Hagley Golf Club near Kidderminster was bought by Lord Cobham in 2017 and given a welcome shot in the arm since.
Alongside important on and off course investment, they’ve moved with impressive efficiency to boast full membership, great facilities and an ever more reliable golf course to be proud of. The professional staff headed by Simon Gabbitas include specialists in custom fitting and retail, the coaching and practice taking place onsite via Hagley’s part Foresight powered range.
The 6376-yard parkland course is a challenging test with two very different loops. The front nine is on mainly level ground and shorter yet with some teasing dog legs. The more undulating back nine is significantly longer as well with many elevated greens and tees.
Front nine highlights – The fifth is a short par four of 316 yards, a high index hole called ‘The Foxes’ and for a reason, you can be sneaky if you want. A dog left right to left and if you’re daring you can drive over the trees on the left. For the more sensible, drive to the corner and you have a short approach shot.
The 366-yard ninth is another decent dog leg hole but you’re penalised down the left by the penalty areas with red stakes all along. This hole requires a good drive down the left to give a better angle to the green.
To the back nine and the feature par three 12th (Beeches) has OOB left and back, it’s a very long 199 yards from the Championship tees. An indication of things to come.
The 14th is a 311-yard par four, aptly named Turners Hill with its elevated tee boasting fabulous distant views over the Black Country and the Clent Hills. A tempting driving hole with two cleverly paced fairway bunkers and a steep drop off at the back of the green, requiring care on approach shots. But it is reachable for the longer hitters, apparently some of them can afford to club down to do that on this hole, that didn’t include us!
After that, they call it ‘The Monster’ here – it is a lengthy one the 510 yard (557 whites) 15th, travelling gently uphill as it does with an ever-narrowing fairway the more you traverse. To myself, after three decent shots it was the twisting two-tiered green that proved to be the monstrous part, far from alone at Hagley in its examining nature.
The final hole is another par five and what a beauty. Drive over the ravine and leave your second short of the two lakes with a lovely fountain feature in the left one. The elevated green requires an accurate choice of club as anything overhit tests your putting prowess yet again, as it all slopes from back to front.
Hagley is not a course for the faint hearted, a real challenge of your skills. Every hole is different, keeping the grey matter exercised as you plot your way around. Excellent conditioning throughout with a great putting examination in store too.
19th hole
Three bars and four function rooms of varied size to suit all society occasions and private parties. An equally wide range of menu choices and barista style luxury coffees on tap too.
