City centre Birmingham you would imagine should be no place by rights to contain any quality Championship standard golf courses, but in fact the opposite is true.
The second city has a number of them, and Moseley Golf Club, situated the closest of them all inside the heart of Peaky Blinders country is a prime example.
A completely built up urban area as you drive here, yet a complete oasis of calm once you’re on the fairways. Only the occasional siren sounding breaks the peaceful atmosphere around here, such a pleasant discovery the first time you play at Moseley, which can also be said to be true about the friendliness of the place.
Editor Phil brought first timers Mandy and Jean-Louis over to sample the charms in October, Jean-Louis was looking for an away day location for his captaincy year at Trentham GC in 2021, more on that a bit later.
Historically Moseley Golf Club was founded in 1892 and the current course as we know it today was designed by the fabled Harry Colt in the 1920s, it has changed very little since. The club plays regular host to England Golf Championship events and despite its central city location it just about sits inside the Worcestershire Golf Union border and is a leading county light as a result.
A reassuring indication of quality golf as you step onto the first tee then, what comes next only goes on to confirm things even further.
This mature and gently undulating course is part tree-lined, part open with crossing streams and other water features with putting surfaces protected by traps and ingenious banking and run off areas. The speedy and contoured greens themselves are hugely well renowned in the local area and a big reason for the high profile that Moseley enjoys, altogether this is a good a test of your short game skills as you will find anywhere.
It doesn’t take long to find a number of fine golf holes that will catch the eye and also offer much variety in looks and test, a fairly generous short first for instance is soon followed by a challenging uphill second with out of bounds threatening on the left. The first two par threes at four and six sit either side of the signature hole, and both are very challenging, a test of length on the former, the latter has one of the sternest putting tests of the round to take on.
Back conveniently to the clubhouse after nine, then beginning the closing stretch the bunker clusters around the green fronting banking on 10 and 11 make your approach shots especially challenging, yet it also sees the course reach a real peak of attractiveness here.
Heading for home via a succession of varied length par fours, with scoring opportunities possible but some big hitting will be required at 13 and 16 and two points on these holes are good achievements.
The home hole, as a pretty much straight ahead short par five has the potential to have you heading for a 19th with a spring in your step, provided you steer around the six bunkers that feature here.
MG Pick – 5th 424 yards Par 4
Not many stroke index ones are traditionally a favourite hole but this one is pretty much impossible to ignore, a very distinctive par four. It comes a bit of a surprise first time around and it certainly did for Mandy and JL, turning the corner from the par three fourth green to be confronted by this lakeside tee shot challenge. A pretty daunting sight with quite a carry over the lake to find dry land, then the hole dog legs 90 degrees to the left up towards a distant green.
Well it’s very distant if you play it safe and take a straight line over the water and up the bank to safety, those attempting the ‘Tiger line’ with an expert fade or draw over the woodland on the left will be rewarded with a far shorter approach shot in. Risk and reward on Moseley’s best known golf hole.
19th hole – The distinctive looking single floor clubhouse is large in size with a huge bay window, overlooking much of the course. It all spills out to an equally large patio area for the summer months.
It has to be said that Jean-Louis, summing things up in the bar for its captain’s away day potential was a little on the fence with his decision – that was until he met chef Mal, a man clearly tipped off by the MGC staff that there was a VIP in town, and needed to push the boat out, and managed it in the most sumptuous of styles.
Mal brought us out his special breakfast roll, bacon, sausage and cheese and all wrapped in a locally produced and perfectly spiced naan bread, crispy to a tee on the outside. One bite and the decision was an easy one, Jean-Louis is bringing his away day to Moseley GC in 2021.
A quick chat with some of the members confirmed that Mal, of Italian descent and his wife Alison have very much transformed the 19th hole since arriving here in 2017, the menu is a mixture of normal golf club favourites plus a mouth watering selection of European influenced favourites and an ever changing specials board.
Society and away day packages are always available to book at Moseley GC and we couldn’t recommend them more.
Society and Corporate Golf Days Moseley Golf Club
Further queries – Contact Megan in the office – 0121 444 4957
