South Herts Golf Club

Good course with quick greens,and lush fairways, not too long with plenty going on and well kept. Up there with the other top courses in this part of North London. Had a society day here and the food was OK.

Played here midweek ,August 09 ( £18 on the twilight rate after 4 ).
I quite enjoyed playing here ,although you have to contend with a lot of slopes .Apart from two par 3's every hole had an incline or decline .
There was a nice feel to this club. Members seemed friendly & the relaxed clubhouse opens out onto a a nice patio area which sits over the 1st tee & looks straight down the pleasant looking first hole ( the willows on the left make it ).
Course condition was good .Lovely to hit off spongy fairways & immaculate greens .
Despite being not too far from central London the course has a surprisingly tranquil feel to it .
I didn't think it was a difficult scoring course (e.g the downhill par 5 9th was a drive & 7 iron & the par 4 1st is almost driveable )
but the courses defence are the fast greens which have subtle breaks & if you're above the hole can be treacherous (take a look at the putting green behind the 1st before you start as some greens aren't too dissimilar ).
I thought the design was well thought out (Harry Vardon) & the set up was fair . All the bunkers were in the right places & if you're wayward you can find your ball as the tree lines aren't excessively punishing .Also , there was a fairly gentle last few hole finish 364,362 & 319 yds whereas ,after negotiating all the slopes ,a tough finish would have been too much.
In my view ,the course shouldn't be modernised as it's fine as it is.
A minor criticism of the holes would be that looks wise some are a bit samey .One downhill,next one back up .However ,this meant quite a few visually good dropdown holes from high tee points with the whole hole stretched out down below you .
Favourite hole was the par 3 12th ,followed by the 16th ,15th ,11th & 1st .
The £18 twilight rate is excellent value ( normal rate is £45 )& we were finished by 7 still with 1 & 1/2 hours of daylight left & for this you get an enjoyable ,well conditioned & one of the better ,private club courses in the North London area .
Kevin B.

South Herts Golf Club is a very good club. It has a welcoming attitude towards visitors allowing them to play at any time in the week or weekends. The Vardon course, which is an 18 hole standard layout course, is an undulating parkland and is beautifully maintained by the staff there. It is really quite challenger for a mid handicapper like myself. The club also boasts a second course, very uncommon for a club so close to Central London. The Rees course is a great place for young people to learn how to play the game and is a great place to have a quiet and peaceful round to improve your irons and wedges. All for only £15 on the Rees course and £6 for juniors. Within walking distance of Totteridge and Whetstone Underground Station, it really is an almost perfect Greater London course. Very highly recommended for a player of any handicap.

Anyone considering playing this course,ensure you have proof of you handicap with you,staff unwilling to phone your club to confirm,P.s green fees are £45 a round, aug 2005

A very friendly and playable course.We had a good winter deal,25.00 with breakfast.
The staff could not have been more helpfull,very attantive and a secretary who did not hide away...
The course was a litle soft underfoot so in truth not the best Winter course but if we have had a dry spell give it go.Short Par 3s and reachable Par 5s make it enjoyable for all levels.
Give them a call and see what they can do

It is an extrodinary course to play. I highly recommend a visit. On some of the holes you have a spectacular view of parkland. The course is in very good condition as well as the greens that are good all year round. It is a very challenging golf course with some small fairways. The staff in the pro shop and clubhouse are friendly. They serve food through out the day and it is excellent value for money.

I played the course in the summer and can recommend it highly. the greens were in excellent condition and fast. everyone in the clubhouse was friendly and the food excellent.i can also highly recommend a visit to the well stocked and fairly priced pro shop. the staff were very friendly and helpful and the clothing range very good (including Ralph Lauren). I highly recommend a visit.

The course is a lovely looking course with lots of valleys and hills with some nice views. For February, I thought the course was playing quite well with the fairways remaining firm. The course is quite open with wide fairways allowing you to let rip with the driver on most occassions and there were quite nice views on many of the holes. I found most of the par 3 holes too short and a little dissapointing and one of them only required a pitching wedge!
It does cost £30 during the week (and not the £25 as stipulated on this site) and for a private members club, particular about whom they let on (they do require sight of a handicap certificate), the greens were in very poor condition (and there were quite a few pitch marks left unrepaired). Another thing to keep in mind if you are playing in the winter, is make sure you ask if there are temporary greens in play as they do not volunteer this information nor do they discount the green fees to take this into account!