The Ridge Golf Club

The Ridge Golf Club, Maidstone, South East, England, ME17 3JB

01622844382 | Golf course website

17 reviews of The Ridge Golf Club

Today the 4 of us played the course, and we found it to in great condition. This is an interesting course with well thought out holes. You certainly have to think your way. We had breakfast before we teed off would recommend the double decker. Pro staff were very helpful.

Posted by Bill hayes on 17/10/2014
4
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Overall Rating 4
  • Overall Ratings
  • Green conditions 3
  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 5
  • Staff service 4
  • Value for money 5
  • Green conditions 3
  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 5
  • Staff service 4
  • Value for money 5

I played this course on 26th April 2014 as a member of a society . We had 21 playing on the day which started with a buffet English breakfast but they hadn't cooked enough food so lads had to wait for more but once this was finished we headed for the first tee to start are round . And from there it all went down hill . I can honestly say it has to be the worst kept course I have played in the last 4 years . The tee boxes are all over the place and the greens ( if you can call them that ) are absolutely terrible . You would get a smoother rolling putt putting on the roads with pot holes in them and that is no exaggeration ! It would have to improve a hell of a lot for our society to return. Surely at this time of year courses should be at there best but this is terrible . To be avoided at all costs !

Posted by Mark delo on 27/04/2014
1
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Overall Rating 1
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  • Green conditions 1
  • Clubhouse 1
  • Course challenge 1
  • Staff service 1
  • Value for money 1
  • Green conditions 1
  • Clubhouse 1
  • Course challenge 1
  • Staff service 1
  • Value for money 1

course is fine with some challenging holes and water hazards. professional is friendly and bar/cafe fine course dries well and was playable in almost the worst conditions last winter will continue to play here and recently joined the club

Posted by john bradney on 24/04/2014
4
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Overall Rating 4
  • Overall Ratings
  • Green conditions 3
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 3
  • Staff service 4
  • Value for money 5
  • Green conditions 3
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 3
  • Staff service 4
  • Value for money 5

Have played here a fair bit over the past few years and in that time the course has deteriorated steadily through lack of investment. Shame, because it still has the potential to be a decent course. Tee boxes are all over the place in terms of levels, lack of sand in the bunkers has never been addressed to the extent that many bunkers now have grass/weeds growing through them. Greens themselves are poor condition and too many bare areas around some of them too I did have a membership here but not once during that time did i receive any communication from the club at all which is a very poor but typical reflection of the club as a whole. It doesn't seem to care for its course or for its members, let alone guests/societies etc. Bar shuts early, frequently no food available so on the social side its gone right downhill too. With a bit of investment and better management it would be a great course but as it is there are many better options around the area

Posted by Mike on 05/11/2013
2
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Overall Rating 2
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  • Green conditions 2
  • Clubhouse 2
  • Course challenge 3
  • Staff service 3
  • Value for money 1
  • Green conditions 2
  • Clubhouse 2
  • Course challenge 3
  • Staff service 3
  • Value for money 1

Played the ridge a few times this year and it has held up well until mid November. Greens have finally given in to the elements a bit but that's to be expected, they have been excellent throughout the year until now. Only real negative with the course is as per previous comments - sand depth in bunkers can be very very shallow. Other than that it is a well designed course, a few straight, flat holes along with right and left dog-legs, up and down hills, comfy down hill par 5 and the slog up the 18th finishing in front of the clubhouse and over the water. Course drains very well as its on a hill, which means it can be open to the elements... Add in the practice facilities - putting, bunkers & small driving range, a good friendly club-house and well stocked pro-shop its well worth a visit.

Posted by Mike on 15/12/2011
5
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Overall Rating 5
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  • Green conditions 5
  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 4
  • Staff service 5
  • Value for money 4
  • Green conditions 5
  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 4
  • Staff service 5
  • Value for money 4

Played the Ridge on Saturday 3rd September as part of a 13 strong golf society. Minor issue initially in that the booking (including breakfast) hadn't been communicated fully to the staff on duty. But they went out of ther way to make sure that the breakfasts were available as fast as possible and we had plenty of time before teeing off. The course was in a very good condition and the greens were exceptionally good. The course itself is more challenging than it first appears. Due to the number of dog-leg holes and slopes, if you haven't put your tee shot either far enough or in the the right place, you'll almost certainly find that you haven't got a straightforward second shot as there will be trees or bunkers well into play. But even off a 28 handicap, it's very enjoyable. Even as the last group out, we were still round in a shade over 4 hours. The only bugbear is the state of the bunkers. There's nothing worse than trying to play out of a deep greenside bunker, only to discover it only has an inch of sand in it and you hit the bottom of the bunker when playing the shot. Apart from that, I'd recommend this course as well worth a look.

Posted by John Tower on 09/09/2011
5
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Overall Rating 5
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  • Green conditions 5
  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 4
  • Staff service 5
  • Value for money 4
  • Green conditions 5
  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 4
  • Staff service 5
  • Value for money 4

Played the Ridge last week and was impressed. I last played this course around 15 years ago and was so disappointed its taken 15 years to go back but bery please I did. The greens were great, the course is a picture. There are a couple of dogs legs but I feel this adds to the problem of course management, stops you just pulling out a driver and booming it. The bar area was extremely friendly as were all the staff. I would certainly recomment this to any friends.

Posted by Nick Holmes on 19/08/2010
5
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Overall Rating 5
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  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 5

We played the Ridge Golf Club on Saturday 28th June 2008. Both the Greens and Fairways were in great condition and a pleasure to play. We had read previous reports about the bunkers, but much to our suprise they were full of sand and required a good shot out. We went in the clubhouse afterwards and the offerred a good selection from home made cakes and scones to a full meal at 5.00pm on a saturday afternoon! All in all we would really recommend the club and course to any one

Posted by Michael Stoner on 03/07/2008
5
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Overall Rating 5
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  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 5

We play the Ridge every 5 or 6 weeks. In general terms the course is fairly open with plenty of sand and a little water. As it is on a hill it is exposed to crosswinds. A number of the holes require very straight driving as fairways are narrow in places and club selection can be tricky. Anyone with a tendency to slice or hook significantly will score highly. Fairways are usually in good condition and the greens though variable have been very good recently. The main bugbear with the course is the continuing poor state of the bunkers which need some serious work. They are often rock hard and difficult to play out from. Of the holes themselves, the 1st rewards a straight, slightly right drive, the 2nd is dead straight. The third is 3 wood or drive over trees (driver hit straight is too long). The 4th a nice par 3 to a raised green with sand all over. The 5th is a narrow dogleg Par 5. Must hit straight. Significant right is out of bounds. 6th is a mid iron to the corner of a dog leg then another mid iron, 7th depends on tee location. You can hit at the green over trees in favourable conditions but ensure green is clear of players. 8th is a longish iron dogleg left with water and 9th is a 200 yard Par 3 with a large green. Plays anything from an 8 to a 5. 10th is a dogleg left. Don’t take a big club for the tee shot! 11th is long and straight, 12 is a shortish Par 3. 13 is a long straight drive. 14 is a nice gentle downhill par 5. Good chance of birdie . Right of fairway is orchard which is ball-losing country. 15 and 16 are straight Par 4s, 17 is a 200 yard Par 3. The 18th seems to be an eternally long Par 5 which needs a good straight drive to the dogleg corner. The next shot is a very long iron/wood, with significant water left and right. Laying up keeps scores down! A good course, tricky for wayward hitters (high handicappers beware) and not ideal for sand-prone players given current bunker conditions.

Posted by Graham Hewett on 06/02/2007
4
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Overall Rating 4
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  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 4
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 4

Course in extremely good condition for end of October and the heavy fainfall over previous few days (local fields flooded), only casulty were the bunkers. Course well maintained, greens flat and fast concidering recent weather, tees and also fairways well kept. Stiff wind made the course more challanging. Not much heavy rough, course quite open, built through old orchards ( many other trees have been planted) so a quick free snack available in the Autumn. Pleasent dats golf and will go back when next in Kent

Posted by John Jones on 27/10/2006
4
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Overall Rating 4
  • Overall Ratings
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 3
  • Value for money 4
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 3
  • Value for money 4

We are members at sister club, Austin Lodge, and played The Ridge for the first time on 22 April'06. We found the staff to be friendly and welcoming and the practice facilities excellent. We also enjoyed the course despite the fact that the greens were mostly poor - bobbly with bald patches and rock hard. Perhaps they have not recovered from the winter? All three of us scored badly but we will be back to try again. The course could not be more different to Austin Lodge. It is very flat and of average length (5,942 yards for its par 71) while being a little tight in places. There are quite a few dog-legs and a bit of water to contend with - ovrall it is a good mix, which makes it entertaining.

Posted by Henry Shinners on 24/04/2006
4
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Overall Rating 4
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  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 3
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 3

A small course in a pleasant setting, some of the views of Southern Kent and Sussex on a clear day are quite fine, the condition of the course last week was very good, the greens were very well maintained and just about average speed. The fairways were green but patchy in places unlike neighbouring Chart Hills (superb), but this area has been inflicted with fairly dry conditions this summer. Dog legs characterise this course, but most can be cut quite easily, although the course is very short the wind seems to be a factor, making holes deceptively an iron or two longer. My key gripes are the par 5s are generally two short and should be birded by most decent golfers, there is also a reasonable opportunity on atleast 3/4 of the par 4s...albeit if you play a sensible iron shot and don't go for the green from the tee like I did. Some of the new tee boxes are incredibly narrow, which can be disconcerting. Poor form of sand used in the bunkers.....is something that could also be addressed. I shot a 79 on my first visit with three poor double bogeys (notably without warming up prior to playing), which shows that the course is a reasonable challenge, though I doubt I'd be scoring so badly if I returned in future. Generally everything is just above average here, it's just above english pay and play level. A good practice course for bigger and better things.

Posted by B Smith on 03/10/2005
3
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Overall Rating 3
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  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 3
  • Value for money 3
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 3
  • Value for money 3

played the course yesterday afternon,well eight holes to be precice.after nearly being hit by somebody driving off before i had played my second shot we then got behind a fourball who would not let us play through. was this because i was playing with a junior?two and a half hours for eight holes is too long. all that said i enjoyed the eight holes i played. the staff were very good and the course was in very good condition.

Posted by Stephen Ellis on 13/09/2004

Played yesterday afternoon using a half price voucher from the local paper. The American Golf origins of the course were instantly recognisable. Having played Chelsfield Lakes recently The Ridge could almost be an extension of that course. The style of Clubhouse, grass, cart paths and “course furniture” were very familiar. The course is no longer run by American Golf having become part of an organisation that runs Austin Lodge and some other courses in Kent. Very pleasant course in good condition with undulating greens, lots of dogleg holes and a few holes to open up with the driver. No punishing rough and despite being laid out in a former orchard the trees rarely came into play. An enjoyable round, certainly worth the £25 weekend green fee. Our two-ball tee’d off at 2.30pm and we got around in 3hours 40mins. Hopefully this is typical, as the course seemed well marshalled. We will be returning.

Posted by Simon on 05/08/2002

I have played this course twice and both times we had a very enjoyable round. The 18th can be very testing if the wind is against you. The staff were very good indeed and the the facility of having a water boy in a buggy was very well received on the the swealtering day we were there in the summer. A good solid course that is a pleasure to play, I would recomend it to anyone.

Posted by Jonathan Langridge on 02/01/2002

Considering the amount of rain that had fallen on Southern England over the winter of 2000/1, we were really surprised by the condition of this course. I think there was only 4 temporary tees in use (and there looked nothing wrong with the closed main ones)and no temporary greens. These were interesting too, with slopes and hollows to test the best. The finishing par 5 can scare your pants off, particuarly if the wind blows. You are faced with a do you/dont you dilema to beat the green-guarding lake. I can't belive the stroke index is as high as it is. The staff seemed friendly. We will definately be going back, this is a good winter course.

Posted by on 24/04/2001

Very impressed with this course and highly recommend it. A lot of thought has gone into the lay out of the holes and there are some excellent ones. Very tough undulating greens.

Posted by Dan on 01/09/2000

Course information

Number of holes 18
Year opened -
Designer -
Style parkland

Tee information

TeesYardsParSSS
Competition
Men's622970
Ladies'

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Weekday round£30
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