Cocks Moor Woods Golf Club Review

For me, the pleasure in playing golf is not about pristine greens, immaculate tee boxes and everything manicured, nor a huge clubhouse for drinks and food afterwards. Like many fellow golfers, I want to enjoy my golf and then get my clubs back in the car and get back to whatever I need to be doing. Memorable golf is more about great views, interesting layouts and a bit of history thrown in too. If you agree, I bet you’ll enjoy Cocks Moors Woods Golf Club, just five miles south of Birmingham city centre. I’d summarise that there’s nothing fancy or pristine about this course, but it provides some exceptional views and challenging golf for amazing value. Every Midlands golfer should try it.

Cocks Moors Woods Golf Club is an 18-hole, par 69 (5,784 yard), parkland golf course established in 1926 and designed by Fred Hawtree and Open winner J.H. Taylor. The two designers worked on many golf courses all over the UK (including Royal Porthcawl) and were most notably strong proponents of public golf - jointly founding the National Association of Public Courses in 1927 - with a philosophy of "golf for all."  And indeed, Cocks Moors Woods has been a municipal course for many of those years until private ownership came some 12 years ago.

OK, so there’s no clubhouse or driving range, but there’s an incredibly well-stocked golf shop with some amazing bargains on offer, plus a workshop for all kinds of equipment repairs (including an official PowaKaddy repair service which I have used three times - my five-year-old PowaKaddy now runs like new!). The shop provides plenty of soft drinks and snacks which you can enjoy on picnic benches overlooking the 18th green and the six-hole practice putting green.

Course Highlights

Of greatest note is its exceptional design around a forest with lots of wildlife and flora. Not overly long but challenges with deep rough waiting to punish wayward tee shots and streams that bisect a number of fairways. Although not long it is no pushover either.

Full membership is under £900 and provides access to a large number of reciprocal courses too.

During peak times at the weekend, you’ll be paying £25 a round but in afternoons you could be paying between £8 and £12 at times - all incredible value!

The Course Layout

The course begins with a very challenging first hole measuring 352 yards with a stroke index of 11. Personally, I can’t think of a more challenging opening hole. It doglegs downhill to the left with a stream running right across the fairway at around 180 yards from the tee. But for those taking the stream on, it’s a very narrow landing area, surrounded by danger. Trees line the fairway and deep rough lurks down the right-hand side, so it is probably a lay-up with an iron for most handicap golfers, adding length to the approach shot. Beware of the two large bunkers that lie short left of the slightly elevated green. 

On first sight the green contained varying coloured grass which gave it a patchy look, but they ran fairly slow but true. I never witnessed a bobble all day. Clearly the greenkeepers are now managing to get on top of the huge work backlog after the wettest six months on record. 

The second hole is a 395-yard par 4 with a nice open fairway which you aim at down a shoot of trees on both sides, and there’s also a lone tree on the right-hand part of the fairway that needs navigating. The fairway starts at around 140 yards (this course is not really suited to beginners as it provides a pretty stern challenge). This soon becomes a great hole as a stream bisects the fairway at a distance of around 275 yards from the tee which is not obvious when pegging it up. So, this is certainly not a problem for most handicap golfers, but the short hitters will have something to think about on their second shot. The approach shot to the green provides a good test with two bunkers left and right and also a large tree that overhangs the narrow green providing an additional defence on the right-hand side. This is a tough hole. Even the longer hitters landing short of the brook still have 150+ to the green with all its defences.  

I liked hole number three at just 301 yards, which doglegs around a corner to the left, making the green unsighted. Like many holes, the fairway is lined on the left-hand side by deep rough making you think about your tee shot. The rough on the left is pretty purple grass and is very deep, and landing in here you would only be wedging sideways from it. That might sound too tough, but the fairways are fairly wide, so the complaints by some golfers to date I feel are unfounded.

Then the approach is to a very small, narrow green, which is very well guarded by two bunkers, short left and right, and in a slight bowl which makes it very visually appealing with the trees behind framing the hole beautifully. This is a great hole.

The 4th is a par 4 measuring 400 yards with some amazing views across five holes - a real vantage point to see across lots of the purple tinged grass. I soon forgot I was just outside Birmingham! I decided this was my favourite part of the course as it was more akin to a top-notch heathland course (picture Enville, or Notts Hollinwell). Really! It is that picturesque!

Here another challenging tee shot awaits with a stream crossing the fairway at around 200 yards from the tee (the fairway runs out just before at 190 yards). This hole really asks questions off the tee to most handicap players. Already, the brook has presented a challenge on three of the first four holes. The approach is then uphill to a raised green. No surprises this is stroke index 1.

Just the one bunker guards the entrance to the right of a ‘MacKenzie style’ two-tiered green (the first of a number on this course) which slopes from back to front with the second tier on the top right, no doubt providing some interesting pin placement challenges.

The 5th is a small and quite unique 107-yard par 3 over a grassy dell. A great fun hole with essentially a blind green as you can only see part of the flag. This is another MacKenzie style, deep green which is all invisible from the tiny tee below. 

The 6th hole is a straightforward 349 yard, par 4, which is slightly doglegging right with heavy rough noticeable all the way up the right-hand side with one large bunker guarding the left entrance to this elevated green, which again is nicely framed by trees of all different varieties.

It’s a picturesque course - to the eyes and ears! And it was here on the 6th green where I really started to appreciate the diverse nature in this part of the course. There were different coloured trees and all kinds of birds singing away and so many different types of foliage and berries. I also spotted the occasional walker and dog walker also taking in the peaceful surroundings away from the maddening crowds. You just can’t believe Birmingham city centre is just a few miles from this very tranquil location.

After you play the 7th, there is a short walk under mature trees to the 8th tee, which is a nice straight par 4 at 381 yards with lovely purple long grass rough running up the left. It’s a pretty challenging tee shot. Again, another attractive approach up to bunkers, guarding short left, and right. This green is wonderfully framed by very mature trees, another picturesque parkland green to contend with and not to mention a steep run-off from the green to the right which needs special attention.

The 9th is a beautiful looking tee shot with trees lining the course as opposed to the thick rough of previous holes. There’s a large oak tree on the right-hand side of the fairway which provides an interesting obstacle to avoid as it almost hangs out a third of the way into the fairway forcing your tee shot left where some long rough grass does wait. Unquestionably, this is a tough hole, as although only measuring 302 yards, there is a lot more to it as there is another large oak impinging on your approach to an elevated green to tackle.

All in all, an impressive and varied opening nine holes.

The 10th is close to the golf shop should added refreshments be warranted and is a steep downhill par 3 (150 yards) which has a green nicely framed by mature trees. Bunkers guard short left and right and there is a steep run off to the right. Accuracy is key on this hole.

The 11th is even nicer par 3 which is slightly downhill with two cross bunkers positioned to obscure your vision (although a trademark of Harry Colt designed courses this was also a feature of the design duo behind this course). The green is within a bit of a bowl and unseen from the tee there is a third bunker to right of this Mackenzie two-tier green. Yet another picturesque hole at 147 yards.

The 12th is the first of just two par 5s (both on the back nine). At 428 yards off the tee it seems too short until you digest the fact the stroke index is 2! What on earth must lie ahead? Firstly, the tee shot must be precise: anything left or too long is dead (the fairway runs out straight ahead into woods at 230 yards). Instead, the ideal tee shot is a fade around the dogleg corner to get a chance to catch the downhill fairway. Then it is downhill all the way to the green which is heavily protected on the right by a line of trees and long grass growing out of the banks of the stream - something we have not seen since the 4th. It is a very tight approach. An utterly superb hole. My favourite so far. 

Moving onto the 13th, which presents a very tight tee shot amongst trees to an uphill fairway. You will cross the stream at 110 yards. In total at 276 yards this is a fairly benign hole to an elevated green with another MacKenzie two-tier green adjacent to the short par 3 5th.

The 14th is my favourite elevated tee where you need to clear 180 yards to cover the brook and long marsh grass down below the tee. Once navigated, two greenside bunkers await right and left of the green. This 373 yarder most definitely reminds me of the top 100 heathland course at Enville not far from here. 

The 15th hole is a clever 467-yard par 5 with the brook dividing the fairway at 225 yards from the tee providing yet another question on the tee. There’s heavy rough lining left and right but ample space for your tee shot. Once the second shot is completed, bunkers lie left and right of a very small green for your approach. Another good fun hole 

Heading towards the finish, the 16th is 167-yard par 3, hitting over the aforementioned brook with bunkers left and right, while the 17th is a short par 4 of 272 yards with a forest all the way down the right and a large oak tree guarding the left of the fairway. The brook crosses the fairway at 120 yards and the green is again beautifully framed by mature trees.

Finally, 18 is a great finale at 303 yards - a superb hole to finish. If playing off the white tees it presents a very narrow chute between trees and is most definitely reminiscent of Augusta National’s closing hole. Shooting to the dogleg leaves just a wedge to the elevated green.

Verdict

Overall, I was so impressed by the course. I had not played it for over 12 years and ahead of my round I struggled to remember many of the holes from my distant memory. But this is a course I will not be forgetting soon. I do think any golfer in the Midlands needs to test their skills on this course.

It is a good test of golf and what does bemuse me is the exceptionally low ratings by England Golf: 65.4 Index and a Slope of 112. As a 13-handicap player myself this gave me a course handicap of 9. I saw little evidence of why the stroke index of this course is significantly lower than many other courses around the Midlands. Regardless, I’d recommend a visit especially as I completed my round in just three hours.

Overall Rating - 8

Course (Conditions) - 7

Course (Hole Variety/Layout) - 10

Course (Green Condition) - 7

Course (Challenge/Difficulty) - 8

Club Facilities & Clubhouse - 6

Practice Facilities - 3

Friendliness/Hospitality - 9

Pace of Play - 10

Value For Money - 10