- Course Type – In Land Links
- Green Fees – £12-24
- Par – 69
- Length – Back 5620y, Middle 5259y and Front 5157y.
Overview:
Great Salterns is the home of the only 18 hole golf course on the densely populated island of Portsmouth, Hampshire. Situated on the south coast, this council run course offers some of the cheapest green fees around. So, is it worth a visit or do you get what you pay for?
The course is split into two loops of 11 and 7 holes with a road and the car park separating them. The separately owned Portsmouth Golf Centre acts as the pro shop and offers a TopTracer driving range, comprehensive golf shop and full teaching and fitting facilities.
By its own admission Great Salterns isn’t going to feature on the Open rota. Instead it places its focus on offering affordable golf and a great location to learn or try the game of golf.
This is further emphasised by the Par 69 course measuring only 5620 yards off the back tees. With only one short Par 5 and four Par 3’s it doesn’t offer the greatest variety on the scorecard. But there is enough variation in some of the hole designs to keep the better player focused.
The greens are large with the odd slope, although there are a couple of two tiered ones thrown in for a bit of extra fun. Water comes into play on five holes, including a cool tee shot on the signature Par 4 13th. Otherwise bunkers act as the only form of defence.
In truth Great Salterns is relatively easy on paper, with only the most errant of shots getting into trouble. However this aligns to what Great Salterns wants to be… A course for all golfers regardless of age and ability.
As a result it is probably somewhere you go to learn the game and then return to for nostalgia reasons and a quick social round with mates.
On the day we played the course was very dry with bare fairways and no rough. The tee boxes were also a bit scruffy but the greens were still green, although slow and bumpy.
Right onto the round…
The Front 9:
The course opens up with a flat, wide open and short Par 4 – this is a theme for the day so get used to it! A cross bunker guards anyone hoping to roll one up to the green meaning its a mid-iron and wedge in. Or for you long dogs take a fairway wood if you can carry 230 yards. Be warned though, the conifers aren’t that long of the green.
The second is one of a few genuinely tough holes. The tee shot through a valley of trees looks intimidating but it does open up so hit driver and you’ll be safe unless you are really short and/or wild. The green is surrounded by trees and a bunker protects the front left so its tough to hit and hold when you are coming in from 170 yards. As a result par is a good score here.
The 3rd and 4th are back to back Par 3’s. First up is a 165 yarder with a small two tiered green and subtle drop offs. The latter a 200 yard plus beast but its wide open, the green is huge and you can run it in low on the right side.
The 5th is a short Par 5 at only 420 yards but with a narrow tee shot and fiddly dog leg to see round it is easy to see how people take three shots to get to the green (I did after skying a hybrid off the tee!). The safe play is up the right and then take on the fairway bunker with your second and see how close you can get to that eagle putt.
The 6th is a mid-length Par 4 that looks wide open but has some internal out of bounds running down the left so favour the right side if you take driver. The green is long and slopes back to front so be aggressive and take the bunkers out of play.
Next up is a hole that is designed in a way I don’t really like. As the tee shot is shorter than the second shot due to a sharp dog leg left at 190y of a hole that plays about 400y. Well, unless you are ballsy enough and able to launch driver over the trees and take a risk. We tried this and lost a few balls but after six quite plain holes we needed to add a bit of fun to the round.
The 8th is a straight, mid-length Par 4 and largely forgettable. The green is large though and its safer down the right so favour this side.
The front 9 closes with the most interesting hole on this side. A 246 yard Par 4 with a stream running down the right and another diagonally across the front of the green. Therefore you have two options: a simple 7i and wedge for an easy par or take a headcover off and go for it. It’s a good risk/reward hole.
The Back 9:
Following a good score on 9 you just want to not give it back on 10. This is because it is the other long hole on the course; a Par 4 at just over 400 yards. A collection of trees on the right side of the fairway narrow the landing zone. Try not to get blocked out behind them like I did. The perfect shot is either over the left side of the trees, for the big hitter, or something that carries 190-200y for the rest of us.
Before crossing the road you play the 11th; another short Par 4, dog legging right. It’s a mid iron and a wedge or a big banana fade with something longer (for right handers), although two fairway bunkers are waiting to catch anyone taking it on.
The 12th is another short Par 4 and quite dull to be honest so just avoid the fairway bunker at 200y and you’ll be fine.
In contrast, the 13th is the Par 4 signature hole and is a good looking tee shot. It’s elevated and requires a carry of 100y over water; before a short iron into one of the smaller greens.
The 14th offers the threat of water short and right of the green but its otherwise straightforward. Like all of the last four holes it is a mid-iron off the tee and something shorter in.
This in itself is the issue with Great Salterns for a mid-handicap player or better… You either hit two simple shots and make a score or get a little bored and try to create your own fun by taking silly shots on.
The 15th is a mid-length Par 3 and again is quite straightforward if you avoid the two greenside bunkers. There is an external fence and road 10 yards behind the green – but don’t let this confuse you into under clubbing.
16 and 17 are two fairly straight Par 4’s between 310-350 yards. The 16th is narrower and longer so be more cautious here and attack 17 instead. Just don’t go long of the 17th green – its a drop off which could cause you to lose your ball. I did just this due to a back pin placement and was lucky to find it.
The course closes with its best hole, a lovely little Par 3. At just over 110 yards it’s short but most of the carry is over water to a large two tiered kidney bean shaped green. There is a deep bunker protecting the left of the green and another behind to catch anyone taking too much club.
Overall:
Great Salterns isn’t going to win any awards for its design or presentation. But it’s cheap, an easy walk and has a couple of good holes.
If you are happy to plod your way around here and take a lot of irons off the tee you’ll probably score well. However, this on its own isn’t that much fun. So like us you might end up taking a few things on just for laugh with your mates… And accept this will cost you a few shots.
Like most places, the course isn’t in the best condition right now. It’s also a bit scruffy in places. For example there are a few places where the fairway is longer than the rough.
But Great Salterns knows what it is and as a result it serves a valuable purpose. It is friendly, has none of golfs’ stuffiness and no dress codes.
For all of those reasons, I’d happily take a junior or adult wanting to try golf for the first time there. Or join my mates for a quick social round before a pint in the pub next door.
And that’s why we need places like Great Salterns… And why our rating is largely irrelevant. Without places like this most of us wouldn’t have started our golfing journey…
WHAT DID OTHER MEMBERS OF THE TEAM THINK?
Neil (our single figure player):
“Great Salterns is an ideal course for learners or a social round for people who don’t play often. If you are someone who looks to take golf more seriously you will probably prefer to pay a bit more for something better.
The course wasn’t great but probably reflects the price we paid. However, this didn’t stop us from taking it at face value and having a good laugh at the same time. My favourite hole was the Par 3 18th – it’s a great little hole!”
WEEKEND TOUR PROS RATING:
- Fun Factor: 5.5
- Quality of the Course: 4.5
- Value for Money: 6.5