COURSE GUIDE
We trust you to take good care of our golf course. If you’re lucky enough to make a pitch mark on the putting green, please repair with a pitch fork and to respect normal golfing etiquette. Our dress rules are very relaxed – we encourage golfers to wear sensible attire and footwear and to keep your tops on. One bag of clubs per golfer please, no sharing please. We don’t require a handicap
Most important rule = HAVE FUN!
HOLE 1: 201 YDS, PAR 3, STROKE INDEX: 6
A TRIBUTE TO: 6th Hole at ‘Riviera Golf Club’, USA
CHAMPIONSHIP: US OPEN
Our unique golf course begins with a unique hole. The first at Playgolf London is, notably, a Par 3 with a bunker in the middle of the green.
A tribute to the 6th hole at Riviera, USA, but also to Ben Hogan (who won a US Open there) and to visionary golf architect George C.Thomas Jr, who not only built a bunker within a green, but also got the green contours right so one can putt around it. At over 200 yards from the blue (back) tees, this hole represents a tough start to the golf course.
HOLE 2: 338 YDS, PAR 4, STROKE INDEX: 9
A TRIBUTE TO: 4th & 14th Holes at ‘Ganton Golf Club’, UK
CHAMPIONSHIP: WALKER CUP
Ganton, in North Yorkshire, is the inspiration for our first Par 4. From the tee, the hole brings to mind Ganton’s classic short Par 4 14th hole, scene of several thrilling Walker Cup battles in 2003. Leave your driver in the bag, and take a long iron for position.
Your approach shot echoes the second shot at Ganton’s 4th hole, with the pin often tucked away behind the right hand bunker on a subtly sloped green. It’s not long, but you’ll need finesse to make par.
HOLE 3: 196 YDS, PAR 3, STROKE INDEX: 3
A TRIBUTE TO: 6th Hole at ‘Oak Hill Golf Club’, USA
CHAMPIONSHIP: Ryder Cup
When we first looked at the land for our golf course, we noticed a stand of oak trees. Being patriotic golfers, we thought … oak trees … Oak Hill … 1995 Ryder Cup win … and there was our inspiration.
This tough Par 3 is one of three holes you’ll play at Playgolf London which have featured in The Ryder Cup, and is a tribute to the 6th at Oak Hill, which has also hosted the US PGA Championship. Guarded by a distinctive bunker, this Par 3 often plays into the wind. Once on the green you’ll find some tough slopes to contend with, especially towards the back. Birdie this and you’ve earned a Cup-style high five from your playing partners.
HOLE 4: 366 YDS, PAR 4, STROKE INDEX: 1
A TRIBUTE TO: 9th Hole at ‘The Belfry, Brabazon Course’, UK
CHAMPIONSHIP: Ryder Cup
We’ve recreated the tough second shot challenge presented by the spectacular 9th hole at The Belfry, with an intimidating lake to catch shots straying right. Into the wind, it’s a strong drive and a long iron for most of us, finishing with a slippery putt on a three-tier green.
And to the right of the green cascades a waterfall inspired by the 4th green at Valderrama Golf Club.
HOLE 5: (LEFT GREEN) 160 YDS, PAR 3 STROKE INDEX: 4
A TRIBUTE TO: 12th Hole at ‘Royal Birkdale Golf Club’, UK
CHAMPIONSHIP: The Open
Walk a few yards and our course changes character again. Two classic links golf holes, two formidable, potentially card-wrecking Open Championship quality Par 3s.
For the 5th, use the back tee and play to the left of the hump. This is our tribute to the 12th at Royal Birkdale – described by Tom Watson as one of the world’s great Par 3s. It offers you a small green flanked by bunkers and rough. Pull it left and wave goodbye to your ball… and to the right, there is the dreaded bank. Hit a solid iron and imagine the wave to the galleries as you walk to the green …
HOLE 6: (RIGHT GREEN) 114 YDS, PAR 3 STROKE INDEX: 8
A TRIBUTE TO: 8th Hole at ‘Royal Troon Golf Club’, UK
CHAMPIONSHIP: The Open
For the 6th, walk back to the forward tee and play to the green to the right of the hump. This is our tribute to the shortest hole in Open Championship competition, the 8th at Royal Troon – the ‘Postage Stamp’. One of the world’s most famous Par Threes, it was the scene of the legendary Gene Sarazen’s hole in one in 1971, and Tiger Woods’ triple-bogey 6 on his first visit to Royal Troon in 1997.
It may be short, but it is deadly. Surrounded by authentically small, steep-sided pot bunkers, our 6th hole could either be a famous birdie, or a shameful short-hole six…
HOLE 7: RIGHT GREEN) 147 YDS, PAR 3 STROKE INDEX: 7
A TRIBUTE TO: 16th Hole at ‘Augusta National Country Club’, USA
CHAMPIONSHIP: Masters
Following on from two holes of links golf, our round changes nature and builds to a climax around a double-green tribute to the most celebrated golf course in the world. You’re in London, just outside the congestion charge, about to play either the 12th (‘Golden Bell’) or the 16th (‘Redbud’) at Augusta, both heartbreakers, both evocative of April Sunday evenings in front of the TV …
It could only be Playgolf London.
Your 7th, the right hand green, is our tribute to Augusta’s treacherous 16th. The green hugs the lake and dares you to fly across the water. Just don’t tug it left. Can you par a hole at Augusta?
HOLE 8: 131 YDS, PAR 3 STROKE INDEX: 5
A TRIBUTE TO: 11th Hole at ‘Walton Heath Golf Club’, UK
CHAMPIONSHIP: Ryder Cup
Our 8th hole is a tribute to a classic Ryder Cup par three, a highlight on the challenging Walton Heath Old course.
Like many holes at Playgolf London, it is heavily bunkered, presenting a narrow-waisted target to the golfer from the tee. Its two-level green has a step in the middle, rising towards some tougher pin positions at the back.
Not that long, but by this stage in the round, are you on top of your game… or simply surviving?
HOLE 9: LEFT GREEN) 151 YDS, PAR 3 STROKE INDEX: 2
A TRIBUTE TO: 12th Hole at ‘Augusta National Country Club’, USA
CHAMPIONSHIP: Masters
Our 9th and final hole is a fitting climax to the Majors Course.
Our tribute to the 12th at Augusta, with its shallow well-defended green, is a much tighter shot than its sister hole to the right. To find the green, you must carry the lake, and land it on what, to the eye, looks like an unfeasibly slim target.
The front bunker catches many, but the twin back bunkers with their gleaming white sand are doubly dangerous… many a recovery shot has ended back in the lake on this hole. Enjoy the challenge, take your knocks, savour the birdies, and repair to the clubhouse for a good Playgolf London golfer’s feed…
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