- Course Type – Parkland
- Green Fees – £29.50-£39.50
- Par – 71
- Length – Back 6023y, Middle 5726y and Front 5274y.
Overview:
Situated in central Milton Keynes, Abbey Hill Golf Club is the premier golf complex serving the city. It boasts an 18 hole golf course, 9 hole Par 3 short course, foot golf, a driving range and an 18 hole pirate themed crazy golf course. I therefore think its fair to say Abbey Hill has something to offer every type of golfer.
Before going any further I’ll confess that my family all live in Milton Keynes. So despite not growing up there myself, it is a second home. And I spent a lot of my childhood walking past Abbey Hill and hoping to play it one day. I don’t know if the nostalgia influences my review in any way, but its worth calling out.
The main course is short by modern standards, at only 6023y off the back tees, however, the design and utilisation of the space is largely good. Narrow holes and clever dog legs will stop big hitters from simply overpowering it, whilst shorter hitters are rewarded for accuracy off the tee. Therefore all golfers will feel like they can make a good score here.
Onto the greens… These were incredibly smooth and reasonably quick. Especially seeing as we’d had two days of prolonged rain beforehand. This made them a joy to putt on and much better than many courses I’ve played.
The things that will cause you to rack up a score here, other than its narrowness in places, are some well positioned trees, the odd stream and bit of water and plenty of green side bunkers. But that being said it is hard to lose a ball as the trees aren’t dense. So plod your way round to avoid these and you’ll make a good score.
Is there anything to watch out for? With the course, not really. But the only negative I would say about the experience is that the course seems to pair up singles and pairs. So unless you are a 3 or 4 ball be prepared for this.
Look, I understand the business model and reasons for this and know demand is high right now. But in the current Covid-19 world I am not a fan of being forced into playing with strangers. This was compounded by the pro-shop staff not telling me this, or the pair I was grouped up with, so we only found out on the first tee by talking to each other. It’s easy to communicate so I’m sure they’ll fix this!
Regardless, the end result is a very full golf course with pace of play at the slower end. If you are prepared for this, don’t care, or are in a 3 or a 4 ball with your mates then you’ll have great fun. I suppose, as a result, it did give me a chance to take lots of pictures for this review…
The Front 9:
The opening hole is a short Par 4 with a stream cutting across before the green. This and the slightly elevated tee, force you into a mid-iron tee shot and short iron or wedge into the green. Thankfully, this means it is hard to wreck the scorecard straight away!
After this you play two tougher holes, a Par 4 where length and accuracy are required off the tee or else you might not have a clear shot in. Followed by a mid-length Par 3, with a well protected green (bunkers and a drop off). Therefore if you get through the first three on handicap you’ve set a good foundation.
The 4th is a straight uphill Par 5 which narrows as you get closer to the green. My advice is take one more club with your approach shot.
The narrowing of holes as you get closer to the green, seems to be a common design feature to squeeze the holes in, and to be honest it works.
After that you play one of only two holes I didn’t really enjoy as I’m not a huge fan of trees blocking the route from fairway to green. Its also incredibly narrow off the tee meaning you are further back than you’d like to be. It’s a tough hole and requires two very good shots, which is probably why I didn’t like it!
The 6th and 7th are two short Par 4’s requiring a hybrid or similar off the tee and leave anywhere between 90-140y into inviting greens. Consequently they present two great opportunities to get a birdie putt! I particularly loved the contours on the 7th green.
After those is a really enjoyable uphill Par 3, with six bunkers protecting a two tiered green. Take an extra club but avoid the temptation to take on a back pin location.
The Front 9 finishes with a Par 5 which is all about the second shot. A well positioned fairway cross bunker 120y from the green gives you a decision to make. Do you try to carry it and take on the narrow part of the hole? Or lay up and have 140y in? As a result, good decision making is needed here.
The Back 9:
The back 9 starts with a great driving hole. This is because it is wide open with a large fairway and no real trouble. The uphill green in the distance encourages you to pull the chief out the bag and give it a whack. I duly obliged with my longest drive of the day and left an 8 iron into the green. I somehow hit this to 3 foot and for a tap in birdie. Lovely!
After crossing back over the bridge, you play the Par 4 11th. The downhill tee shot needs to be short to avoid a stream running across which catches anything that rolls out longer than 200y. This is followed by a sharp dog leg right, to an uphill green playing about 180y.
As a left hander who hits a slight fade this was therefore my least favourite hole and it rightly earns its title as hardest hole on the course. But if you’ve got the right shot shape be brave and take on the stream. It’ll make the hole a lot easier. If not do like I did – use your shot, make bogey and move on.
The 12th is a nice Par 3; the mound at the front of the green creates a bit of an illusion that its longer than it is, so trust your yardage. Whilst the 13th is a good Par 4 with a downhill, almost blind tee shot. Go at the stake with driver or a fairway wood and you’ll be in a great position.
The 14th is a Par 5 back up the hill, with a slight dog leg left and bunkers protecting you from hitting over the corner. Well, unless you are a big hitter who can carry 230y up a slight incline. The green here is large so its worth going for it. Especially as the trees on the left aren’t as close or in play as they look from the fairway.
After that you have a short Par 4. It looks narrow off the tee but only requires a mid-iron or hybrid due to it being downhill. A fairway bunker in the middle will catch anyone silly enough to hit anything longer. So be sensible and you’ll make an easy par.
The 16th plays back up the hill, with a wide fairway it offers you another chance to hit the big dog. A lovely two tiered green is inviting and provides a back stop, but anything too long will fall away on the drop off.
Finally, we are onto the home straight with the Par 3 17th. This hole is like Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider – short, intimidating, stunning and it could easily beat you up. As a result of the water protecting the left hand side and trees to your right make this is the most difficult short iron or wedge that you’ll hit all day. So step up, hit a good shot and club twirl your way to a par.
The course ends with a mid-length Par 4. Aim up the left and the camber of the fairway should put you into a good position to hit your approach into another narrow green. Avoid the three bunkers short and you’ll have a final chance to finish with a good score.
Overall:
Abbey Hill has something to offer all ages and abilities. It won’t blow you away but it won’t offend you either.
Its shorter length and subtle hills make it an easy walk, whilst also offering plenty of opportunities to make a good score on the carpet like greens. For context, I shot my joint lowest round ever here. You can do the same if your are sensible off the tee and prioritise accuracy over length.
On the other hand, my only criticism is I think its a little expensive for what it is and the pairing up of golfers isn’t my preference.
However it is a great golfing complex due to the additional short course, crazy golf and driving range. Therefore its a brilliant location to take a new golfer or children. They can see how fun golf is and then build up to an enjoyable 18 hole golf course when they fall in love with the game. For this reason alone we should support and cherish places like Abbey Hill.
If you want to book a tee time at Abbey Hill then please click here – just make sure you’ve practised the right shot shape for the 11th tee shot!
Weekend Tour Pros Rating:
- Fun Factor: 8
- Quality of the Course: 7
- Value for Money: 6