Kingswood Golf & Country Club Review
The opportunity to tee off on any James Braid designed golf course is one that has to be taken. Braid’s masterful eye has helped shape the likes of Carnoustie, Nairn and Aberdovey. If a golf course bears his name, it’s unlikely to disappoint.
Kingswood Golf & Country Club, just south of London in the belt of Surrey heathland that includes Walton Heath, is no exception. Having undergone extensive re-design under the direction of Howard Swan in recent years, this traditional parkland golf course is earning an enviable reputation. Although originally laid out in the 1920’s, Swan’s sympathetic modifications present a course that meanders carefully through tree lined fairways and a daunting total of 99 bunkers. These bunkers provide the modern character of the course, and they work superbly, forcing you to play the holes the way they were designed to be played. Framing the fairways and approach shots, they tempt you to hit close, so as to be rewarded with the best lines in, while ensuring you’re pulling the right club out of your bag each time. As a result, the holes retain the designers’ original objectives and the course is played the way it was envisaged. You can’t bash your driver off every tee at Kingswood and expect to get away with it; and you need to be especially precise with your irons if you want to get the ball close to the pins.
Over the course of 18 holes, you’ll find yourself trying to shape shots in both directions and plot your way around the vagaries of this parkland course. The closing holes bring challenging undulations, hanging lies and dangerous approaches that have the potential to wreak havoc on your scorecard.
Front Nine
The par 4 first bears similarities to hundreds of opening holes in golf, and that’s by no means a criticism. It’s a gentle opener, on the famous proviso that you get your tee shot away! Do so, and there’s a good chance of an early birdie, but anything else and you’re under pressure for that comforting par. The second is a prime example of how the fine bunkering at Kingswood frames the holes. There’s sand at the landing areas for both your tee shot and around the green, and it’s an early demonstration of the need to stay out of trouble.
A healthy test of a par three comes next, with nothing short of a pure strike being rewarded with a putt on a ‘back to front’ sloping green. Four requires a very precise drive off the tee, as more tree lined fairways put increasing pressure on your game.
The first par 5 comes at the fifth hole, a long and slightly down hill left to right dogleg, however the trouble seems to become more evident the closer to the hole you get. Several bunkers, undulations, trees, bushes, and patches of rough lie in wait within the last 100 yards, and in many ways the pressure is on the second and third shots, rather than the drive. Six plays back alongside the fifth fairway, slightly uphill and right to left this time. The majority of trouble is again centred around the green, with several trees and bunkers lying in wait, providing ample punishment for the errant shot.
The seventh, a lovely short par three, tests your game management as you’re confronted with a different playing direction from the previous few holes. You’ll need to gauge the wind correctly and navigate a path through the greenside bunkers to give yourself a chance of birdie here.
Maybe it was just me, but the par 4 eighth is one of those holes where you can see a green way off in the distance and your first hope is that isn’t where you’re going. Sure enough, it is, and while the hole doesn’t play quite as long as you first think, you still need two straight, solid whacks to get there in regulation. The ninth is another lengthy hole, but this time with a par to match. The second shot, if you’re going for the green, will require a very accurate placement to hit the target, and if you’re laying up to pitch on, the short iron also needs to be exact on this gentle left to right dogleg. It’s a fine hole, and a welcome and deserved rest in the neighbouring halfway hut serves as a good tonic for the work so far.
Back Nine
The tenth hole, a par three, can be played from a variety of positions. From the ‘friendly’ tee by the half way hut, it’s a relatively short and welcoming hole. From the additional 40 yards provided by the medal tees, it’s slightly punchier! Eleven provides a good birdie chance, an inviting par 5 that can help the scorecard along.
Twelve & thirteen offer two classic dog legs, in opposing directions. The right hander’s fade required on twelve will take you ever closer to some waiting fairway bunkers, whilst the thirteenth requires either a slinging right to left shot from the tee (if you can produce one), or demands a lengthy second played towards some classic English scenery extending off in the distance.
The par 5 fourteenth may look inviting, and if you find the fairway, it is, but miss and the pressure for par is on immediately. You really don’t want to be coming in to the green from the right hand side with the undulations in the land becoming increasingly apparent. These humps and bumps begin to take greater effect on fifteen and sixteen. The troubles on fifteen are most evident on the contoured green, whilst the par 4 sixteenth insists on two lengthy and accurate shots. Miss the greens on these two and you’ll need an exquisite chip or pitch to preserve your par.
The penultimate hole plays as a long par three. Not overtly dangerous, but one of those holes that you feel will always require an extra club. It’s certainly one that has the potential to damage your scorecard without too much going wrong. Eighteen provides another fine dog leg left and a nervy finish in front of the clubhouse. If you’ve been hitting a shots to the left all day, the clubhouse (and embarrassment) might suddenly seem somewhat ‘in range’ for your final approach!
The course at Kingswood is clearly catered to accommodate all, with numerous tee options (many of which are new) allowing for players of all abilities. It doesn’t matter whether you are playing in a society group, visiting fourball, monthly medal, or corporate golf day, you get the distinct impression that common sense and discretion will always be used when the club sets up the course for the day’s play. While nobody in their right mind wants a six hour round, some may want a leisurely game while others want testing in competitive conditions. Kingswood is clearly capable of accommodating all of this on the golf course, and much more beyond.
The golf shop at Kingswood, with its extensive range of equipment, has a reputation that extends far beyond the club itself, whilst the facilities for enjoying a post round drink, snack, or meal, are all excellent, too. There’s a large veranda with numerous places to relax and retell the day’s play, while the aforementioned 18th green and 10th tee provide the theatre, as various golfers come under the watchful eye and scrutiny of others in the clubhouse.
Kingswood Golf & Country Club offers something very unique within the M25 – a combination of good quality championship golf, a welcoming and friendly clubhouse, and genuine value for money. It’s what most people are looking for these days but it’s rare to find it in such a location.