- Course Type – Parkland
- Green Fees – £15-26
- Par – 69
- Length – Back 5672y, Middle 5482y and Front 5137y.
This week we returned to East Horton Golf Club to play their Parkland course. We recently visited the course, situated between Winchester and Southampton, to play their Championship course the Greenwood. You can read all about it and what else East Horton Golf Club can offer by clicking here.
This time East Horton welcomed us back to play the Parkland course. Think of this as the younger sibling to the Greenwood. It’s shorter, more open and a lot flatter – only two holes go up and down a hillside. This means its an enjoyable walk and suitable for carrying.
At 5672 yards from the back tees it is short on paper. But looks can be deceiving. Firstly, it has a lower Par of 69 and then there is the repeated design feature of placing a cross fairway ditch right with a large tree either side. So right where you’d want to land your tee shot to take the trees out of the hole. Consequently you are forced into taking less club off most tees than you’d like given how open it is. Add to that four Par 3’s over 180 yards and a 434 yard Par 4 and it plays longer than the scorecard suggests.
Visually, if you like your courses to be the golfing equivalent of Margot Robbie or Channing Tatum then be warned this isn’t the place for you… Think of it more like having cornflakes for breakfast. Not that exciting but it serves a purpose and does it well.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a course that isn’t too punishing for the higher handicap or beginner golfer then read on…
The fairways themselves were good and very green – clearly benefiting from the recent rainfall. However the tee boxes are bumpy and the greens were flat, slow, spongey and patchy in places. The ones on the Greenwood are certainly more fun. Also some of the bunkers had a lot of stones in which wasn’t good to see.
One thing to note is that if it’s a windy day, like when we played, the relatively open landscape means you will really feel it throughout. Don’t let this put you off, just make sure you account for it on every shot.
Right, lets get into the hole by hole…
THE FRONT 9:
The Parkland course at East Horton eases you in with a short Par 4. It’s just over 300 yards up a slight hill, with only a single fairway bunker to cause trouble. So pull the club you feel most comfortable with and give it a rip. This should leave a short shot into an unprotected green – just avoid the bunker right.
The second is another Par 4 which subtly turns to the left. The first set of well positioned annoying trees means your tee shot needs to be long and favouring the right. If you’re not blocked out play for the centre of the green to avoid greenside bunkers left and right.
The first Par 3 is next. Its 187y and plays slightly downhill with large trees catching anything left or right. Underneath is the first of the ditches. This one shouldn’t be in play but does get you in the mood for what’s to come.
After this is a short Par 4 and one with a poor design which rewards a wild miss right more than hitting the fairway. This is due to the second set of trees banking the fairway at 170y with a ditch running between them. I hit the left side of the fairway and was blocked out. Yet my playing partner had a clear shot in from 30 yards into the right rough. It’s a bit silly. But luckily only really happens on this hole due to the severity of the dog leg.
By now you can already see the repeated design pattern that I mentioned in the introduction. Cross fairway ditch, flanked with a large tree either side of the fairway. Personally I found this frustrating as you couldn’t really be that aggressive. But others might really like it…
You won’t be surprised to therefore hear that the fifth is a replicate of what we’ve seen before. Play short of the ditch and leave yourself a short iron or wedge into the green.
The next three holes were probably my least favourite. Not only do they follow the same design features, they are brutal.
It starts with the long Par 4 sixth hole which played into wind when we played. At 434 yards, with a dog leg, it’s more like a short Par 5. After hitting driver off the tee you might be tempted to go for the right side of the green. But don’t there’s another ditch running down the right. So only go for it if you can see the left side of the green which is wide open. Otherwise lay up and play for the up and down.
The Par 5 seventh is the worst hole on the course. The best way to describe it is that it feels like a Par 4 and Par 3 have been stuck together… And ta-da we’ve got ourselves a gimmicky Par 5! This time the trees pinch in twice, once with their best friend the cross ditch. Then there is the addition of a dog leg. All of which force you to play it as a three shot hole. This on its own is fine. But then they’ve stuck a pond right where you’d lay up meaning there is no good lay up. So just hit and hope… Well, unless you are DJ and can hit your ball high into space.
I’ll be surprised if you don’t find trouble on your first outing on this hole. Because the design around the neighbouring holes, is confusing.
This stretch ends with a ridiculous Par 3. It’s over 220y off the middles, with (you guessed it) trees and another cross ditch at 160 yards. Also the left is out of bounds; so make sure you hit a good shot. It’s a long Par 3 by tour player standards. So feels really out of place on a golf course targeting beginners and high handicap players. We played it into the wind to make it even tougher so I deliberately laid up. Despite getting up and down from 40 yards it was my least enjoyable par ever.
The front 9 closes with another mid-length Par 4. This one is straight and wide but you can’t take driver… Guess why? Yep, there’s high trees and a ditch 230 yards off the tee.
THE BACK 9:
You’ll be pleased to hear that the back 9 on the Parkland at East Horton offers more variety. It starts with an enjoyable little Par 3 that plays uphill and requires a wedge or 9i at most.
After this you play the 10th. Although it has some of the same design features there is at least some effort to make it play different. The narrow trees and ditch are closer to the tee and there is a second ditch short of the green. This at least gives you the challenge of flying your approach shot in.
Twelve is another 180+ yard Par 3. Again the trees and ditch are near the tee box, whilst four greenside bunkers are waiting for anything short. There’s lots of room long so play for the back of the green and you’ll be fine. Just avoid the field of sheep that are behind the hole!
The 13th is nearly identical to the 9th except the hole turns to the right slightly at the green. Play it the same… and move on!
The 14th is a short Par 3 with no bunkers. In truth it sums up this course; it’s quite plain. A mid-iron is all that’s needed to a large green. It’s a genuine birdie chance and one I was finally able to capitalise on…
After 14 flat holes you now play up the hill for a short Par 5. Its wide open off the tee with only the wildest miss left in trouble. It’s reachable in two but be careful of the three greenside bunkers catching anything that isn’t flown all the way. If you are in play off the tee take it on, like I did. I found one of the bunkers but still made par so it’s worth a go.
The 16th is a short, downhill, almost right angled dog leg. It is risk reward due to the internal out of bounds and bunkers protecting the aggressive tee shot. We took it on and despite hitting our shots further right than intended we stayed just in bounds. And we were using a hybrid so most people should be able to do the same. This left short pitches into the most sloping green on the course, going from back to front.
The final Par 3 is the penultimate hole and plays longer than its 179 yards on the scorecard. This is because its slightly uphill; so take an extra club, avoid the bunker left and you’ll be fine.
The course closes with arguably the best hole on the course. It’s a short Par 5 back down the hill. From the tee there are some lovely views on a clear day so enjoy it. There’s half of Hampshire to land your tee shot in so pull the driver and smoke one down there.
The second shot plays over the last ditch with (shock) trees either side and is worth taking on. If you clear it there is only 60 yards to the green and two bunkers. These are far enough apart that there is room to chase one onto the green. It therefore makes for a final birdie chance.
OVERALL:
In conclusion, the Parkland course at East Horton is perfect for catching up with your mates over a social knock. You know, those rounds where the golf course is less important than the social occasion it has allowed for. The design is very repetitive and the condition mixed. Whilst visually the first 75% of the course looks like a large open field with a few large trees and some golf holes built into it.
But it’s not all bad, there are some good good holes, particularly on the back 9 which is better. And it will appeal to new golfers due to how wide open it is. Others will enjoy it for the largely easy walk. It’s also good value at £15 at twilight times.
If you are a better player you’ll be rewarded for good course management. This will present lots of birdie opportunities which, due to the slow greens, you can attack. However the longer hitter will probably be frustrated at the lack of holes that encourage you to hit driver.
WEEKEND TOUR PROS RATING:
- Fun Factor: 5
- Quality of the Course: 6
- Value for Money: 6