The Herefordshire Golf Club Review

The Herefordshire Golf Club was founded in 1896 and enjoyed a relatively nomadic existence during those early years, but it was in 1932 that it made its final move to its present home at the beautiful Ravens Causeway, Wormsley. It was the legendary James Braid, a five-time Open champion and designer of many fabulous courses, who discovered this site and described it as being the 'Gleneagles of the Midlands'.

Today, The Herefordshire is located within 148 acres of memorable, calming countryside, which provides a fine test of golf but with spectacular views across the county and beyond.

First Impressions

As you make your way along the roads to the course you can already see what lies ahead with stunning views and a quite serene landscape. As you drive into the car park opposite the course you get a great view of the newly refurbished clubhouse and straight away your air of excitement goes up.

Checking in at the pro shop, we were greeted very warmly by Coralie, who is Head Pro James Heath's assistant. We were then introduced to James and given a description of what was where, etc. The pro shop was one of the best-stocked shops I’ve had the pleasure to see. A great selection of brands from shoes, to clothing to putters. There is also a Trackman studio to the rear of the shop.

We headed over to the clubhouse and went into the spike bar, which also has a patio with plenty of seating both covered and in the open. From here we got a proper glimpse of what lay ahead out on the course with stunning views and well-manicured holes. There is a practice range not far from the clubhouse along with a chipping area, so everything you need before you tee off is close by.

They have a great room upstairs for all functions, including weddings. They also have two "pods" that are available to rent out for people wishing to stay.

Course Highlights

The opening hole sets the scene - a tee box that is framed by ropes with starters hut next to it. The hole is a relatively straight-ahead hole but don’t be fooled as the rolling fairway is imperative to hit as the rough is quite juicy and trees pick in on both sides with the small green sitting atop a large drop-off/gully.

The one thing you’ll soon find when playing here is how small the greens are. All approaches need to be spot on as run-off areas and well-placed bunkers await anything off-line. Most holes are framed by trees or banks, which for me makes the course very appealing to the eye. The course is quite hilly, so if you aren’t up for that I would highly recommend a buggy and there are some buggy paths around the course too.

The Course Layout 

We all found the course to be very enjoyable, with wonderful scenery and best of all no two holes felt the same. There are only two par 5s and both these come in the back 9. The par 3s are all very impressive, playable for all but quite challenging at the same time.

The 15th a par 3 for me is the signature hole. A pond and ditch short, bunkers right and OOB behind as you look down from the tee make this a great hole.

What makes The Herefordshire so great is that there are some short par 4s and some long par 4s which all in all make it very memorable and playable for all levels.

Verdict

Once the clubs were away we headed straight for the spike bar for a drink and a bite to eat. One thing we noticed is the friendly and relaxed atmosphere. There were a good amount of drinks to choose from and some lovely food options too. The staff were so friendly too. Even though we encountered a little bit of rain, we all agreed that The Herefordshire not only offers up a great course but is also one of the friendliest and nicest venues you will come across.

Overall Rating - 10

Course (Conditions) - 10

Course (Hole Variety/Layout) - 10

Course (Green Condition) - 10

Course (Challenge/Difficulty) - 9

Club Facilities & Clubhouse - 10

Practice Facilities - 9

Friendliness/Hospitality - 10

Pace of Play - 9

Value For Money - 10