Sky Sports plays the Jack Nicklaus-designed Heritage course at the London Club in Kent.
Sky Sports plays the much-heralded London Club in Kent
Set in rolling countryside near Brands Hatch racing circuit, The London Club is one of the capital's more salubrious establishments and being a European Tour venue it carries that stamp of quality.
Officially opened in 1994, The London Club has hosted the European Open on two occasions, in 2008 and 2009 and both times on the The Heritage Course.
The International is a second course at the venue which is pure downland and is more of a links course, but it was the Heritage course that we tackled on a cold and windy day that was sure to test out our dubious golfing skills to the limit.
Handily placed near London but far enough away to offer stunning countryside views, the London Club, as you would expect, has a sumptuous up-scale club house and top-notch practice facilities.
Golfing on the Heritage course is a big honour, given that it is usually members and their guests only - with guest green fees ranging from £25 to £75.
Visitor green fees on the International course, which like the Heritage was also designed by Jack Nicklaus, range from £60-£110, but until March a great special deal gets you breakfast, range balls, 18 holes, halfway soup and a main meal
upon your return for £70.
Greens
Given the pledge of the London Club to always be in superb condition, and after sampling some great breakfast treats then that would be well worth doing - and from experience the course indeed should play beautifully all year round.
A prevailing theme throughout our round was the condition of the greens, slippery and cunningly quick but with a true and flat roll that genuinely left us without a bobble or a bad bounce all day - a few misses and bad reads obviously but that arguably was our error!
Conditions had been dire in the days before we played too, but despite a few obvious lumps and bumps here and there around the fairways, when it was clear just how much rain had fallen, it was remarkable just how quick and flat the greens were.
Beautifully maintained bunkers were also prevalent, but don't let those good looks fool you as they are deep and always handily placed to gobble up anything missing the greens or fairways, while a few awkward chunks with a hybrid soon revealed the semi rough to be a far tougher prospect than first anticipated.
As it's a Nicklaus course, water is a main adversary especially on the dastardly par-five 5th hole and the par-three 7th, while the short par-four 13th is another one where you could get wet and the 10th and 18th play either side of a huge lake that can't help but catch your eye.
The 5th is a long par five, and in our wind even attempting to go for it was out of the question, but your second shot is still a tough one with water all down the right guarding the green, and regardless you still have to get over some water with your third shot.
Par three
The 7th is a well thought-out par three with water to carry and some tricky bunkers out the back, leaving the infamous sand shot onto a sloping green heading back down to water which is enough to make the best of us go weak at the knees.
Hole 13 was a favourite, a short par four off 338 yards from the back tees with a big lake guarding the green would also mean a club selection dilemma, but with the wind howling into our faces it proved even more of a quandary.
First up, and obviously not off the back tees, I whipped out the hybrid and fired it high into the breeze to land what seemed well short. Playing partner Ed responded with the driver which 'would never reach' but splashed down into the front of the lake on the full!
If you know a member, or can find one somewhere, get hold of them and get on the Heritage, but the International also offers some great golf and with greens like this, there is no reason not to try it out even in the worst of weather conditions.
Winter tees, winter greens and mud patches are all things that put golfers off during the winter, especially when splashing out a decent amount for a round, so if you're nearby we'd suggest making the most of their deal before it goes in March.
