Walton Heath - Old Course

The Old Course was opened in 1904 with an exhibition between Harry Vardon, James Taylor and James Braid, who served 45 years here as a club pro. And these boys recognised the natural challenge walton Heath throws up.

The par-3 1st provides an instant test of your accuracy and is followed by a tough par 4 that plays first downhill and then back up to the green. The unrelenting premium here is on heather avoiding accuracy, yet you can't compromise too much to graft out regulation figures.

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Best Hole: The par-4 2nd is a beautiful hole that must be approach with real caution. Get through with no worse than a bogey and you've done well.

In July 2023, Neil became just the 9th editor in Golf Monthly's 112-year history. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he went on to become a feature writer interviewing many of the biggest names in the game including Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy and Arnold Palmer.

A 5-handicap golfer, Neil is a club member who takes a keen interest in the health of the game at grassroots level. You’ll often now find him writing about club-related issues such as WHS, membership retention and how best to bridge the gap between the range and the course.