discretion. Important factors, such as course location, condition (or presentation), course difficulty and historical importance are all left for you to judge and we have developed a simple rating system where you can allocate one score to each course. | |
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 |  | | Average Reviewers Score: |   | | Fantastic course, setting, some great holes and very old school. Loved it. Only downside were the greens, which were woolly in late May, but so were the other courses we played nearby.
If I lived near here I would be a member tomorrow. One of my personal top 5 | | 30 June 2010
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| | Played this course about a month ago in the pouring rain for 36 holes and it held up well. I would love to come back in the summer and see it at its best. The course drained very well and was playable all day despite the amount of rain that fell. I would not say it is as good as Woodhall and whether it is worth the £90 summer green fee course is debatable but it is still a quality course with a tremendous layout. Greens were a little ropey even given the benefit of the doubt for the conditions. But well worth a visit.  | | 21 April 2010
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| | Played here on 6th april. Very nice course in good condition. The course was still in its winter state but it is obvious what it would be like in a few months when everything is in full bloom. A little more undulating than its neighbour Sherwood Forest and possibly a better lay out, but both are excellent courses and should be on you itinery to play. Very similar to Woodhall Spa but because of the bunkers Woodhall just shades it for me.  | | 09 April 2010
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| | | What a wonderful all round experience. Booking through the secretary was a simple and helpful process. The club house was exremely friendly with a very good menu, well cooked and priced food served by helpful staff. The range is well setup and at only a £1 for 30 balls very reasonable. The pro shop was again a pleasant experience. The course was just superb especially considering the recent poor weather there are some superb holes and the closing holes 16, 17 and 18 could be a real challenge. The greens were in good condition and at the height of the season would be even better. I shall definately be back in the summer. | | 04 April 2010
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| | | Played here in early december. Very good course with some tough holes especially on the back nine. Great finish with 16, 17 and 18. Course was dry despite the recent wet weather, greens good but not brilliant but it was december. A fair rating but I prefer Ganton, Woodhall Spa and Little Aston. | | 06 December 2009
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| | | The fourth time i`ve played here, its my favourite inland course and i find it hard to fault .
This time i had a caddie who was excellent ,to quote Kipling "He was my servant and the better man". | | 10 October 2009
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| | | A group of enthusiastic golfers decided to play a few courses ranked in the Top 100 in Britain! We have now played Woodhall Spa, The Old and New courses at St Andrews, Moortown, Alwoodley, Hunstanton, Silloth on Solway, Chart Hills, North Berwick and Notts!!! For overall Excellence Notts was far above the rest. The greens were immaculate the fairways like carpets and the tees like my local greens!! On top of that the hospitality was 1st class, all the courses we played were great but the Notts stood out... | | 07 July 2009
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| | | Hollinwell is not a good course – it is an absolutely fantastic one. Very rarely has a course kept my interest on every shot, on every hole and I have played around 80 of the GB&I Top 100 and more than 220 that feature on the site. There really are no weak holes, all of which are very different from each other and the course just builds and builds and gets stronger throughout the round. The heath/wood/park land setting is beautiful with many different colours all around. Favourite hole on the front 9, is the 8th (walk down the steps and you must take a drink from the Hollinwell) – it’s a par-4 around 400 yards with the drive over water and to a raised green – really nice hole. The back 9 picks for me are the par-4 11th, around 360 yards but so many choices to make along the way. The par-3 13th is a great hole, long and downhill with some severe protection at the green. The short par-4 16th (350 yards) is my choice (difficult choice) as the best hole on the course – again choices from the tee to be made – go directly at the green and it may only be 310 yards - watch out though, more bunkers await anything less than perfect. The 18th is a toughie – a par-4 around 450 yards, depending on the wind, this could be two woods or a drive and a short iron. The clubhouse has a nice feel to it, lots of history oozing out of every nook and cranny and a warm welcome – The current ranking of 56th does not do the course justice - not sure if there are 55 better courses than Notts, to me this feels that the ranking should be around 30th in GB&I. Highly recommended. | | 17 March 2009
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| | | My favourite inland course. Every thing about this place is bang on the money. What i love most is how the course builds and improves as you go round. Other than the front 9 at Royal County Down the back 9 is the best i`ve ever played. Even the drive to the wonderful clubhouse is great | | 02 August 2008
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| | | A fantastic golf course. Great variety. Super wildlife and an excellent cooked breakfast. | | 17 July 2008
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| | | Great people great course. Even in the very heavy rain it still drained well. Excellent test of golf that just kept getting better
A great day out for any golfer | | 15 July 2008
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| | | One of the unsung gems of inland golf and absolutley worthy of a visit. Fantastic variation with holes cut through valleys and elevated tee shots galore. Smooth fast and true greens, narrow fairways and wicked wispy rough make Notts a course suited to the low handicapper. It now measures a whoppiing 7,213 yards from the blue tees and whatever you do take a look at the wonderful par 13th from that top back tee. | | 23 June 2006
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| | | As a new member of Notts for 2006, i can say that it is an honour and a privelige to have been accepted. It is so nice to be able to have a round of golf in the winter without getting your trousers dirty. The course is nice and firm and the greens are first class(smooth and quick), and for this time of year i have nothing but praise for the greenkeeping staff. Every hole has its own features and charms, and as you walk round the golf course you never want the round to end. The green fees are very respectable too, only £60 in the summer. Come then when the pink is high, the rough is lethal and the greens are mighty fast, and come and see what score you can grind out. And i really mean grind. This course is unbelievably difficult. The CSS is 75 (3 over par) and it is known to get towards the top-seventies on a windy day. To finish, visit Notts Golf Club, and as you make your way down the long driveway and pass through the tall pine trees, you will know that this is going to be something very special indeed. | | 06 January 2006
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| | | Hollinwell is a wonderful course to play all year round - THE WATER IS CLEAN, COLD and a welcome refreshment. IT IS NOT DIRTY IN THE LEAST! Every hole presents its own set of challenges my particular favourite is the 16th par 4 a nice elevated green looking out on a slight dog-leg right (suits my heinous slice) | | 01 August 2005
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| | | Played this course last September. Turn off then main road and the drive to the magnificent clubhouse is a great start to the day. The 2nd and 3rd holes are the pick of the front nine with the 3rd green by the clubhouse. One or two of the holes on the front nine remind me of Woodhall Spa. I did not have a drink in the holy well as it looked a bit dirty however this is an excellent short par 4. The back nine has a moorland feel to it with a fabulous long par 3 (i think it's the 15th). The hole after this is a corker, a very difficult long par 4 with a narrow entrance for a shot of about 200 yards.
The course was presented very well, the greens were as good as any I have played but beware of the speed, they are very fast and undulating. A dream for very good putters but average putters would struggle to have less than half a dozen 3 putts.
Not a weak hole on the course and excellent value for money. The clubhouse is one of the best i've been in, very old and spacious with plenty of interesting photos and trophies. | | 22 September 2004
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| | | I thought this was a very fair test of golf, some great looking holes and each one felt well defined even in the winter. A course I’d love to go back to in the summer. Highly recommended and reasonable at £40 for a winter green fee. Friendly staff too. | | 23 April 2004
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| | | Played Notts in the winter and it was a dream. Greens in fabulous condition and dry underfoot. Would love to come back and play it in its glory. | | 31 March 2004
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