Chiddingfold Golf Club

Played this course on an unusually warm and sunny day in February. The fairways and greens were in very good condition and for a green fee of £10 it was excellent value for money. Although the course is quite short there were some very nice holes especially on the back nine.

Played 36 holes on the 10th August and our 4 ball had a thoroughly enjoyable day. The course itself still needs a fair bit of work doing, mainly the greens and the bunkers. But, considering the state the course had been allowed to deteriorate to by the previous owner, it really is a fantastic effort by the present owners to achieve the condition it is in today. Great value for money also.
Scott was a great host and we will definitely be returning in the near future.

I played 19th May for twilight rate of £10. The course was suffering
from the recent dry weather and work is being carried out particularly to the back tees. Fairways are narrow but rough is short. Par 4's are generally short but clever pin positions make birdies difficult to achieve.
The par 3's are good with the 207 yd 12th over a pond a fine hole. 7th & 8th are good driving holes while the doglegged 16th needs a crafty downhill 2nd.
The greens were not great but in view of earlier comments not too bad. They need rain as do the tees.
Worth £10 on a balmy evening.

Myself and a friend played today and we were suprised at the condition of the course. It has recently been taken over by Cowdry and it was in great condition. Scott the manager was the perfect host. The greens were in perfect condition,dry and worm cast free.
There were a few wet places on the fairways but considering the recent weather this was perfectly acceptable. Infact as we drove the 14th the balls kicked up dust on the fairway so it has drained really well.
All in all probarbly the best value club [£15 a round] in Surrey.
In fact we have rebooked for next Saturday.

Well done the Cowdrey team for saving Chiddingfold G C.
After having played Chiddingfold earlier in the summer, having heard from a golfing colleague that Cowdrey had taken over the management of the course we played a round and were delighted to see that the greens had all been relaid. The fairways were suffering from a dry spell of weather so there was not much grass to cut
We revisited at the end of September and were once again delighted at the continuing progress- the fairways were green and cut to a standard befitting the course. We decided to have a society day there on 17th October
Sixteen of us duly turned up on the day with Scott Brown (resident pro) having organised tea/coffee and bacon rolls before tee-off and a buffet afterwards making it a memorable day and not expensive.
Chidingfold Golf Club used to describe itself as the best kept secret in Surrey-I dont think so, Cowdrey are putting it on the map as one of the nicest courses to play in the area.Thank you Scott and the Cowdrey boys.

The Course is in great hands, currently managed by Cowdray.
I have played the course several times in the last few weeks after a 5 year break and the course is in good shape.
As you might have read the previous management clearly had troubles with the place and as any golfer will realise - the key to a good golf course is investment in the course which it lacked up until cowdray took over approx May this year.
When we turned up recently to play i was immediately impressed with the pro who warned us that although the course was very much playable, that in places the course was recovering.
Honest businessman - a dying trade it seems!!!
Yes the tees arent in great shape and the bunkers arent raked, but if you appreicate the amount of work currently undertaken by the small team of greenkeepers to get the course back to its original state, it wont bother you, particularly at £10 a round after 2pm £15 before.
Absolute bargain in golf - period.
The greens on the plus side are fantastic.
If you decide to play here which i recommend, the pros have a before and after photograph of the greens when they took over to last week. It is amazing how they went from no grass brown sun cracked, to as you'd expect lush green grass in less than 3 months.
Fantastic course, fantastic staff who know what there talking about.

I played the golf course in early April 2010 and was appalled when i saw what was once a lovely course had been allowed to deteriorate in such an alarming fashion. The course was totally unplayable with the greens being the worst i have ever seen and i swore never to go back.
I recently bumped into a friend who had played the course just and informed me that it was under the management of Cowdray Park. Having played Cowdray park on many occasions I have always been very impressed with the condition of the golf course and felt that they were involved I would give it another go.
I was amazed that within 2 months of them taking it over the transformation that has been achieved. They are showing a true commitment that this delightful course deserves and with the green fees being set at a realistic amount this represents great value.
I will be back and I would urge those who were so disappointed before to give it another go.
Fred

This course used to be beautiful. My friends and I played it regularly and it was worth the drive to get there, and the fees they charged, but clearly it has fallen on hard times and the ownership seems to be doing very little to resolve it.
They sold the clubhouse as a private residence, but I guess that the debts were already so big that there was no money left to spend, because clearly they haven't invested in the course in a VERY, VERY long time.
The fairways hadn't been cut in forever. The greens look like they have been treated for moss or weeds, but no seed has been planted so they are very bare and brown. The bunkers not only hadn't been raked in months, but they didn't actually have any rakes in them either. The 18th as mentioned is a work in progress but was supposed to be finished last summer, so there really is no excuse.
The reason one of the other reviewers maybe thought that the greens had been used for chipping is that was likely the only way to get around the the mounds of dirt and rabbit holes that existed on pretty much every green, putting was almost an impossibility.
The owner needs to take a hard look at his thought processes. Instead of sitting in his new little clubhouse, maybe he should install an honesty box and ask people to pay what they feel it is worth, and be honest about the condition of the course when you make a reservation (which he wasn't despite, saying he was when my buddy made the reservation). He could install a little cooler outside with an honesty box and a price list there, and even do the same in the club house for balls and stuff to make a bit of extra cash.
That way he could actually be out on the course mowing the firways, tending the greens, etc instead of hanging around the clubhouse in his slacks and pringle sweater. It aint gonna fix itself, he is going to have to find a way to be more creative, but I fear he has simply thrown in the towel.
I did hear he wants to lease it for 40,000GBP a year, but you will need many times that to invest in the repairs and maintenance, maybe even close it for a season to give it recovery time. Maybe he should lease it for a buck, and let the new lessor rent for a couple of years free to rebuild.

I have played this course around 25 times during the summer of 2009 and up to November, There has undoubtably been problems with the transition and the course suffered. I can say however that from week to week there was considerable improvement, fairways became more tailored and much of the rough cut back to allow better play, over the course of 6 months the greens have improved and I can honestly say both my playing partner and I took 15 shots off our original scores. Yes the greens still need much more work but they are getting there, the real bonus was that hardly anyone else had played it all Summer so we generally had the course to ourselves. We will be back there again this year, it is a challenging course and its definately improving, shame the last has been shortened so but they are now constructing a green( started Nov 09). We paid £18 to play and given the freedom to play at one's own pace its well worth the money. I liked the old clubhouse so its a shame its no longer in use but thats not so important. Give this course another chance when the weather gets better, it has so many interesting holes and the greens and fairways are definately playing better.
Mike Summers
14th January 2010

We went to Chiddingfold today 27/09/09. We booked over the phone 24 hours earlier but we were not told that the greens were "not at their best" until we had parted with our £21 each.
The greens are diabolical, they look as though they have been used for chipping practice leaving indentations and bare patches. The greens and fairways have brown drought stains. To be fair we only played four holes after which we went back to the club hut and got our money back so try your luck, maybe holes 5 to 18 are PGA standard. What pissed me off was that we drove 25 miles to play this tired golf course without any pre warning of conditions. Perhaps the owner [who had a silent fit whilst refunding our money] thought we wouldn't notice. He did however refund us, but suggested we were fussy, but on the way out i did spot that the 18th flag does still sit awkwardly towards the end of the 18th fairway. We won't be rushing back. We consider this a very hard course based on the poor putting conditions.

AVOID!!!
This place could be a lovely course but has been left to ruin. The greens were arguably the worst I've ever played, the tee boxes looked like part of the rough and the yardage markers were way out. The 18th in front of the new clubhouse is ridiculous as they've just stuck a flag at the end of the fairway and there isn't actually a green.
I was quoted £17 for a round as the course was in bad shape but ended up paying £21 as the guy on reception said that couldn't have been the case ... accusing me of lying isn't a good way to start the round!?!?
It really is such a shame as there's a few holes, especially on the back 9, that could be genuinley beautiful holes given the right treatment.
In fairness the new owners are trying to sort the problems and have just built a new clubhouse and proshop (which didn't stock golf balls?!?!?) and a massive decked area ... maybe sort the course out first though?
Come back next summer when this place could be an absolute joy ... until then avoid at all costs and go to the lovely foxbridge 10 minutes up the road.

I played today the 2nd May and found the course played very well and some of the later holes are quite difficult for high handicapper like myself. They told me they now have 4 course staff instead of the previous 1. The bunkers have been dug out and the fairways look as they are regularly cut now. I played a few times last year and it appeared that the course really was on its last legs but it is now substantially better and is still very reasonably priced at £21 for a weekend game. The only thing I say against it was that a few of the greens need a bit of work still but they are much better than they were last year. There aren't any facilities yet which is why my score is so low but they are building a club house which should hopefully be finished very soon. All in all it was money well spent with some great views of the countryside thrown in.

The fairways have long grass, the greens are covered in rabbit holes, droppins and dead grass seed. The bunkers are hard due to so much plant growth, the club house facilties are no existent apart from a reception desk and a fride storing drinks.
I would not play this course again even it where for free. (Currently £20 per round).
Over the course of four hours there was only one other group on the course which probaly means I was one of the last to know the property is up for sale, I has wish I had read the last review before bothering to make the journey.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS

This used to be a beautiful golf course but hadn't played there for a few years. Played again a couple of weeks ago and what a disappointment. The clubhouse and golf course are both for sale and consequently the bar is no longer open, the beautiful patio is covered in weeds and, most importantly, the greens are mostly brown, the grass is dead and they are almost unplayable. The green fees are still £20+ a round (at the weekends) which is a scandal. Avoid at all costs!

Bank Holiday Monday 27-08-07 Today i took my daughters partner to Chiddingfold golf club for a game.It is a very nice setting but what a shame the course itself was way below par the fairways had not been cut for a while and as for the bunkers if you had the bad luck to go in them the sand was hard and had not been raked for a long time. value for money was not good and i would not recommend it to any of my friends.

I feel the owner is trying to close this club down. Greens in terrible condition, Clubhouse hasnt been open since December and Club Pro recently left. Lots of people bought a loyalty card for discounted green prices and the owner has cancelled them and will not honour! My advise is to go elsewhere, very badly managed and doesnt deserve any custom. Shame as it was a great little club

Oh Dear, from Surrey's best kept secret to Surrey's worst nightmare. Played yesterday - 29th April, apparently the club are having "irrigation" problems! Greens are practically unplayable, unwatered and spiked; you'd be better off playing to 18 temporary greens. No off course facilities either other than one coffee machine.
Once can't help but wonder if the owner is deliberately letting the course slowly die as he continues to with plans to convert the clubhouse into a private dwelling.
A very sad state of affairs for a once very nice little club.

A lovely course (if not the longest) which provided a good challenge for someone of my ability (28 hdcp) and my playing partners (22 hdcp). Despite the recent wet weather both the fairways and the greens were in immaculate condition and played fantastically. Some great views along the course with a good mixture of holes as well. The halfway hut provides a decent choice at a reasonable price and the practice facilities were also of a good standard. All in all a very nice course at a decent price.

Chiddingfold is a lovely little course. The pro-shop staff are very friendly.
Have played here half a dozen times this year and each time the course has been very quiet. We have also played in various weather conditions from bone dry to very wet and the course has always played well.
As a high handicapper I find it quite challenging but longer hitters may find it a bit short.
Overall would thoroughly recommend this course.

I played this course a couple of days ago and found it short but generally in good condition and enjoyable.However my grouse is not with the course but with the catering standards which I found sloppy.There was no fruit juice at the bar and the Badger bitter was off.The food was poor and whilst we were eating four or five groups of people went to the bar,I dont believe anybody got all that they asked for, there was so much off.At least 2 pairs retreated to the nearest pub.

This course can be nice, but only on a quiet day. The holes, although individually fine, are in extremely close proximity and when it is busy expect to be teeing off surrounded by other groups - not much privacy here. Condition was also a little poor when we visited. Nevertheless, some nice holes - the 14th15th16th isolated from the rest of the course is a good stretch, with the 14th and 16th both incorporating a very steep-sided valley.

I have played this course on many occasions and have enjoyed every round. It is a very attractive and well maintained course which rarely gets too congested unlike other courses in the area. As a relative novice golfer I find Chiddingfold to be pretty forgiving to the odd wayward shot but challenging enough to keep going back to. Favourite hole is the par 4 16th; fantastic views of the course and surrounding countryside and a steep run down to the green which flatters a poor second shot! Least favourite is the 18th; a difficult drive and unsighted green have made for more than a few poor finishes to a round!

Chiddingfold advertises itself as "Surrey's best kept secret", but it is a secret that our group would have preferred to be kept from us. The course is ridiculously short, made worse by the fact that only members are allowed to play from the white tees, with even the longest par 4 being so downhill as to make its length irrelevant, and two par 3s of barely 100 yards. The average standard of golfer did not seem to be too high either, with errant balls coming from adjacent fairways (or tees) with alarming regularity, and no calls of fore to warn us. At £25 for a weekend round, there are so many preferable options in this area that this must be viewed as a last resort only.

Chiddingfold golf course is fairly short but a wonderful test of golf for almost all standards except wayward big hitters. If you insist on getting the driver out on every par 4 thinking you can hit the green on the short ones you will be punished. First timers can enjoy a good game with a little thought at the tee. The greens are in great condition and the bunkers are good.