The Players Club Feature Review

Golfshake ambassador Mel Davies vistied The Player Club in April 2018. Find out how he got on.

The Players Club is located near to Chipping Sodbury and a short drive from Bristol with the M4 and M5 within easy reach. It is an 18 hole Private Inland links course which also features another 18 hole course (Stranahan par 68) and a par 3 course (The Watergarden).   The practice facilities are superb with a driving range, chipping areas and practice greens which are all of the highest specifications.

The drive into the club is one of the longest I personally have experienced but gives you a great chance to get a glimpse of what lies ahead.

Pre Round Thoughts

Once parked up we headed for the Pro Shop and were met with a friendly reception. The shop is well stocked as you would expect with a wide variety of gear. We then headed into the clubhouse to meet Adrian Stiff the co-owner and course designer who gave a quick insight into what to expect and even ordered us a bacon roll to pick up before the 10th hole (probably the best bacon roll I've ever had at a golf course).

You can see straight away that this is a club that doesn't stand still with constant improvements and additions being made. The course is par 72 and 6,625 yards off the whites and features 5 par 3's, 8 par 4's and 5 par 5's.  The main thing to note is the amount of water on the course and I personally am a great fan of courses with water features so this is right up on my list.

Front 9

What a start.....We played off the whites and the first was a gentle (yeah right) 409 yard par 4 with water down the right protecting a long but narrow green.  Next up is the first of the 5 par 3's and was a tough one at 172yds into a strong breeze. One thing you notice is the greens are quite big with a lot of humps and hollows making putting tricky especially as they are fast.

The 3rd is 388 yard par 4 with a narrow fairway that has water to the left and trees to the right, then an approach shot requiring a mid-long iron over water to a wide but shallow green.  Another par 3 follows and then the first par 5 which requires 3 solid shots to reach the green in regulation.

The 6th is the SI1 hole, a great par 4 doglegging left with a bunker protecting the corner for those trying to cut the corner.  Two par 4's and a par 5 finish the back 9 and these are holes that can yield birdies but can still bite you if you hit any errant shots.

Back 9

The back 9 starts with a 175 yard par 3 over water, par here will get you one up on most.

11 and 12 are both par 5s running alongside each other but even though 12 is longer it's the easier hole as its slightly downhill and down wind so you can get there in 2 if you risk a 2nd shot onto a green with water short left and bunkers surrounding the green, a true risk and reward hole.

15th is the last par 5 that is a true dogleg to the left, club choice is the hard part on this hole for your 2nd shot.

16th is the final par 3 again over water to a tricky green well protected by bunkers as well as the water.

The last 2 holes are both par 4's that require accurate tee shots to set up the approaches to 2 tricky greens with the 18th green set in front of the clubhouse.

Post Round Thoughts

The course was in superb condition especially given the weather  experienced in the early part of 2018.  Plenty of water on the course with great bunkering complimented by greens that are fast, tricky and some of the best I have played on.

The friendliness of the staff was second to none. The selection of food was great and as mentioned before the bacon roll we had was the best I've ever had at a golf course.

Verdict

Greens were fantastic and the tees were superb. There are too many great holes to single out and this makes the course a must play.

Overall Rating 9

Course (Conditions) 9
Course (Hole variety/layout) 9
Course (Challenge/Difficulty) 9
Club facilities & 19th/clubhouse  10
Practice Facilities 10
Friendliness/Hospitality 10
Course (green condition) 19
Pace of play 9
Value for money 9