We played the longer of the two courses here but we are sure both courses are to the same standard. The clubhouse, a 17th Century Mansion House, looks magnificent for a start and we seemed to be treated like guests in a hotel so full marks to the staff and very friendly members. The fairways at Moor Park are well defined and the tees were in great condition too although there didn't seem to be much variation on them, just large rectangular mounds with tees at the front middle and back. The greens were great, they rolled true and were a little firm but at least they were very consistent.
The course starts with an uphill dogleg with bunkers on the left so a drive down the right seems the safest option, but get too close to the trees and you won't have a line in to the green. The 2nd is a great par 4 that rolls round to the right and really gives you a choice to make. The 3rd has a tricky sloping green so placement is the key to an easier putt. The 4th & 5th are pretty straight forward par 4's with only the line of trees down the sides of the fairways to worry about. The par 5 6th gives a good opportunity for a birdie but you have to be careful as new positioning of the bunkers has made this par 5 tough to reach in two.
The 7th does not play very long at all, you just have to make sure you don't drive too far so maybe an iron off the tee is required here. The 8th is a great par 4, you drive to the hill and if you are lucky you will roll down it, but more than likely you will be on the downhill part of the fairway with a long approach to the green and the water just waiting for you to hit a wayward shot.
The par 5 9th another good chance for a birdie just make sure the drive is down the left otherwise you won't have a line in to the green because of the trees on the right. The 10th is a scenic short par 3 where you do not want to miss the green and carrying on the scenic theme to the 11th you just cannot see where your ball is going to land, just aim at the bunkers and watch your ball disappear in to the valley. Next comes a tough long par 3 with a huge step in the green, so being on the green is one thing but you need to be on the right level if you don't want the added pressure of not three putting. The 13th is a straight forward par 5 where the tee shot needs to be up the left as the sloping fairway will bring the ball back to the centre.
The 14th requires a slight right to left shot off the tee then it's up to a stepped green where being on the correct side can make all the difference. Another plus 400 yard par 4 is next so the tee shot is all important and look out for the water on the approach. The par 5 16th shouldn't give you any problems, as long as you don't mind teeing off over the water, there is a generous entrance to the green so if you fancy a chance of getting there in two, go for it. The drive off the 17th could have you running out of fairway so club selection off the tee is important and the green is quite well protected with a bunker and lots of mounds. A short last hole is made slightly more difficult with a far from flat green getting on the right side of the flag could be the difference of a birdie to a bogie.
Overall we thought the course was very good, maybe a little more bunkers needed to make the drives a little trickier but the quality of the course and clubhouse shone through.
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