Bernard Hunt course at Foxhills: a review

This attractive parkland layout is one of two 18-hole course at Foxhills in Surrey, and is named after the club's first professional.

Foxhills Club and Resort has two 18-hole layouts in the Longcross course and  the Bernard Hunt course and an enjoyable par-3 nine holer, the Manor, so called as it nestles alongside the 19th-century manor.

This par-3 course was designed by former Ryder Cup Captain and Foxhills’ first club professional, Bernard Hunt. In his honour, the Chertsey course was renamed the Bernard Hunt course.

Longcross is shorter, flatter and tighter than the Bernard Hunt course. Both are tree-lined parkland layouts. The club does not like to promote either track as its number one, but Bernard Hunt is home to the PGA Senior Professional Championship until 2020 and gets the lion’s share of the top events held at the club.

The Bernard Hunt course gives a flavour of the typical Longcross hole, on its 2nd, a tight right-turning dogleg with a stream running alongside the right of the fairway.

The Bernard Hunt course steps up a gear on the 6th, a glorious long par 4 which sweeps down from the tee to a partly covered-up stream and then rises to the green.

The par-5 7th, which runs in parallel to the 6th for much of its length but in the other direction, is another fine hole; one which descends and then climbs, and sweeps around to the left.

The 9th is a fun short par 4 to green perched above the fairway. Behind it is the halfway hut, with inside and outside seating. We had just moved off from here when a misjudged approach by a following group hit the halfway hut and ricocheted back among the startled bacon-bap munchers outside.

The 445-yard par-4 10th is another attractive design which plays downhill from an elevated tee before sweeping uphill, in its case, to a pin protected by two green-side bunkers.

The 11th is a deceptive par 3, where the green is deeper than it looks from the tee.

The 507-yard 14th is the last of five par 5s on this par-73 layout. This is stroke index 4, and SI 1 and 3 are also par 5s. This course tends to be at its best on the par-5 and par-4 holes.

The 18th on both Bernard Hunt and Longcross run in parallel and share the same design - a rising left-turning dogleg par 4, played to a double green.

The service in the relaxed clubhouse was friendly and efficient, and where I had a splendid cream tea.