Wednesday 6th May 2009
St George's Hill, Golf Club Road, St George's Hill, Weybridge, Surrey
27 holes
St George's Hill Golf Club is the prettiest of the many heathland courses on the Surrey/Berkshire sand belt and one of the very best. In 1911, a local builder came up with an original idea to build luxury fairway-side houses and by chance, Harry Colt was the chosen architect. The course opened for play in 1913 and it is considered to be Colt's greatest work.
The most notable difference between St George's Hill and the heathland layouts in this area is the terrain. The land here sweeps and undulates like a rollercoaster and Harry Colt used these dramatic elevation changes superbly in his design.
The spectacular panorama from the front of the clubhouse, or the pavilion as it was originally called, totally whets your appetite. It is one of those views that grabs you and makes your heart pound in excited anticipation. You cannot help but want to get out onto the first tee as quickly as possible.
Opening up is a super 384-yard par four played from an elevated tee. The 2nd hole is even better, a brutal 458-yard par four, a blind drive over the brow of a hill will leave a tough approach shot from a hanging lie which must carry a stream on its way to a distant raised green. And so it goes on, with many more memorable holes, especially par threes. In fact there isn't a single weak hole at St George's Hill.
Amongst the grandiose setting is inherent charm and beauty. The houses beside the fairways have style and never impose; if anything, they are complementary and add to the amazing St George's experience.