The Shire London Reviews

The course itself is famous for having been designed by Seve Ballesteros and for having 6 of each of the par 3's, 4's & 5's. It is a challenging parkland course with a lot of water hazards strategically placed with the first hole being a medium length par 3 with the green protected with a pond at the front and sides. That fact kind of sets you up nicely to know what's coming for the rest of the round. The course itself was beautifully maintained with the fairways being pretty immaculate and cut into some interesting slopes amongst the trees. I was very fortunate to be able to play this course the day before a PGA qualifying event. The greens had been cut and ironed and had that crunch feel that you get when your shoes break the surface almost like walking on a frosty puddle. To say they were fast was an understatement and they were very consistent giving a very even roll. I played from the Diamond (White) tees and found it to be quite a long course. The course flows beautifully never having that up and back feel and is cut into the contours of the land giving a great variety of tee shots and approaches. There were only two draw backs to my mind. The rough was brutal and combined with the water means that any errors were punished severely, so a good supply of balls is advisable. Also like a few other courses I have played, there are electrical lines crossing part of the course, here being a par 3. So I got a free reload having struck my tee shot beautifully and hitting a wire, but that didn't really make up for the lost ball and second, not so great strike, at the same hole. The course does offer some great views of itself from the tees and the way it cuts through various copse means that considered play is essential. The club house was very nice with plenty of pictures of Seve to admire. It is definitely one that i would like to play again and would do so on a regular basis with the undulations and water providing a variety of challenges.

An absolute pleasure to play the academy course on a crisp day. 100% recommend