North Wilts Golf Club Course Review

North Wilts Golf Club Course Review

GF Round: £50wd, £60we; Twilight: £15-£20
Par 71, 6,414 yards
Slope 124
GM Verdict – An enjoyable course in two contrasting sections either side of the road, with some magnificent, far-reaching views, particularly on the front nine.
Favourite Hole – The par-3 6th is a mere short iron for most, but the added difficulty is a narrow green at the highest and most exposed part of the course

A healthy number of the 24 clubs listed on the Wiltshire Golf website offer up excellent year-round golf because of their downland settings. Among them is the thoroughly enjoyable North Wilts, one of the best golf courses in Wiltshire, which was founded in 1890 and climbs to 700ft at its highest point. There is a real feeling of space here, with far-reaching views everywhere you look.

The layout is bisected by a road midway between Calne and Devizes, with the opening ten holes lying across the road from the clubhouse. You start on an inviting par 5 across a sideslope, before a short par-4 2nd that will fill you with hope until you catch sight of the unusual two-tiered green with its small, awkward rear shelf. You climb steeply on the 5th - and again on the 8th - with the short but devilishly tricky par-3 6th occupying the highest ground. When the wind is blowing, this exposed 118-yarder could be one of the toughest tests on the course.

North Wilts started life as a nine-holer, with Harry Colt then tasked with making improvements to the existing layout in the early 1930s. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that hopes of an extension to 18 became reality, with work starting in early 1970 under the guidance of architects Ken Cotton and Charles Lawrie. The new holes opened for limited play in 1971. When you cross the road after the 10th, the course does take on a slightly different character with the holes a little more tree-lined and self-enclosed than on the front nine. You’re still high up, though, so the views remain mesmerising, especially from the tee of the classic dropdown par-3 13th.

The 14th, a short par 4 up the valley, is then a bit of an unexpected shock to the system as its narrow, two-tiered shelf green will test your approach play to the full. The fairway pinches in, too, perhaps encouraging a cautious strategy off the tee, but you simply can’t afford to be going in to this green with too much club.

The fine course finishes strongly with a chance to score on the par-5 17th, which sweeps round to the right, with the 18th then playing markedly longer than its 413 yards thanks to a testing uphill approach.