We got back out on the course before Lockdown 2 at Rye Hill Golf Club.
Before England went into a national lockdown for the second time in 2020 we managed to get in a round at Rye Hill Golf club in Oxfordshire. The Par 73 layout makes good use of the natural landscape it sits on.
Like many of the clubs we have played the COVID restrictions in place have meant we weren’t able to fully use the facilities. We did receive a warm welcome in the club shop as we checked in for our round and some useful advice on the course as well as a map before we headed out. Trust me it came in useful.
The outward nine.
You probably won’t find an easier opening nine holes it eases you into the round. The first fairway must be a good 150 yards wide with no trouble its a drive and a flick of a wedge to a large green complex. The second has a little bit more to it slight left to right on the fairway and a much narrower fairway but still relatively simple if you get a good tee shot away. The third is the first of the three par 3’s at Rye Hill, it has a hedge running through the middle so you can’t see the base of the pin but it’s only a short iron and again a decent size green.
The 4th on the day was playing into the teeth of a 2/3 club wind tree-lined either side but no real trouble. The same could be said of the 5th, if you get a good drive away then its only a wedge into a large tiered green complex sloping from back to front. You then need your map! The 6th is a good few minutes walk away but it’s a nice hole, which you drive downhill again with a short iron in hand it’s another good chance at birdie. The 7th is probably one of the best-framed holes with strategically placed fairway bunkers making you think for the first time off the tee.
The 8th is good par 5 just don’t go left, with a slightly elevated green which you don’t want to go long with. The 9th runs back alongside the 8th again into the teeth of the wind making it play much longer and harder than the previous hole.
The back nine.
The back nine starts with a simple par 4 it’s another driver and short iron, then it’s back to the map for another decent walk around to the 11th tee. Another par 5 which does get a bit narrower around the landing area of the tee shot, you don’t want to go left, its pretty much a 3 shot hole but not too much danger for your approach, a greenside bunker guards the front and it’s another hole not to go long on with the approach. The 12th is the next par 3 and it’s very well sheltered from any wind but club selection is key for this hole as when it gets up above those trees it will stall so my advice would be to take a club more than you think.
The 13th starts a nice run of visually appealing holes well framed and makes good use of the natural landscape. You don’t want to go right off the tee. It’s a short maybe mid-iron into a back to front sloping green. The 14th is a great driving hole with slopes pulling in your tee shot from both sides if it’s as wet as it was on the day we played you may need your wellies for the next few fairways as they were very boggy. I can imagine that in the summer a great drive on 14 will get you close to the green! The 15th again similar to the 14th tee shot but just sloping left to right but you’ll have a short iron or wedge into another large green.
Onto the par 4 16th where you tee off downhill into a wide fairway before heading back up to a large green, another hole not to go long-on. The final par 3 is probably the best visually but like many of the holes here not too much trouble a good opportunity for a birdie before the final hole. So onto the final hole and off the tee, you want to be left as there’s a big tree to the right side of the fairway but navigate that and it’s a short iron into the final green.
How did we score it?
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Variety of holes | 5/10 |
| Experience | 5/10 |
| Design | 5/10 |
| Value for money | 7/10 |
| Uniqueness of venue | 5/10 |
| Total | 27/50 |
In summary:
It was a tough day on the course, the wind was making the course play longer and it was pretty boggy in places. We didn’t find the course the most exciting we’ve ever played it didn’t have much of a flow to it. I describe it as a field which has had some golf holes situated around it with trees planted to frame some of the holes.
The back nine gets the nod for me except for maybe 6 & 7 on the front 9, the stretch of holes from 13 – 17 was the best although we struggled to identify what the signature hole would be. Value for money at ÂŁ20 a round is very good but I think that’s a good reflection on the quality of the course at this time of year. The greens did role very true even in these conditions.
I’d say its definitely a course you would want to play during the spring/summer months as I think it will play a lot better.
Jeremy
Nine Hole Golf 