The Vale Golf and Country Club

Please look at the last review posted as it seems to refer to The Vale at Glamorgan NOT The Vale in Worcestershire. They have the same names so it is confusing

Played at this excellent venue on the 26th June 2008 in blustery and cold conditions and had an excellent experience on the International Course. Paying £14 with a 2-4-1 was excellent value for money on this good for test track. Probably a good idea to ring ahead as it seemed a little busy..and this was a weekday. After a quick warm up at the reasonably priced range (not great balls but this is always a real bee in my bonnet!) we had a chance to chip and putt before heading to the dogleg left 1st tee. What strikes you first is that fairways are deceptively narrow and the rough extremely tough to get out of (too long playing overseas on short lush rough perhaps!) so stay straight and give up a few yards distance. A couple of cracking holes stand out on the 1st nine...the up hill 180 yard 3rd (played into the wind) and the very reachable Par 5 4th. As previous reports suggest the 8th is filed safely in the cool but crazy holes of golf but the view from the green is wonderous. The back nice is a lovely mix of tricky longish Par 3's and the occasional lovely looking Par 4, finishing with a short iron into the 18th just avoiding a little pond to the left. A really cracking course in wonderful countryside that I would play again in an instant and makes me almost wish I still lived in this damn country. Enjoy

For me this is the best corse in Worcestershire. Greens I kept to perfection although they do run quite quick in the summer. Facilities are superb with a great range and putting area. the International course is very very long and challenging but but can be quite rewarding too. Favourite hole being the 7th probably because invariably walk away with a par !! 8th is a superbly unique hole if not a little nuts !! The shorter lenches course is great for a warm up which opens up after a few holes and is quite beautiful. My best advice, play 27 holes a day. get there early and play the lenches in the morning, have lunch and then play the international in the afternoon. with 2 fore 1 on both courses, it is a great day of golf.

Played in a four ball in mid October and had a very enjoyable day. the course is long at nearly 6800 yards off the visitors tees, with 6 par 5's and some long par3's. The course is laid out in plenty of space, so you are never playing `up and down`as is the case on some of these type of fairly recently laid out tracks. The fairways needed cutting, which coupled with the cold damp conditions made long driving a bit of a struggle, and invariably a 5 iron plus into the greens. The greens were quite fast and in good condition for the time of year. We decided the best hole was the 16th, a par 5 with the green surrounded by mature trees. The staff were friendly and helpfull, the only complaint being the price of the coffees at nearly £2 a cup!!. All in all good value but if you don't hit it very long off the tee you may struggle.

Played this course on a very sunny saturday afternoon in September. The course was in fantastic condition with good fairways and true greens. A most enjoyable afternoons golf made all the better by playing on a 2-fore-1 voucher - well worth playing even had I paid full fees.

I played the course in December 2002 and found a tremendous test of golf. The fairways were in perfect condition and the greens were in great nick for the time of year and amount of rain suffered throughout November. A value for money venue and a great day out for all concerned.

A new course that is maturing well. It is long, real long and the shorter hitters may find it a bit of a slog. The Par 3's are good, although the 11th is rather bland. I would question having 6 Par 5's, the 8th could easily be turned into a strong Par 4 by moving the tee up some 20-30 yards. The 18th is a tough finishing hole with water lurking on the left of the green. Overall an enjoyable course to play, one which should improve over the years to come.

As other people have commented, not the most memorable of courses. However on a glourious sunny day, wonderful views and a great golfing challenge. The par 3's provide a good challeng and require thinking through before teeing up. The front nine provide are particuarly well set out. Unfortunately when we last played we were harrased throughout the front nine, by an ex-club captain. Leaving us little option but to return to the clubhouse and complain about his outrageous and offensive behaviour. Providing this idiot isn't playing a great days golfing can be had.

Nice course with 6 par 5's, where none of them are particularly long thus giving birdie oppertunities. Generally well set out with a great view i think on the 6th where all 18 holes are visible. Good idea to book buggies if required and worth asking what spikes are allowed on the course before you go, to avoid the mad frenzy of changing your spikes in a rush for your tee-off time whilst berating yourself for not cleaning and caring for your golf shoes. A pleasant round with good conditions would have been topped off with a smile from the staff and members.

Having played this course a lot i have to say that it it has some problems although it is a tough test for the shorter hitters. In winter the couse becomes very wet and is often shut and in summer the opposite applies, its clay soil dries to a almost concrete firmness. The greens are playable but due to the frequent usage are not as good as other local courses. The 9-hole Lenches course is a good challenge and overall in better condition than the long, straight, and at some times repetitive International course.

Having played the course once I have re-booked for this weekend again.This is not spectacular or particularly memorable course but has some interesting holes, the 8th being worth a note. The weather had been quite wet but the couse held up well compared to other courses. Both greens and fairways were well kept also.