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Worplesdon, England |
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Worplesdon Golf Club
Woking
Surrey
GU22 0RA
England |  | John Abercromby & Willie Park Junior |  | Alex Nicolson |
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 | +44 1483 472277 |  | 6 miles from Guildford |
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Golf Club Website
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 | Weekdays only - contact in advance |  | Chris Lomas |
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Worplesdon Golf Club is one of the prettiest and most delightful of Surrey’s many heath and heather courses and it’s arguably the best of the trinity of “Ws” (West Hill and Woking being the other two); all three courses virtually border each other. It is set amongst glorious heather, chestnut and pine trees. John Abercromby’s inaugural design dates back to 1908; greens and bunkers were constructed by Willie Park Junior. Little has changed after more than 100 years.
It’s not a long course at just less than 6,500 yards, but it’s supremely challenging and driving accuracy is far more important than length. The front nine plays across stunning undulating terrain, so expect some awkward stances. The back nine is sited on relatively even ground. The greens are always in fabulous condition and are lightning fast with some subtle borrows and undulations.
Every autumn since 1921, the celebrated Mixed Foursomes competition takes place at Worplesdon. Joyce Wethered won this event no fewer than eight times between 1922 and 1933, with seven different partners. Bernard Darwin lists Joyce’s victorious partners in his book, Golf Between Two Wars: “Mr Roger Wethered, Mr Tolley (twice), Mr J.S.F. Morrison, Mr Michael Scott, Mr R.H. Oppenheimer, Mr T. Coke and an elderly gentleman whose name for the moment escapes me”. In 1933, Darwin (aged 57) partnered with Wethered and won!
The 500 World’s Greatest Golf Holes features the 11th, a 520-yard par five: “Surrounded by brilliant heathland, this interesting hole has seen its challenges change with the times, but its supreme strategic character remains.” The par threes at Worplesdon are especially strong and the 175-yard 13th is an absolute cracker, surrounded by bunkers and often rated as one of the best par threes in the UK.
It’s a real privilege to play this quiet and elegant course. The springy fairways roll gently up and down, flanked by many mature trees. The profusion of heather provides stunning seasonal colour and a real challenge in finding the wayward golf ball. The clubhouse is one of the most pleasant in all the land and very welcoming.
“And so farewell to Worplesdon,” wrote Darwin, “but not I hope for long. If I can once again see the dahlias in the garden by the side of the fifteenth fairway and once again read The Moonstone under the kind roof which has so often sheltered me, I shall be almost perfectly happy.” | |
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If the above course review article is not accurate, let us know by clicking here |
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 |  | | Average Reviewers Score: |  | | | Played here 26th of september 2012. 36 holes. The first hole some up the course well, not too long, ample fairway and elegant on the eye. None of the holes are particularly outstanding or unique but the relentless pleausre of playing them is alluring. The course is not hard but a good score is well earned and poor shots punished. You wont lose many balls here but you might succumb to the sublteties of the over all challenge. This is a very nice walk indeed, through Surrey heathland and forest. The course itself being greater than the sum of its parts, if that makes sense. It is in great condition and has been every time I have played it. A lovely fair course with no weak holes that is to be looked forward to. JCB LAY |
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| 26 September 2012
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| | I was fortunate enough to be a member of a party of 12 that played Worplesdon on a sunny September day last week.
This is a old school club capturing all the best elements of tradition without in anyway being stuffy.
Our group were well served by the friendly clubhouse staff before and after our round.
The course was quiet and we were able to tee off at our leisure. The course is relatively short on the card but you don't get that feeling as there is so much detail to each hole with well designed hazards to deal with.
The course was in excellent condition. You had to think carefully about landing the ball approaching greens as the surfaces were fast and undulation could easily throwing you off the putting area.
The course is also very attractive, offering a calming and relaxed feel.
The par 3's are a real treat and although looking at the card there seemed to be 3 of almost equal length they all varied significantly based on their varying designs.
The food afterwards was traditional and hearty.
Everyone in the group agreed that this is a really good course, the club offers a good experience and we would like to return. |
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| 19 September 2012
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| | I played Worplesdon at the end of June 2012. The course was in excellent condition and the design and layout very impressive. Playing from the white tees the course seemed to play much longer than it's yardage. Looking at the score card you could mistakenly expect to be playing short irons into the greens, but the tight fairways and carefully positioned bunkering demands precision off the tee and strategic approach shots. The back to back par 5's on 11 and 12 give a rare chance to open your shoulders and the possibility to get a couple of shots back from the course. The closing holes don't disappoint, with a par 5, par 3 and two par fours adding variation to the final stretch. This is an excellent heath land course and I would happily play here time and time again. |
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| 04 July 2012
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| | Worplesdon deservedly takes its place among the best courses in Surrey and if you're looking for traditional heathland golf, the area is overflowing with riches. The clubhouse is impressive but still feels like a proper golf club, without the 'country club' feel of glitzy resorts. The course itself is not long but requires a lot of decision-making in club selection and shot placement. I was slightly disappointed in the first three holes, which seemed relatively uninteresting for a course of Worplesdon's maturity. However, the course gets a kick-start at the turn with the fun 10th playing over a pond before the holes across the road steal the show. Longer par 4s, interesting bunkering and subtle terrain changes make the back 9 more challenging and satisfying. For me, Worplesdon doesn't have quite the same variety, difficulty and consistent quality of the course nextdoor at West Hill, but is a great course in it's own right and a very proud club. |
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| 14 November 2011
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| | A great track. We played here in a charity day for the Joshua Hayday Helping Hand Trust. Conditions were perfect and so was the course. I loved the massive firework launched for the shotgun start from the clubhouse lawn. Worplesdon is stunning on the eye, the abundant purple heather may look beautiful but brutal to find your ball in and to play out of. The course is extremely well manicured, all bunkers have a hair piece of that purple heather haze. The greens were fantastic, very true and receptive, the Pro V1 had a lot of fun. You can make your score on the short par 5s but what this course lacks in length it makes up for with the green undulation - most greens are tough to read and multi tired making it difficult to 2 putt some of them. I've never played a course with such interesting par 3s, my favourite being the 4th. The clubhouse and staff were awesome and the cavery lunch a treat. Try not to get run over by the traffic when crossing the roads! BB.
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| 22 August 2011
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| | Not cheap, but what a beautiful, old-fashioned (but mainly in a good way) golf course. Attractive, good greens that would be scary fast if cut down given the slopes, pleasant and unstuffy staff.
Then there is the layout. 1 is gentle, 2 not the best hole on the course, then it takes wing. Everywhere huge penalties for missing in the wrong place, a superb set of par threes (of which the lake hole is easily the least good IMHO!), and the need to drive it very straight indeed. Yes, you can make a score on the par 5s, all of which are reachable, but you better not miss those in the wrong place either or a big number awaits you.
This might be the most difficult of the 3 Ws, but as to which is the best, far better judges than me have failed to decide that. Just well well worth a visit! |
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| 05 May 2011
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| | Just played my first round at Worplesdon, what a joy. Bearing in mind it was the height of the winter and the freeze has set in it was in fantastic condition. Its not the toughest course in the world but at the same time has plenty of tests and is great if you want the card to look respectable when you aren't on stellar form. The 10th is a fantastic par 3 and their iconic hole, enjoy the stunning lake in front of it!? Members and staff were very welcoming to two 27 year olds when they could have been snooty. Very much enjoyed it and would go back for sure. In the meantime will test West Hill and Woking to see how the two other 'W's' stack up against it. |
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| 26 November 2010
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| | Played here with a society on a lovely sunny day towards the end of the summer, the place was in very good condition and the staff were very friendly and obliging. The combination of elevation changes, trees and heather kept the course feeling fresh and novel all the way around, and I felt if it had more variety than nearby New Zealand which I'd had the good fortune to play a few weeks earlier. As others have noted, it's not an overly punishing course, but the fast greens caused many of us to three putt our good scores away that day. I was overjoyed to birdie the 13th which was the highlight of my round. The slight annoyance caused by 2 grumpy male members who thought it was their right to play through the whole society was offset by much more genteel lady members in the clubhouse whose apologies more than made up for this. I can recommend the (jacket & tie) lunch - especially the treacle tart. A fine course, I'll be back soon. |
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| 06 September 2010
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| Response: | | | Graham Fewster | 22 November 2010 | | Sorry to hear they were grumpy about it, but some of us can be like that at Worplesdon I'm afraid ;-) You should remember though, especially when playing a 3 or 4 ball (I presume this was the case if you were there with a society, please correct me if I'm wrong), that you should always invite faster groups to play through without delay. This is always liable to happen at Worplesdon, since we play fairly quickly and usually aim for a 2 ball to be round in 2hrs 50mins. Glad you enjoyed the day! | | | shab | 27 November 2010 | | I agree with Graham here. Why not let a two ball through a society? Surely that would make sense? Always try and consider the enjoyment of other golfers too. I'm surprised the lady members apologised, sounds a bit odd to me. |
| | | Another top quality Surrey heath and heather track. Every time I have played here it is presented in immaculate condition although the course design and set up is not overly challenging being generous off the tee with wide open fairways and very few forced carries (unlike West Hill or Woking) which obviously suits what looked to be a fairly elderly membership. The best holes are the short ones in particularly hole 4 which demands a longish iron up hill to a well bunkered green underneath the club house terrace, 10 a delightful short iron across a pond to a really tricky green and best of all 13 where the green is a virtual island surrounded by a sea of sand and heather. The main difference with West Hill is that there are four par 5s which most decent golfers have a sporting chance of birdying which is great fun. The finishing hole is top class with bunkers cutting in from right of a green that will repel anything but a properly struck approach. The worst feature of the course is twice having to cross the busy A322 but this really is a minor inconvenience given the delights of playing here. |
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| 22 December 2009
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| | I've played WGC a few times and returned a couple of weeks ago, my first visit since many trees had been removed. As ever the course was in great shape, and the tree removal has greatly enhanced the look-and-feel of the golfing experience. For example the long 15th used to be totally enclosed down the left side, but now, as on many other holes, one can see across fairways and on to other parts of the course - a beautiful course, and it now feels bigger and better. The greens were great, the sun was shining and it was great to experience the "new" WGC. Superb and highly recommended. |
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| 24 August 2009
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| | Lovely heathland course, a really nice place to spend a day, clubhouse nifty too. Some holes out here will tickle your fancy. Only downside is that it is expensive to play. |
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| 14 February 2009
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| | Another great course in Surrey. many great holes here, 4 and 10 are two cracking par 3's and the par 5 11th is prehaps the best hole. In great condition as you would expect. For me, its neighbour Woking just about has the edge, but theres nothing between them really. Very enjoyable course. |
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| 03 June 2008
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| | The land here is brilliant, neighbouring courses at West Hill and Woking have this benefit too. After playing the three ‘W’ courses any order of a 1-2-3 would not look wrong (this debate will go on for ever – all have many attributes). Worplesdon is a course that grew on me during the round; the first hole (an uphill par-4) for me was a let-down and after good holes at the 2nd and 3rd, the par-3 4th is where the course becomes special. Other holes that I really liked were the 9th and the 10th, with the latter being a short par-3 over water – this is a beautiful part of the course. The back-9 is a great test and many holes run alongside tall pines and in and out of the heather that is such a familiar sight on this type of golf course, in this part of the world. It would be impossible for me to rate the three W’s in any particular order … let the discussion continue. |
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| 29 March 2008
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| | Played here June 2007, it was hot and sunny and this place was something to remember. Beautiful club house, I felt welcomed to be there, the golf course is very good and fun, a must play in the London area. The Greens are among the best, true and fast. |
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| 10 February 2008
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| | Played at Worplesdon on 16th June 2007. Fantastic course- condition incredible. We felt like we were playing at the US Open. The greens were the best any of the fourball had ever played. Definately the best of the three Ws and I would say in much better nick than the West course at Wentworth when I played it last. Par threes tough, but you can recover your score on the 5 par 5s. Not overly long but you had make sure you missed the many bunkers from your tee shot. Clubhouse- beautifully set out, relaxing and not pretentious. Staff welcoming and helpful. Play here if you can!! |
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| 18 June 2007
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| Response: | | | Carl | 23 July 2007 | | I love this course as well. Funny though, they think the 10th over the lake is the signature hole ....... but there are 17 infinitely better heathland holes! | | | Mark | 14 October 2008 | | There are only four par 5's, but you are right they are an opportunity to recover any lost shots from earlier in the round !! |
| | | I have played Worplesdon just the once but was thoroughly impressed with it. I played in the junior Open held in the summer months and was deeply surprised as to the quality and attractiveness of the course. The course offered fantastic views and some spectacular holes. The par 3 holes located all over the course were the highlight for me. The 5th hole, 180 yards up the hill was great to play along with the 10th a 155 yard par 3 across a beautiful lake. At the time of playing Worplesdon I played off of 14 and could not at the time enjoy the course in all its glory but know I am playing off of 4 handicap and would love to challenge the fairway bunker and heather carries from the tee again. It is a great course which you will not be disappointed with and is positioned within the region of another spectacular course Wentworth golf club host to the BMW championship and HSBC world match play. It is sure to get you in the mood to an enjoyable and fantastic round of Worplesdon GC. |
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| 12 March 2007
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| The years seem to drift away as you enter Worplesdon’s golf course environs. The club maintains the traditions of the game and it’s beautiful sleepy clubhouse, with it’s wood panelling and gabled roofs, epitomises the very essence of Surrey heathland golf. The welcome is muted and polite. As long as you do things their way, then you are made very welcome. Part of their way is the strict two ball policy that is upheld and as the distance on almost all holes (except when you risk life and limb a couple of times to cross the road) is very little you can get round with ease in just over 3 hours.
The course itself is built over undulating heathland typical of this area, there is plenty of heather, plenty of trees and even more bracken if you really stray off line. Generally the fairways are reasonably generous and the tree cover is kept mostly out of the line of play. The greens are an absolute treat, they are emerald green and pretty quick. The fairways did suffer under this years draught and are only just beginning to recover to a normal state. The course is also heavily bunkered, which is its main defence as it is not overly long and there are some very friendly par fives which modern golfing equipment has really made a bit to easy. The par three’s are all fairly strong with that Surrey peculiarity of being mostly uphill and unsighted. Overall the course is more a beautiful stroll in great countryside than a real stern test of golf.
There are really no weak holes, in terms of aesthetics, shoe horned in and it maintains it’s beauty all the way around. Except in my opinion the 10th, which is not a bad hole, but a lake hole on a heathland course seems a little out of place. I thoroughly recommend a visit here. The par fives should flatter your golf, the par three’s you will enjoy the challenge and in between there are some very pretty par 4’s. Whilst you’re there you can dream of owning one of the many houses that have gates entering onto the course. Especially the one on the third, pop out play two holes, have a nice drink in the bar and play two holes back ……….. once in a while you could go all the way round ………….. heaven for those with a bank account big enough. |
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| 19 October 2006
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| | Played here in July, and enjoyed thoroughly. The staff were unpretentious and helpful, which cant be said for some of the supposed 'bigger' clubs in Surrey. Very picturesque course with good variety from hole to hole. The only minor niggle was that maybe it isnt overly difficult. Walking off the 18th though I felt very pleased with myself...£60 a round, seemed like an absolute bargain! recommended. |
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| 31 July 2006
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| Response: | | | mark | 21 May 2008 | | I have played Worplesdon on a number of occasions. While not the longest, the number of bunkers on good drives and two tier greens make it a substantial challenge to play well on a regular basis. I suspect you may have had a good day with driver & putter. Long may it continue. |
| | | This is an excellent heath and heather course.We played on a Thursday afternoon teeing off at midday and were finished at 3-the course was virtually empty.And at £35 per round it really is good value.
Considering the time of year the course was in fabulous condition with the best winter greens I've ever played on.
The course has several tight drives where the penalties for missing the fairway are penal-notably the 5th,9th,12th and 17th- but is generally quite fair and good driving is rewarded.The signature hole is the 10th over a lake.
The last three holes are tough and par is hard to achieve on each of them although there are one or two short par 4's and 5's earlier to make your score-
Overall thoroughly recommended at £35 considering the rubbish you could play at that price round london |
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| 14 February 2006
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| | A fantastic pretty Heathland Course for sure. Lovely setting and as good as West Hill and Woking. Not nearly as good a test of golf as Sunningdale, Walton Heath, Hankley Common though. 1st and 2nd are not such great holes IMO, but the course soon opens its wings and lets loose - Get the chance, go play it. Lovely course. |
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| 11 January 2006
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| | Overall, I would rate Worplesdon as one of the best, prettiest and most enjoyable courses I have played. It is at least on par with, if not better than, St Georges’ Hill and Wentworth East for quality, test and visual appeal, and is more natural than either. It is probably not one of the hardest courses in the South, but it is by no means easy and you have to take advantage of points when given the chance, because there is plenty of danger. Whilst it is tree lined, and certainly tight in places, overall there is a lot more room than, say, the Duchess at Woburn. But you will be punished if you are not reasonably straight. ·This is what good golf is all about - a very enjoyable tree-lined heathland course with bags of visual appeal and the x-factor quality of a laid back, relaxed club that knows it is good and doesn’t have to brag. It has charm by the bucket full. Excellent variety of holes: there are no really short par 4’s, with the toughest being 2, 4, 14 and 18 – 14 looks very hard from the back tee behind the 13th green, which was not in play on our visit. None of the par 3’s are easy, but this is perhaps compensated for by pretty straightforward and, in the case of 6 and 15, quite easy, par 5’s. · The first hole is one of the most impressive starting holes I have ever played – a lovely raised tee to the left of the pro shop looks down on a beautiful fairway with the classic raised-tee-down-into-valley-and-back-up-to-green style of many other similar holes on heathland courses – but this is one of the best and probably the best opening hole I have played. · The par 3’s are amongst the best I have ever played. The 7th is perhaps the weakest, and this is testament to how good the others are, as it could be one of the best/ the best on a lot of other courses. The 16th is a very tough, awesome hole and the 13th, downhill and guarded all round by bunkers, is one of the best I have ever played. ·The bunkers, in general, are very well placed to challenge all levels of golfer. |
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| 10 September 2005
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| | In my view the best of the three W’s, altogether prettier, more strategic and generally a sterner test of golf than Woking and West Hill. Having said that, they are all great courses. Right from the inviting opening tee shot played from an elevated position, Worplesdon oozes quality through and through. The front nine is played across pleasantly undulating/rolling ground and the back nine is flatter. The bunkering is quite pronounced and the faces are quite steep and punishing often resulting in at least one lost shot. The rough, especially in summer, is penal. I have been lucky enough to play here on many occasions, as I know a member, and it is a divine place to play golf. The putting surfaces are always fast and true and I’ve certainly not mastered reading these greens after many rounds. There are no weak holes, or at least no holes that are not interesting but for me the par threes are just superb. The plateau green on the 4th is a gem and the tee shot on the 10th is stunning and the green is a nightmare to read. I really love this place and for me it is in the top five of the numerous heathland courses in this area of west London. The hospitable clubhouse is full of interest and it’s well worth spending some time there after the round. |
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| 24 April 2005
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| | This has to be one of the best golf clubs in the world. It's a complete joy to spend time both on and off the course. Great greens - always in immaculate condition. Keep the ball in play, otherwise it bites! |
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| 31 March 2004
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