Old Thorns Hotel Golf and Country Club

A group of us (20 in total)go away each autumn for 2 nights DBB and 3 rounds of golf. This year we chose Old Thorns. Given the spread of handicaps we felt the course was too challenging but even for the lower handicap players it was a struggle. The greens were the main problem not because they were badly maintained but because they were not just fast but also because very few holes were cut on the level making putting a game of chance. It was not uncommon for a reasonable putt to see the ball miss the hole and end up off the green. This is a course one needs to play a lot of rounds on to get to know and therefore not a good choice for small societies of mixed ability.
We had a bad experience with the Pro Shop over buggies. Buggies cannot be reserved in advance but we were told that was not a problem as they had plenty and have never run out. On our last day they did run out as they let all the buggies to a larger society and appeared unconcerned at letting us down.
We were also disappointed with the hotel. The accommodation was very good but the service was slow.

I was very disappointed with our last visit, the unfriendly pro added a £5 " administration fee " for ou 2-4-1 vouchers for EACH player.The course was good the greens were total garbage due to hollow tining we were not informed before palying. Never will return to the rip off old thorns.

We played on a wet Sunday in mid February and it was a mixed experience. The over riding conclusion was that this is NOT a winter course. There had clearly been a lot of rain in the area but the course drainage could not handle it - I promise I am not exaggerating when I say that 80% of the course was covered in standing water. We spent the whole round with water around our shoes.
Which was a shame because I liked the layout of the course and there were some very good holes, in particular the first six which roll through some attractive heathland, and the view from the fifth tee was spectacular. The middle third of the course felt a little crammed in, with several holes in close proximity, but were well laid out around the lakes and gulleys. As you rise back up the hill towards the clubhouse for the final five the trees creep in again and the character returns.
Considering the condition of the course I felt a little aggrieved at the £32 green fee, and would have appreciated being told before playing that almost all the men's tees were playing from the Ladies markers.
Clearly a lot of work has gone into the resort and of the course the facilities are excellent. The clubhouse/hotel/health spa did lack a golf club feel but the bar and restaurant were very good.
I would like to return to Old Thorns in the summer because I think the conditions on the day didn't do it justice. I enjoyed the look and feel of the course and would like to play the full length in good condition.

This course is a mish mash of the very good, the ordinary, and the bizarre.
The very good - the 3rd, 18th are great par 4's. The view off the tee on the 5th is also pretty awesome
The ordinary - most of the holes run alongside each other and feel crammed in. The 6th hole with out of bounds on both sides is a very poor hole - and very dangerous when you are playing the parallel par 5 coming back, having to dodge wayward drives.
The bizarre - some ridiculous greens. A silly short par 4 (15), steeply uphill to a comedy two tier green. The 16th is equally tough, although at least you can see the pin - just don't aim at it, otherwise you will end up 150 yards down the next hole.

I have played at lot better courses than this

WE PLAYED THIS COURSE IN SEPTEMBER WITH GOOD WEATHER CONDITIONS.
THE COURSE WAS GOOD AND IN GOOD CONDITION. HOWEVER, THE SAME COULD NOT BE SAID FOR THE FOOD OR THE MANAGEMENT. WE PAID £6.00 FOR AN OVERCOOKED BACON ROLL WITH A CUP OF TEPID COFFEE. £9.00 FOR 3/4 OF A ROUND OF SANDWICH AND HALF A BOWL OF TINNED TOMATO SOUP, LOOK OUT GORDON RAMSEY YOUR JOB COULD BE ON THE LINE!!!!!.
WHEN WE TRIED TO DISCUSS THIS WITH THE MANAGEMENT, OUR CALLS WERE NEVER RETURNED AND REFUSED POINT BLANK THAT THEY WOULD NOT REUND US ANY MONIES.
THIS GOLF CLUB HAD 8 SOCIETIES PLAYING THIS SAME DAY, GREED,GREED AND MORE GREED!!!!!!.
IF YOU DO DECIDE TO PLAY THIS COURSE, PLEASE TAKE A PACK LUNCH AND AVOID ASKING ANY QUESTIONS TO THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS ALLEGEDLY OUTSTANDING HOTEL AND GOLF CLUB.

You have to keep in mind that it was only £32 a round so it would be unfair to judge it on the same criteria as something twice the price. Having said that for the money it is a bit of a bargain. Not long but well designed in places, 1-5 and 16-18 are the stand out holes the ones between are ok but nothing too memorable. Greens were well presented and on the whole the fairways were not too bad, could do with some water and weeding in places but acceptable at this price.
There are however some observations that I think Old Thorns need to take on board if they wish to become a premier golf break destination. On the course: the cart paths need some serious attention in places full of potholes that are bordering on dangerous. The greenside fringes need looking at, too many weeds and some of the tee-boxes are not exactly flat. Lastly they need to be careful about how many four-balls they let play at weekends (I'd personally ban it). Don't chase the money by flooding the course with as many punters as you can, people will come once but will think twice about coming again if they are having to endure 5+ hour rounds.
Off Course: I cannot see where you will fit it in but you need a bigger drving range. A driving range where you cannot use a driver is a bit of a contradiction and 4 bays for a complex this size is not really good enough, good quality balls though.
On the whole I enjoyed the course, the new building works look classy and the welcome in the proshop was friendly, I'd go back.

I recently returned to Old Thorns after a break of several years and my first impressions upon entering the car park were not great as the whole site is in the process of a major redevelopment and currently resembles a building site.
My fears were unfounded however as far as the golf is concerned as the course is absolutely superb as it winds it's way up & down a deeply wooded valley amongst a vaste pine forest.
The course makes great use of the terrain and hides it's relatively short yardage with carefully placed bunkers, tree lined fairways and some vicious climbs which probably explains why most people choose one of the many buggies available.
The overall condition of the course was very good with just a few patches of fairway needing some water but of particular note were the greens which were beautifully presented and contained some very subtle borrows.
We walked the course on a baking hot Sunday afternoon in June and it was quite demanding but the views, the occasional downhill hole and the overall effect of this beautiful course more than compensated.
My only criticism would be the 8th & 9th holes which are flat and fairly plain compared to the rest of the course but it appears that some building work is going on in the forest so perhaps there are plans to replace them.
We paid £30 each on a special offer advertised on their website which was superb value for a summers weekend although most people would opt for a buggy as mentioned which would push the price up somewhat.
As far as the building work goes, it is now well underway and represents a major expansion of the site to become, potentially, one of the best Golf & Country Clubs in the area.
I sincerely hope that this expansion does not spoil what is one of the finest examples of woodland golf courses I have seen.
p.s. the score for off course facilities is likely to improve significantly once the building work is completed!

I have played Old Thorns a few times over the years and have always enjoyed myself there and encouraged friends and people who have mentioned the course to go visit. I saw the latest "Winter Warmer" offer they recently advertised and thought I would take advantage of it so booked to play for myself and 7 friends.
The weather had not been particularly kind to us on the run up to our visit, and as such I phoned the course to ask about conditions and was told that it was holding up very well. It was suggested that I should ring first thing on the morning of our visit to confirm that the course was open, which I did.
I was told that "yes, the course is open, the greens are superb but it is a bit boggy in places". Based on what I was told, I rang my friends to let them know it was "game on" and proceeded to drive the 90 miles or so to the course. As it turned out, what an absolute waste of time, effort and money.
The course could only be described as a paddy field. It was absolutely sodden and should never have been open. Admittedly, for the prevailing conditions the greens were superb. But unfortunately there was another 6,000 plus yards of other greenstuff that hadn't been taken into account when the decision was made to open the course that morning. Most of the bunkers were full (and I mean FULL) of water, so deep you could have rowed boats in them. If you had gone into one, you would never have been able to find your ball, let alone take relief. If you tried to take relief from casual water (even in the middle of the fairways) you could find yourself walking 50 yards or more to try to find a relatively "dry" (and I use the term loosely) piece of grass to drop onto. How can a course be "playable" when it is like that? I don't mind playing in the rain, have done it many times but this was downright dangerous. I have many happy memories of playing Old Thorns in the past, it's just a shame that a good course like this can put revenue above all other priorities.

I played this one as part of a society over 2 days. A greal deal price-wise as the course, hotel and restaurant really are fantastic. The hotel staff were also first class.
But back to the course and I loved it. Very tight and testing at times. It then opens enough to make you feel like going for it before it snaps tight again. Incredible views, lots of water (that seems to draw yr ball to it like a magnet lol) and very fast greens.
Luckily, I had 2 days. Playing a course for the 2nd time round and knowing what to expect make a diff game altogether (thank god!!).
(It also gives you chance to enjoy the sauna and swimming pool ;)
Very enjoyable weekend overall, great golf course and good bar staff.
Highly recommended.

A very picturesque parkland course, with many holes set in mature conifer and deciduous woodland; other holes have dominant water features and there is also a gorse/heathland feel on some holes. The more spectacular holes are those on the hillier part of the course.
Lush, well maintained fairways, excellent large and interesting greens.
I was quite surprised that off the yellow tees the SSS was 3 shots below the par as I felt several of the holes were quite tricky, particularly in terms of finding the fairway off the tee. The low SSS might be due to the course not being especially long.
Only payed £15 for a midweek round using a discount scheme, which represented amongst the best value for money golf I have come across.

the course itself is definately one that should be played. fantastic challenge and condition with amazing scenery. some very nice holes indeed. however, the one thing that let it down was the 5 and a half hour round even in buggies. waiting on nearly every tee. played on a sunday afternoon and traveled quite far to play, so felt a little dissapointed. maybe a bit of course management is required. this was the only downside as it seem to effect everyones game. think we will go back, but not at a busy time.

Played here on a Sunday afternoon and things did not bode well when we were advised that play was running a little late. Staff were very apologetic and did consider whether it would be appropriate for us to start at the 10th although they ultimately decided against this. On arrival at the first tee we discovered that our start time was double booked.
Two days of steady rain had left the course saturated with lots of surface water on the fairways which contributed along with the delayed start to quite a tedious five hour slog.
There are some outstanding holes, the 15th and 16th in particular providing a dramatic finish towards the end of a round but equally the 8th and 9th bordered by housing and small industrial units do not provide a sense of being at a "country club."
Shop around for the best deal if playing here. We played on a two for one deal which cost £30 on a Sunday afternoon. The group ahead of us played on a winter warmer deal also £30 which included a carvery meal to follow!

really enjoyed my recent 3 day trip to Old Thorns.The course was in excellent condition and a pleasure to play,even though there was alot of people playing each day.The food was also impressive though alittle pricey.On the whole i couldnt fault it except the lack of evening entertainment but thats just a personal thing.

Played here over a weekend after a very damp spell, as a consequence it was incredibly wet underfoot with lots of casual water making the course play very long.
The view from the fifth tee as has been said before is worth the green fee on its own. A quality course with many nice holes, quite hilly with some fairly long walks between holes.
I will definitely return hopefully during a drier period.
We had a cracking deal through golf breaks at £110 dinner bed and breakfast and two rounds.
To cap it all Peter Aliss was in the bar when we came in from our first round!

Played Old Thorns on the 27/1/07. I had heard good things about the course and it didn't upset. Some absolutley stunning views (5th hole) and some very well designed holes which may take some thinking on your club selection.
The course is a little pricey but superb value on a 2 for 1 voucher.
The fairways and general condition of the course was superb. Although the greens has just been spiked, they still ran true.
I would definatly recommend this course. Easily in the top 3 of Hampshire courses that i have played, Hayling Island being another favourite.
The front 9 i would say is the better 9, but overall a must play course.

Played course for the third time 21st Oct, what a difference from the previous time 6 weeks previously. The earlier time was dry and I scored 31 points off 18, this time wet and scored less than 18.
We (a four ball) played using 2for1 so £30 each - very good value at that.
Used the sometimes criticised 'Driving Range' beforehand. Only 200 yardsish long and you're restricted to irons - fine for me.
Had mega value £4 ham sandwich beforehand - beef not ready still being cooked!
If you are dithering over using a buggy - opt for buggy. The walk up to 3rd tee is knackering, you can test the walk beforehand if you wish cos 2nd green is near first tee.
The front five and last four are the best holes especially the fifth which has been extended since most of the comments below were made. My other favourites being 3rd, 16th and 17th. Tip when walking off the fourth green look at the green to your right for pin position - its the very short dogleg uphill 15th and its impossible to see the pin position when you are playing the hole itself.
BIG DOWNSIDE - Water - there's a lot of it as intended hazards but its doesn't take much rain for puddles to start appearing in bunkers notably the 10th (the smaller bunker was full of water, impossible to take a drop within the bunker) and parts of fairways to resemble marsh ground. Also, pretty unforgiveably for a 'modern' course puddles were starting to appear on greens on the cramped part of the course holes 6 - 14. What did you do there Peter Alliss??
The Apres-golf is good - 2 choices of changing facilities (for men) one with Japanese communal 9single sex) bath. Loads of space for eating/drinking inside and out. The spike bar even has leather armchairs.
I am not a member at Old Thorns but if we had a better climate or they ever sort out their drainage issues I could well be. To quote Arnie 'I'll be back' hopefully in fine weather.
John

An excellent gold day. Easy to find from A3, extremely friendly staff in pro shop, bar and on course (never seen green staff clear green so fast as you approach.) Course in awesome condition despite the recent rain and provides a tough challenge combined with amazing views. A little on the pricey side but excellent value with 2 for 1 voucher. Cant recommend strongly enough. Only down side, shattered when finished (but that could be me being unfit)

I have just recently played this course for the british heart foundation and the only word that I can use to sum up this course is amazing.
The Course was is in very good condition and a very challenging course for high handicapers like myself (although i didn't perform to poorly)and we couldn't of picked a better day for golf and were very lucky with the weather a very much enjoyed day out. A bit expensive though. I recommend this course very highly.

Disappointing. The hotel is tired although the food was good - it looked expensive but you got a lot (and quality) for your money. The course is short and fairly challenging and the greens were good (despite some of them being treated during our second round). However the fairways were very ropey - maybe they haven't got an irrigation system but they were much worse than anything else I have played recently. The Pro Shop is poor and unfriendly and you are not allowed to use woods on the driving range. We had a good package playing Sunday and Monday but I definitely wouldn't want to pay full whack to play this course.

Played here in May 2005
Fantastically challenging course - every one who attend thought it was in very good condition and had enough there to challenge all types of players.
Would definately go back again!!!
Club house/hotel good as well though food was a bit pricey!!

Myself and 3 mates play several different courses each year, as we don't have a 'home club'. just like to play somewhere different each time, and Old Thorns certainly was different. A bit too difficult for us we thought, although if we played it regulary we might find it easier. We play about 20 courses a year and all of us agreed that out of all of them, if we had to play one course from now on, it would be this one. The veiws are as everyone say's are truly stunning, and i don't know how the members walk it week in week out, it's a bit hilly in places. I noticed that Mr Young below wasn't so keen, he probably got the 'hump' because he lost more balls than me. I would recommend this course to go and play, but i also think you'd enjoy it more if your handicap was 18 or under, non the less great course, great day.....thanks

There’s no doubt a lot of time, money and effort has gone into this course and it shows. Old Thorns bears some similarities to The Manor at Castle Combe, another semi-modern Alliss co-design which incorporates some spectacular holes.
The first five holes at Old Thorns form the best sequence on the course, with numbers three to five beautifully situated in the forest. The third is an excellent par 4 in almost every way and the view from the fifth is awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, what follows is not as good and, quite simply, Old Thorns doesn’t live up to the billing it has received on this page.
Of course, some of these comments have been made by members, whom you would naturally expect to be biased. But “best course in the Hampshire area” – you obviously haven’t played Hayling Island, Brockenhurst Manor – or even ten miles up the road at Hindhead. As for suggesting Old Thorns is one of the best courses in the south of England – then why isn’t it in the Golf World Top 100 UK courses, unlike 27 other courses in the south? The harsh reality is that, as good as the starting (and, to a lesser extent, the finishing) holes are, Old Thorns probably wouldn’t make it into the UK top 200.
That’s predominantly because holes six to fourteen are jammed into the less edifying part of the property and are a distinct letdown after the opening five. The northern corner of the course is an Old Thorns’ equivalent of spaghetti junction with the sixth green, seventh tee and green, eighth tee, eleventh green, twelfth tee, thirteenth green and fourteenth tee all within relative spitting distance of each other.
What is worse, though, is the fact that like many of the new country club courses, Old Thorns just loves itself a bit too much. The exaggerated text in the course guide doesn’t help, the nadir being the crass rhyme that some twenty-first century Byron penned for the 18th: “finish with a par and you will be the toast of the bar.” But what sums it up are the bumptious comments by Andrew Tremlett below. Let him smugly reside in his own little world – Old Thorn is good, but, as much as its members may like it to be, it’s not great.
7.5/10
‘Young P’

i've been playing golf for a year now and myself and playing partner choose the old thorns golf and country club as our first golf breakaway, i have to say we got the choice spot on, the deal we had amazing and other golf clubs would have to go a very long way to even match what we had. i have to say the golf course was the best i've ever played in my short golf life and it was a pleasure to play it. as test of golf it was an honest one i thought, it asked things of u and if u had the wrong answer it let u know, i thought the staff were great they made u feel welcome which is all u can ever ask for. one thing i would say though and i've found this at other courses is why do members of the 30+ generation find they have to always have to look down on young men, i'm 25 and find it everywhere i go, its almost like these people feel i have no right to be there but i do, i dress to the standerd asked of me, i respect all golf courses i play, i play and understand the rules regarding slow play etc etc but still feel i'll never be accepted in to the golfing world untill i'm in my late 30's. once again this is a problem in general and not just something i experianced at the old thorns, overall i would recommend this golf course to everyone who is looking for a short break and an honest test of there golf

A great course with very friendly staff. We spent a 4 day midweek deal and had the best 'weeks' golf ever! The course has to be one of the best in the area (if not the South of England). The grounds staff need to be congratulated on the way the course is maintained. The greens were immaculate. The uphill and down dale aspects of the course make for some spectacular views of the local countryside and at times you feel that your teeing off the edge of a cliff!! A buggy is a must for the slightly unfit (there are plenty available). I look forward to returning in the near future