Worksop

The course is not particularly long but has putting surfaces that slope wickedly and it is these that act as its main defence. They ensure you must absolutely leave your ball under the hole with your approach shot in order to score well and avoid three-putting… or worse.

Many of the holes at Worksop are also quite tight, therefore, wielding the driver at every opportunity may not always be the wisest choice. The firm nature of the fairways means you can sneak a little bit more distance from the tee, with a long iron or three-wood, than you might initially think.

Lots of the holes on this very tranquil layout are lined with silver birch, gorse and bracken; to be avoided at all costs. The tree-lined nature of the course makes judging the wind difficult as you always seem to be switching direction and there are some nice changes in elevation, with a few of the fairways dipping down and then rising back up, that also creates indecision with club selection.

The opening four holes ease you into the round with a couple of medium-length par fours to start with, followed by a par three then a sharp dog-leg left-to-right two shotter. However, the course really comes to life when you reach one of the best examples of a three-tiered green you will find at the sweeping fifth; each tier poses a different conundrum and it is angled perfectly as it narrows towards the rear, a bunker also pinching the left side of the middle level.

The course doesn’t really look back after that.

Consecutive par fives follow at holes six and seven; both reachable but not without their dangers. The 10th and 15th are the other two par fives on the course and they complete an excellent set. None are overly long and therefore offer up the opportunity of birdies but the greens are particularly sloping and clever bunkering means that if you are tackling the green from the wrong side you will have to work hard to get your ball close to the flag, missing on the wrong side can be fatal for par.

Meanwhile, the quartet of par threes are sound without being outstanding. The third, played uphill, has a fine long and narrow green whilst the eighth is played downhill to a very large putting surface that favours a running approach. The short 11th is more functional than anything else as it helps with the routing of the course because the 10th green is already quite close to the 12th tee. The round closes with a short hole too, not the greatest finishing hole as the green is blind, but the severe slope from right to left means anything above the hole on the clubhouse side is virtually dead.

As for the remaining par fours the ninth is perhaps the pick of the bunch with a magnificent green complex and lots of movement; it effectively has two tiers but also swings a lot from the right and is in a beautiful picturesque setting. The trio from the 12th are also fine two-shot holes with the 14th just edging it for me as it entices you to try and hug the left as much as you dare.

Worksop doesn’t meet the true excellence of nearby Notts Golf Club nor does it quite have the same enchanting feel that Sherwood Forest exudes but that doesn’t mean the enjoyment of playing here is diminished in any way. Worksop is certainly a course I would recommend you play and is worth going out of your way to do so.