Hayling Golf Club Review

Former Ryder Cup player, Peter Dawson, who represented Great Britain & Ireland in 1977, continues his series of reviewing golf courses for Golfshake, this time visiting Hayling Golf Club.

On the few occasions I have played Hayling Island I have enjoyed this lovely links course. On arrival with a cup of coffee in hand gazing out across the Solent at the half dozen large container ships anchored awaiting to enter Portsmouth or Southampton, I am reminded of my first visit to Lagos, Nigeria, some 50 years ago when at the time there was a big boom in imports, there was a city of ships moored in the bay. We all had stories to tell about the Sunshine Tour, playing on Browns (their substitute for greens) which was an oil and sand mixture, returning with a Botfly larva in my thigh, the experiences of a coup, and a tragic murder. 

Hayling Island is for us seniors a lovely course to play. Off the white tees it measures 6,529 yards, 6,264 off the yellows and being a links, the ball runs those extra few yards.  

What better way to start the round with the first hole, 179 yards naturally into the prevailing wind. On a calm day it can be described as an easy opener but catch it on a day into the wind it can be a driver.

Getting to the 5th hole is another short hole of interest, 165 yards in length with the green the length of a cricket pitch and not much wider!

The course meanders through the heather and gorse, we can enjoy with anticipation what a good links golf course throws at us. 

Reaching the par 3 11th hole 152 yards long, it is relatively easy but generally playing across the prevailing wind.

In my opinion the 12th is the toughest and best hole on the course. A slightly blind tee shot with the marker post showing us the way, with the green visible some 462 yards in the distance, it would not look out of place on a course of Royal Birkdale’s standards! 

I’m not sure about the next hole. Years gone by, driver in hand and a gung ho attitude we would go for the green ensuring we favoured the right side because of the OOB running down the left of the fairway. It was either on the green or take our chances with a chip from the wispish grass from the right side. Now, the second shot for us older mortals will be a blind shot of perhaps a 100 yards, to a green that falls away, there is a deep pot bunker on the left of the green that must be avoided otherwise it might be a card wrecker, and there is out of bounds not too far away from the putting surface behind the green.  

Now we turn for home, the nearer we get we start noticing the clubhouse in the distance majestically appearing over the gorse. It feels like approaching the bridge of a ship.

Coming to the end of the round, four hours of sheer delight playing this course in the summer sun, although I can imagine in the cold winter this could be hell to be on like the majority of links courses. 

The 17th is another fine par 3 equalling the first in length at 180 yards. I reckon if we could score no more than 12 on these four par 3s we must have an acceptable card going, at least it should merit a congratulatory tipple in the clubhouse.

As I wander up the 18th fairway, I have had the pleasure to walk on this lovely turf. I am wondering where the nearest links course to Hayling is. Rye to the East, I am flummoxed as to the nearest in the West. Isle of Purbeck, as beautiful as it is, it is not a real links. Burnham and Berrow is some 120 miles away, but surely there must be something closer, I shall have to Google it when I get home.

Hayling Island must be a big pull for the discerning golfer from areas as far afield as Salisbury in the West, Windsor in the North and Leatherhead in South East London. I think due to this it is never an easy course to reserve a tee time, but is well worth the visit.