Richmond Park Golf Club (London)

Have played both courses (Dukes and Princes) and I have to say it is very good value for money in the weekdays (10.50 for juniors). At the weekends though it is a bit overpriced (£25). Greens are in rubbish condition, fairways and tees are a bit shabby. The course really needs just a little TLC. Driving range really is shocking and there is much of a putting/chipping green. Both courses have holes that are all very similar back and forth. The bunkers are absolutely terrible. You have to play them like your out of the rough (ball first). The only hole that gives a challenge is the last hole on the Dukes. The 240 yard par 3. However considering I have gone round the back 9 of the princes in 39 and on challenging courses I struggle to break 100 it does show you how easy the course is.

I'm a early bird when it comes to my golf and just love the early starts coming in through the Roehampton Gate at around 6am as the mist rolls over the course. Just seeing this alone makes the £25.00 for a weekend round well worth paying. I always play the more undulating Princes course (As I personally find the Dukes course to flat for my liking. Though I know there are folks out there who love tonking the ball as far as possible, so if your one of these folks go for the Dukes course.) The Princes course has some wonderful views across the park and the wildlife of geese, foxes, rabbits add to the fact you cannot believe you are in London. The holes are all a challenge and with the dog legs giving you some fun and greens keep you guessing as to how much the ball will turn and sometime suprise you with how little they do so. This is may favourite course in London. I do advise you tee off early folks, just try it the once. It's well worth getting up at the crack of dawn for.

Two courses in easy reach of Central London, in beautiful setting, and very cheap [especially for OAPs, half price]. No wonder there are long waits at weekends. In the middle of the week other than at peak periods far less of a wait. OK, fairly easy, ‘hackers courses’ [but not as easy as they seem], but generally in good condition. Overall wonderful value for money.

Played a round on a dull but dry Feb Sat PM- got the twilight ticket (1:45pm onwards) which meant the round was £9 which is very cheap, but would still not say it was great value. Not the courses fault, but in order to leave the grounds of Richmond park we were forced to leave at 4:45pm, so only able to get in 13 holes.
The course was very dull, no interesting features, no challenges, nothing of note. Greens in pretty good condition for a course of this nature, but this is not a course to test or to thrill but one to get some air and practise on. Very cheap, pretty poor quality so fair enough.

I gave up on Richmond Park golf two years ago after too many long rounds on what are ,admittedly,
two of Britains busiest courses.
However I've been back twice recently and i have to congratulate Glendale Golf on what they've done. The Dukes is great fun, the rough today was brutal.The bunkers however badly need more sand. We didn't have to wait on any tees and no-one chased us down. If like me you gave up on long rounds and tatty courses, go back, its a different place.If you've never been, give it a go. Theres no denying the beauty of Richmond Park.
Its cheap pay and play in a wonderful setting.

Played the Dukes course last Friday (31st March 2006), a very enjoyable round. No slow play, proper tees (yipee) & only one temporary green. Will be going back this Friday to play the other course.
I didn't have to book a tee time, 'come along whenever you want' was what I was told. I'm sure it will get busier as the summer draws in but I'm lucky that I don't have to work Fridays as I hate P&P courses during the weekends.
The rough is very tricky (as it should be), the greens excellent considering the time of year & weather. Well recommended.

Anyone expecting to ring Richmond Park to book a tee time should think again. I have played both courses, always on a Sunday, and never have I been allocated a tee time. It is a case of them informing you of the approximate length of the wait, always add 50% onto whatever they tell you, and you deciding whether or not either of the courses is worth that wait. Let me help: no! These courses are flat and featureless, with little challenge or interest. The best hole is the one I was on when five young tearaways started digging up the first green with a pitching wedge and I happened to be witness. Fortunately, due to the speed of play, i had ample time to grab a chocolate bar out of my bag, take a seat in the fairway, and watch this display of vandalism to it's conclusion without disrupting the menagerie of so called other golfers all playing the same hole. Go and play a golf course in it's true habitat if you ask me. THE COUTRYSIDE! Where slow play and muppets (hand in hand) are actually prohibited, and you may actually get your moneys worth.

Played the Duke's course for the first time last Sunday. Having walked past the course several times in the past, I was really looking forward to a relaxing round in a beautiful setting. Unfortunately I had more time to soak up the surroundings than I wanted - as I endured the longest round of golf I have experienced.
We rang the pro-shop just before turning up to be told that the course was empty. I expect golf on a Sunday to be slow, but 5 hour rounds when the course is supposedly "empty" make me wonder what it could be like on a busy day!
We managed to tolerate the long waits before every shot, but when we got to the 18th tee to find 3 four balls queuing up we decided enough was enough.
This is a shame really, because otherwise it's not bad for a public layout. The grass is kept quite long on the greens which is understandable for a course that is so heavily used, but generally the course was in very good condition. It's largely flat, but the stream is cleverly used and the rough is quite punishing.
And the rough is the issue. I know the management won't be reading this reveiw, but they need to make a decision on the rough: either cut it shorter to speed up the pace of play (and greatly reduce the challenge of the course); or keep it as it is and increase the gap between tee times. As things stand, the course is going to lose popularity. I won't be going back there in a hurry and nearly every review below is negative... and there are plenty of alternatives in west London / Surrey.
In short, ok course let down by poor management.

I played the Princes course last Saturday (£22) and found the course generally could do with a little manicure.. The rough is quite unforgiving and I lost quite a few balls even though I saw the area where it landed - but managed to find more than I lost so not that unhappy. I found the greens a little slow too - a trim is needed I think. Other than that - it was a good place to play though can be busy obviously at weekends.

Played Princes course on Sunday at 11:15. Wasn't expecting much from a winter course that is VERY public, but was pleasantly surprised in many areas.
Didn't start great as the only car park is the public Richmond Park one and it was very busy. Also there are no real facilities (clubhouse etc) so everyone is standing around outside waiting to get called to tee off. The driving range has about 10 bays and is full with a queue, and when we finally started it took 45mins for the first three holes.
However, after that things seemed to speed up a bit and although its a long round (4.5 hours) the discounted winter price for late starts £20 was fairly cheap as you may not finish the round for when the park gates close.
The course itself was pretty good for this time of year, and being as there are a lot of novice golfers out there. The greens have long grass but are very good condition. The fairways respectable for a winter course and the variance good. They are rather short off the winter tees, but this helps you get a good score and cheer you up!!!
The hot snack hut after 5 and 12 holes is very welcome on a golf course, with burgers, soup, bananas etc.
Don't expect fast play and sit back and enjoy the often seen views of the Park.

My son and I played the "Princes" on a Thursday afternoon and whilst busy play was not too slow the group in front could have let us. The greens were variable and grass on fairways had suffered during the summer and due to high usage, teeing areas were also poor.
The whole course could do with a bit of TLC, given the number of fee's being taken the revenue must be there to justify tidying it up. If this was done it could be made into a nice course.
Being Scots we are used to more value for money, doubt I'll be back and we only live two miles away....

I've played the Dukes course and some of the holes can be challenging if a bad tee shot is hit due to a ditch on 4 of the holes overal not badly kept and the greens are in good nick

I play both courses in Richmond Park because I live only a few miles away. Both courses are accessible and inviting for new and improving golfers. The fairways are wide and open and the quality of the courses has improved a lot in the last year or two. The top course, Princes, offers more variety set on the side of a hill, but Dukes (bottom) has more attractive and challenging holes. Each course is available from around £10/15/20 (dusk/weekday/weekend).
Facilities nearby are limited because Richmond Park closes at dusk, and like most public courses the clubhouse facilities are limited.
Although the management try and ensure that games of the same size play on the same course each day, I agree that the course can be very slow and there seems to be little active management to ensure play is speeded up. Patience is required.

As a relative novice I was very much looking forward to the challenge of Richmond Park but came away disappointed despite the picturesque setting. Firstly, the price was prohibitively high - £18 to hire a set of clubs!. Frankly, I was tempted to nick them. Secondly, the queues were such that our stop-start round lasted close to 6 hours. Even though a sunny Spring Sunday is always likely to be popular, I felt we weren't given sufficient warning of the delays we would suffer. Thirdly, and this may seem trivial to some, the on-course catering facilities left a great deal to be desired. Many will be familar with the mobile food van situated next to the 5th tee. It was like an oasis to us after the 90 minutes we had spent on holes 1-4. I ordered a double cheese burger and was astonished to find a very large piece of aluminium foil wedged between my two patties. When I challenged the catering staff they simply replied "Don't worry, it won't kill you!". "Well, there are a lot of things that won't kill you, but I wouldn't necessarily like to find them all in my burger", I replied. My golfing partner also got half of his hot dog pecked off by a passing pigeon - not the courses' fault, granted, but it didn't help with our overall impression of the course. My advice: bring a packed lunch (and dinner too if you're going to play all 18).

I learnt my game around here to some extent and thought initially that thie two courses here were nice and reasonably well kept considering the number of users and the fees. Now I know better I'm not sure that I would play here again as the courses are largely dull and uninteresting, and better golf can be had within 20 miles. Still, if you're in SW London and fancy a round your options are limited to some degree.

Course is basically fine, except for some muddy areas, but that really is the UK weather's fault.
Only one small item to mention: the driving range cannot be used because the nets were torn away by the high winds. When ere they going to repaired?

Course is undemanding, with little to challenge, v wide fairways, few bunkers, no water. Play is very slow, expect 5 hrs min. Fairways in poor condition.
Also, whilst driving range is nice, it closes very early, C. 6.30pm.
I wil not be playing here again (or using the range!!)

I have played both the Prince's & Duke's courses and have found them to be of extremely good value and quality. There is no doubt that these are busy courses, but no more than several other inner M25 clubs (where you pay a great deal more for rather less).
I also suggest Selsdon Park for a great days golf.

A gentle parkland course with two 18 hole courses. We played the Dukes course in July and there are no temporary greens. The fairways are not in ideal condition but you do get 'preferred lie'. The greens were a little slow but in good condition and the tee-boxes were nice and flat. My only complaint is the general etiquette of other golfers on the course who will often drive off when you are still on the fairway with an definite absence of the shout 'fore'. Be prepared for a slow round of golf but for the money it is a pleasant course and you should try it.

A very disappointing course. We played on the Dukes course and found that on the front 9 holes, the fairways were in terrible condition. Things improved a little on the back 9. The greens looked ok, but were very bumpy and could have done with cutting. The course looks as if it has been overplayed over the winter months.
To cap it all, after playing, we found that the bar was shut, which is not what you need on a hot afternoon.
Overall, very poor, and I doubt if I'll ever play here again.

Although I agree with all other comments regarding these courses, it has to be said that the Dukes course has suffered terribly from the winter rains. Even now, in June, there are 4 or 5 temporary greens and tees. There is lots of drainage work going on which makes play impossible at times.
This however does not apply to Princes, which is in great condition so if you have a booking card you know which course to ask for.

I have played both courses several times and I don't think Richmond Park can be beaten for a convenient course which is suitable for everyone including irregular/beginning players. The drawbacks are that it is always full on weekends and therefore very slow and the course suffers from the amount of usage it gets. The only other criticism that can be leveled is that the holes can get a bit repetitive, crossing back and forth across a small stream as the main feature.

I play both the Princes (top) and Dukes (bottom) courses on a regular basis. For a pay and play these courses are astounding value at just £16.50 on weekends, and both are in excellent condition.
The greens are generally true and well kept (if a little heavy) and the very generous fairways are plush and a joy to play from, with some undulations to liven things up. If you are lucky you will even see the occasional deer grazing on the fairway.
Higher handicappers will enjoy that the course is not too punishing on errant drives, and mid- to lower handicappers will find that both of the courses contain a couple of very challenging holes (eg the Dukes 230yd 18th).
The Dukes course is the more interesting of the two and requires decent course management - especially on a number of holes that criss-cross a stream running through the center of the fairway (very important to know your yardages!).
The proshop is well stocked and the staff are always friendly. The pub / restaurant next door has the necessary (liquid) refreshment.
My only criticism is that play can sometimes be slow - rounds that should have taken 3:50 have stretched to more than 5 hours on some Sundays (marshals would help), and decent yardage markers on the Princes course would be a definite plus.
Overall, I would recommend Richmond Park to anyone that is looking for a good, honest test of their golfing ability, at a very reasonable price.

I have played both the top course and bottom course on quite a few occasions and have thoroughly enjoyed it. The greens are very well looked after and the Pro shop staff are always very help full. It is worth ringing to book at all times as there tends to always be a few people playing. All in all a very nice course. One thing to note is they alternate between the top and bottom course depending on how many in your group. I.E. Monday 2 ball would paly on top course and Tuesday 2 ball on bottom. To give the courses even play I think.
Enjoy the day there and scenery.