North Middlesex Golf Club Course Review
For a fun round on an engaging course, North Middlesex Golf Club is an excellent choice
North Middlesex Golf Club Course Review
GF £45 Mon-Thu, £50 Fri, £55 Weekend
Par 69, 5,691 yards
Slope 131
GM Verdict A short but very distinctive course that simply gets better all the way
Favourite Hole It has to be the eighteenth, a 224-yard par 3 over a pond in a dip and up towards the very distinctive clubhouse
Roughly five miles inside the apex of the M25 and therefore easily accessible from slightly further afield, North Middlesex is a very friendly club with a short but engaging 18-hole course that is up there among the best golf courses in London. With only two par 4s breaking the tape at 400 yards, accuracy and planning are the key elements to scoring well here. The club dates back to 1905, and its gently undulating course was designed by 5-time Open champion, Willie Park Junior.
The Front Nine
The course opens with a gentle par 4 to warm you up, followed by a slightly longer one played to a sunken and sleepered green. Two par 3s then come either side of another short par 4 that big-hitters may be tempted to go for.
Next comes an excellent par 5 played to a fairway with a pronounced dip in the lay-up area, then up to a two-tier green. Beyond it, there is an attractive building that would probably have been a gatehouse for the old Manor that is now the clubhouse.
The only other par 5 is then played back in the opposite direction, before a well-bunkered two-shotter where the land tends to move the ball to the right.
The front nine finishes with one of the prettiest and most appealing holes on the course, 153 yards of carry from the back tee where correct club selection and a straight shot are needed in order to avoid the sand.
The Back Nine
Heading back down into the valley through which runs Blackett’s Brook, the green at the 10th is on the other side and partly hidden by a hedge.
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The 11th and 12th are both testing par 4s played to well-bunkered greens, while the next is the shortest two-shotter on the course where again the longer-hitters may well fancy their chances.
The 14th is probably the toughest par 4 on the course, and this is followed by another short par 4 playing over the valley and the brook. The 16th is a tiddler and is SI18, and it’s important to stay left at the 17th as it’s all too easy to get blocked out up the slope on the right.
This charming course saves arguably the best for last in the shape of a really strong par 3 back up to a sloping green in front of the clubhouse. An exciting end to a very enjoyable round.
As a junior member, this is where Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston learnt his golf. He is quoted on the club’s website as saying that the course is one of the best in the area, and there is no doubt that this is one of the best golf courses in Middlesex. One of its most endearing features is that it is also one that simply gets more interesting and more enjoyable as the round progresses. The clubhouse at North Middlesex has character and charm, and the terrace overlooking the closing hole is the perfect spot for pre- or post-round refreshments.
Rob Smith has been playing golf for over 45 years and been a contributing editor for Golf Monthly since 2012. He specialises in course reviews and travel, and has played well over 1,200 courses in almost 50 countries. In 2021, he played all 21 courses in East Lothian in 13 days. Last year, his tally was 81, 32 of them for the first time. One of Rob's primary roles is helping to prepare the Top 100 Courses of the UK&I, of which he has played all, as well as the Next 100 where his count is now on 96. He has been a member of Tandridge for 30 years where his handicap hovers around 15. You can contact him at r.smith896@btinternet.com.
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