Farnham Golf Club Course Review

Farnham Golf Club Course Review
GF Round: £65-£75 Mon-Fri
Par 72, 6,519 yards
Slope 125
GM Verdict A beautiful, varied, engaging and rustic course in the lee of the Surrey hills
Favourite Hole The par-5 11th which works its way round to the left, down and up over a dip to a tricky green

The friendly club at Farnham has an unusual past as it was founded in 1896 but then wound up after the First World War when a number of holes had been given over for growing food. However, a new 9-hole course was established in 1922, the club then reincorporated, and the full 18 holes were in play by 1924. It is now a very fine mixture of parkland and heathland.

The course starts and finishes with a par 5, the 1st playing slightly upwards before turning to the left and narrowing through the trees. Big hitters will fancy their chances, especially if the wind is helping, but if that is the case, the 2nd will be unbelievably tough as it heads back in the opposite direction and is almost as long.

Following a pretty par 3 and a driveable par 4 you cross the lane to play eight quite different holes on the other side. These are defined by the heather and begin with a lovely par 4 played up to a raised green.

The second short hole and two drive-and-pitch holes lead you to the 9th tee and a really interesting roller-coaster par 4 to finish the nine. Beware the cavernous bunkers on the left up by the green!

Continuing in the same direction, the 10th leads you to the furthest point on the course where again you play down into a dip and back up the other side.

The 11th is a super-tough par 5 when played from the back tee, especially as it is into the prevailing wind. The 12th features an inviting drive from an elevated tee as you head back to the lane again.

Two more short holes at 13 and 15 encompass a left-to-right par-5, and the final testing pair of two-shotters at 16 and 17 are followed by a par 5 that eases its way to the right and back down the slope to the very welcoming clubhouse.

Golfers in Surrey are enormously lucky as the county is packed with Top 100 and Next 100 designs. Any list of the best golf courses in Surrey would need to be a very long one indeed as there are just so many, and Farnham is a lovely place to play that would be near the very top almost anywhere else. Farnham Golf Club is distinct, memorable, very pretty, and a lovely place to visit both on and off the course.