A chance encounter

My first experience of Woburn Golf Club was a round at The Duchess in 2010. I gladly accepted very kind invitation to play in a golf day organised by my previous firm. I was in total awe of the place, but I had a pretty torrid time. At the time I really did not appreciate how good the course was or indeed that there were two other equally fantastic courses on site.

I have been lucky to meet some like-minded and equally obsessed golfers over the past few years. None more so than my good friend DTH. We met (I think for the first time) on the way to a meeting with a potential new client. We are both lawyers and DTH had just joined the firm where I had recently been made a partner. Waiting in reception, we were making small-talk and I asked where he lived. “Woburn”, came the response. “Ah, I don’t suppose you play golf?” I said, expectantly. “Yes, I’m a member”. That was the start, and we have not looked back.

I have since moved firm, but the “Property/Construction Away Day” is still very much party of the calendar. More on that later …

Woburn Golf Club

I have been fortunate enough to play at Woburn on a number of occasions over the past few years. It is rare to get 3 courses on the same site, and even rarer when there isn’t a weak course. I struggle to think of anywhere that could rival Woburn for 3 high quality courses in the UK (perhaps with the exception of Wentworth, St. Andrew’s and Gleneagles). The three courses each have their qualities. The Marquess offers a more modern style of course, with long holes, wide fairways and some great views. The Dukes is the traditional park-land “tour” course layout which hosted the British Masters for 20 years. The Duchess is the least well-known, usually the preserve of the members and, despite being the shortest course, requires supreme accuracy.

Woburn offers high quality golf but is not for the faint-hearted. These are “proper” golf courses and you need to bring your A game if you are going to score well. I have played the Duke’s and the Duchess since the lock-down restrictions were relaxed. The round at the Duke’s started extremely well, with 41 shots on the front 9 including 4-consecutive pars. Sadly, a back 9 47 meant I slipped to a 2&1 defeat. Still, I had played some very good golf – hitting the flag from 180 yards the long par-4 4th and nearly reaching the green in two on the par-5 5th.

The Duchess

I have a love/hate relationship with the Duchess. I have played some great golf round this course, but on days when I am not quite on it is a painfully long walk! My best effort is a 17 over par 89, which included an eagle on the 6th. 5-points really helped a slow start and it kick-started a terrific run of 7 or 8 holes. As with many of my rounds, it could have been better if I had kept my concentration to the end.

My last outing was, sadly, a frustrating experience. I parred three of the most difficult holes (1, 2 and 9), nearly birdied the 200 yard par 3 13th and had two more pars on the back 9. 6x double bogey and 2x triple bogeys, however, rather spoiled the scorecard. It was a fairly straightforward 3&2 with for DTH this time.

The course is unrelenting in its need for accuracy. Each tee box is surrounded by trees and some of the shots require arrow straight accuracy just to get out of the initial funnel. In the summer the ferns grow rampant beneath the trees and even if you do find your ball it is a nightmare trying to play it out! The course is, however, extremely elegant and the tall pines provide an amazing setting.

Holes 1-3

The 1st hole has one of the wider tee boxes, but is still a tough tee shot. The hole measures 435 yards from the white tees and, with the green perched at the top of a steep hill, it plays all of that. The fairway slopes away from you and anything on the right hand side will bounce from left to right into the trees. The elevation changes are severe and if you have a flat stance for your second shot you are lucky. Believe me, trying to hit a 210 yard approach to a raised green from a downhill lie is no fun!

The 2nd is the narrowest of par 3s. This is a 3-iron or 4-iron that needs to be laser straight, as the funnel of trees is never more than about 25 yards wide. The green is long and thin, has two tiers and is protected by bunkers on both sides.

More elevation changes greet you on the 3rd. The hole is comparatively short, but requires a decent tee shot away to the right hand side of the fairway to allow the best angle for the approach. A large bunker protects the front of the green. The green is thin and angled from front right to back left. Don’t go long or you will have a tricky chip back through the trees.

Holes 4-6

The next stretch includes two par 5s which both measure around 500 yards. These should really be scoring opportunities, but it really depends on your tee shot.

The tree on the left at about 150 yards off the tee box on the 4th means there is no space if you fade the ball. You are required to hit either dead straight or ideally a draw. Don’t take too much club, especially when the ground is hard, as anything hitting the downslope will run out into the trees. The approach bends back round to the left and is slightly up-hill, meaning another semi-blind shot. The green is relatively generous, but protected by bunkers on both sides.

Walk across the road to the 5th and finally there is some space. This is the least intimidating tee shot on the course, but don’t be fooled. This is a second shot hole. You need to be on the left hand side of the fairway to have any chance to going straight for the green. If you are on the right, you will have the overhanging trees to contend with and shaping the ball around them is dangerous as there is thick gorse waiting if you over-cut it. The green slopes from back to front, so take care to check where the flag is situated.

The 6th is one of the scariest tee shots on the course, especially from the white tees at the back. The further back you go, the narrower the opening and even the trees behind seem to be closing in on you. It is almost claustrophobic. If you can get through the narrow opening, the hole then opens up and a good tee shot will allow you to attack the green. There are three bunkers protecting the approach, so it may be better to lay-up to about 65 yards in front of the bunker on the left. The green gets very thin if the pin is at the back, so unless you are really accurate, I recommend hitting to the middle of the green.

Holes 7-9

This is a tricky corner of the course. The 7th is a par 3 that again measures out to around 200 yards. The trees narrow just short of the green and there is a ridge which runs diagonally across in front of the green from the left. The green is long and thin and is protected by the ridge on the left and a bunker on the right.

The 8th is a really tough hole. It is under 400 yards from the back tees, but incorporates a sharp dog-leg which means you have to be straight and long off the tee. There is a tall fir on the corner and will block out any drive which is too far right or less than about 220 yards. The green is on two tiers, with the back portion well above the narrow front section. At 35 yards long it is one of the larger greens, meaning you are in 3-putt territory if you end up on the wrong tier.

To close out the front 9, you are faced with a 405 yard par 4. This hole has very tight tee shot through a tunnel of trees. The fairway slopes from right to left and there is nothing to stop a ball that is too far left from bounding off into the trees. The green has a steep run off to the back and back left side, and is protected in front by a deep bunker. There is good reason for this being classified as the second most difficult on the course.

Holes 10-12

The 10th has another daunting tee shot – uphill and through another narrow opening. The hole bends from right to left after the tee shot and plays gently uphill to the green. There is a steep run-off in front of the green, and two bunkers on the left and right. Check the flag position, as you do not want to leave your putt above the hole!

The 11th and 12th are both par 4s. Both are tough holes requiring a long straight drive and an accurate approach. They measure just over 820 yards between them from the white tees. On the Duke’s there are plenty of holes where playing from the whites means that you are in a different post-code – this doesn’t happen so often on the Duchess, but the 12th has a marked difference. The white tees are a full 60 yards further back than the yellows. It also has one of the best greens on the course. There is a ridge which runs almost down the middle front to back and the lower portion falls away to the right and into the bunker. This is one of the largest putting surfaces, but there are no easy two putts.

Holes 13-15

The middle section of the back 9 has three great holes – a par 3, a par 4 and a par 5. The 13th is similar to the first two par 3s – it is around 200 yards and narrow. It has a generous landing area in front of the green, however, which collects onto the green. Steer clear of the bunker on the right and you should have a good chance of scoring on this hole.

The 14th is stroke index 1. It tops out at 462 yards from the white tees and you will need to be long and straight to have a chance of getting on the green in 2. The fairway cambers slightly from left to right and anyone playing with a wipey fade will probably end up in the rough (or trees) on the right. The bunker protecting the green has a huge face which means escaping from here is difficult.

The 15th runs parallel to the 18th and 1st holes and has the same elevation changes. You hit out over the dip onto a fairway which peaks at about 280 yards. Unless you are a very big hitter, the second shot will be blind as you play up and over the hill. Most players will have the chance to go for the green in two, but hitting the green is another issue. There is another U-shaped valley over the first crest and the green is raised on the far side. Another two tiered green awaits. There is a ridge running horizontally across the middle, so even if you are on in two you could have a difficult 2-putt.

Holes 16-18

The closing stretch starts with the easiest hole on the course. It is a beautifully framed par 3, that plays 155 yards back across the valley. Check the flag for wind, as you need to fly the ball all the way to the green. The pot-bunker in the front is not a nice place from which to play.

Hole 17 is a short par 4 at 344 yards, but has a sharp dog-leg from right to left. Don’t take too much club off the tee, or you will end up in the trees. Ideally you want to fly the ball around 170-180 yards and let it roll down the slope to the bottom. From there you will have about 150 yards to a raised green.

The final hole plays back across the valley that we have encountered on 1 and 15. The tee shot needs to be left of the tall fir on the corner. If you lay up short you will have a blind approach to the green. The fairway collects down to the green, but anything left will funnel into the bunker.