The Golf Course
Thanks to its high elevation, the course offers some of the most spectacular views to be found in Wiltshire. This is evident even from the 1st tee and as the course meanders around the natural contours of the land, the golfer is afforded many more aspects to admire.
After rising gently up the par 5 first hole, the land drops almost imperceptably over the next three holes, before rising sharply again at the fifth. The long climb up this tough hole bears its rewards when one reaches the sixth tee. This short but potentially dangerous par three offers a view that is nothing short of breathtaking.
The par 4 seventh offers similar views from the tee before dropping sharply to a generous fairway guarded by bunkers on the left and a small dewpond on the right, both within driving distance of the average golfer. From here the course rises and falls gently before tackling the tenth and final hole on this side of the road.
After crossing the road, the land continues to fall, but the undulations associated with downland courses remain. Small rises and gentle sideways slopes make flat lies a premium. The par 4 eleventh and twelth are prime examples of such holes. The following par 3 thirteenth has an elevated tee which drops sharply to a two tier green. Now on the valley floor, the par 4 fourteenth requires a tidy drive along the valley with mature trees on steep banks lining the fairway. An interesting feature here are the three trees in the middle of the fairway. From the tee, the shot may seem impossible, but the better golfer can go over the trees and the average player actually has plenty of room to go around them! From here the course rises gently again and incorporates the lovely par 3 fifteenth, long par 4 sixteenth and dogleg right par 5 seventeenth. Climbing the gentle hill towards the clubhouse on the eighteenth, most golfers will appreciate they have experienced a tough but fair test of their skills.
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