I'll not lie, when I read the yardages on the scorecard I thought the course was going to be a walkover. However, what the numbers do not tell you is that more often than not at Theydon you won't get to see the flag until your second shot. Bendy doesn't really come close and if I thought they loved a dogleg at Stapleford Abbots I hadn't seen anything yet. To date I have played two golf courses in Essex and both have had more corners than Silverstone. Theydon also plays home to a host of wildlife and as it is hewn out of Epping Forest deer, rabbits and squirrels will glare at you from the woodland urging you to fluff your lines. On one occasion I could have sworn I heard a hare guffaw as I duffed a fifty yard pitch.
The final stand out feature at Theydon is the slightly eccentric topiary that is dotted around the course. At times you may wonder whether you are actually playing golf in Hampton Court Gardens. The most surreal experience comes on the 12th when you are asked to drive over scuplted hedges before repeating the trick over another hedge collection to land on the green. Thankfully there is a romantic archway to guide you through to the hole itself.
An enjoyable course to play, just a shame it wasn't a fraction longer. Being compelled to repeatedly hit long irons off the tee to negate the doglegs takes the edge off a lovely little course.
No comments:
Post a Comment