I Went On The Ultimate Golf Getaway Featuring A Course Tiger Woods Won At And A Premier League Matchday
Elliott Heath stays and plays at The Grove as well as experiencing the hotel's Executive Box at The Emirates Stadium
The Grove is one of the UK's best modern golf courses and as well as being home to a luxury hotel and spa, it also has one of the best offerings for football fans.
The Hertfordshire venue has its own Executive Box at the Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal FC, where it offers packages to combine a Premier League experience with a five-star hotel stay.
Tickets are extremely hard to come by for Premier League matches and especially at the Emirates, where there's a long waiting list for season tickets, minimal seats available to Arenal members and even fewer available on general sale.
The Grove can solve that problem for you, though, putting you up in its Executive Box and luxury accommodation at the hotel.
I recently did just this, adding on a round of golf while also visiting the Sequoia Spa - and it's a trip that should be on all football fan's radars, especially the golfers.
As an Arsenal fan myself, this was a true dream experience up in hospitality as we witnessed a 4-1 victory in what was an incredible atmosphere.
Thanks to The Grove's close proximity to Heathrow Airport, the Arsenal package is one that can be experienced by international guests as well as domestic fans looking to either support their team or (if you're a neutral) simply take in some top class football in the world's most-watched league.
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The Grove's box gives you a perfect view of the pitch and inside you'll be able to tuck into the buffet food on offer and drinks from the fridge, all served to you by your own dedicated member of staff. I enjoyed a burger, mac and cheese, buffalo wings and salmon skewers along with maybe one or two Hells lagers, finished with a delightful summer fruits cheesecake at halftime.
Arsenal tickets are some of the most expensive in the world, and prices for the Grove's getaway start at £595 per person - which sounds a lot but it's incredible value as it includes your match day ticket and box pass, food and drink plus a hotel stay with breakfast included and spa access.
Tickets appear to be almost all sold out for the 23/24 season, with the new Premier League campaign getting underway in August.
The relaxing Sequoia spa features a 22m long UV-filtered black mosaic-tiled pool, a jacuzzi, steam room and saunas, as well as treatment rooms.
I played the golf course the very next day on a cold February morning and was truly blown away by the condition. Whilst many courses around the area were closed, The Grove was almost bone dry and the greens were as good or better than anywhere you'd find in the country for the time of year - smooth and supremely fast.
The service on offer is also outstanding. From the welcome by the staff to the club and shoe cleaning to the water in the carts, which come with bluetooth speakers for you to enjoy your tunes as you go round. It's also got a superb driving range, where you'll have your own pyramid of balls, and the best short game area I've experienced.
The Grove ranks 94th in the UK and Ireland's top 100 courses list and is unique in the sense that it isn't a member's club, so green fees tend to be available each and every day of the year.
It's where Tiger Woods won the 2006 WGC-American Express Championship, and you'll find a nod to him on the long, par 5 9th hole where the American great made eagle three days in a row.
The course also hosted the 2016 British Masters, which was hosted by Luke Donald and won by Alex Noren.
The Grove celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, with the course opening for play in 2003.
The Kyle Phillips-designed layout is a difficult test of golf as you meander your way through the Hertfordshire countryside, with interesting doglegs, water in play on a number of holes and a strong set of par 3s.
The greens are the star of the show, though, with truly exceptional playing surfaces along with contours and run-offs that you'd expect from a top tier, tournament-hosting venue.
If you haven't played The Grove, add it to your list. And if you're an Arsenal or football/soccer fan, it's well worth a matchday experience combined with a hotel stay.
I'm already desperate to do it all over again.
Check out The Grove's Arsenal Getaway if you're interested.
Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!
Elliott is currently playing:
Driver: Titleist TSR4
3 wood: Titleist TSi2
Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1
Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5
Ball: Srixon Z Star XV
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