Ballards Gore Golf Club
3.5
161 reviews
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Price Guide: £££ | HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Course Information
Ballards Gore Golf Club, Essex is an 18 hole, par 73 (6769 yard), private, parkland golf course designed by Arthur Elvin.
18 holes | Par 73 | 6769 yards | Private | Parkland
View more golf courses in Essex
Address: Gore Road, Canewdon, Rochford, Essex, SS4 2DA United Kingdom
Tel: 01702 258917
Golf Pro: Gary McCarthy | Tel: 01702 258924
Website: http://www.ballardsgore.com
Golf Club Facilities
Range
Buggy Hire
Golf Shop
Changing
Clubhouse
Bar
Dining
Function Room
36 Holes (2 for 1 vouchers accepted on day rate only)
Midweek Guide: £27.50 per round *
Weekend Guide: £32.50 per round after 1pm *
- Societies Accepted to Play
- Society Deals Available
- Voucher Deals Available
- 7 Day Membership Available
- 5 Day Membership Available
* Any prices shown are guide prices, please confirm with the course prior to booking.
Tee Time Information
Midweek Guide: £27.50 per round *
Weekend Guide: £32.50 per round after 1pm *
* Any prices shown are guide prices, please confirm with the course prior to booking.
Review Information
GOLFSHAKE RATING
3.47
AVERAGE RATING 3.8
(based on 161 reviews)
5 star
39
4 star
72
3 star
33
2 star
13
1 star
4
HIGHLY RATED
94%
would play again or recommend
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Reviews for Ballards Gore Golf Club
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The golf courses reviews are the personal opinions of members of Golfshake who completed a review after playing the course. These opinions do not necessarily represent the views of Golfshake.com
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mark hooper rated 1 out of 5
Reviewed Jul 4 2023
mr harper
played the course was told in great condition but was far from it . Waited 20 mins to get on first hole members in front and totally did not want us there.Having played there some time ago how the course has changed. Trees have been taken out so makes it easier , greens very hard and rough was so high no chance of getting out . lots bare lies on fairways and the staff in the bar very rude
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Jon S rated 1 out of 5
Reviewed Apr 3 2021
Taking the micky today
I've played Garons a few times over the years and enjoyed it, from the days when it was just starting to a more mature course now. The three nines are interesting and with the wind and some water quite challenging. But...on Good Friday, they packed the course and charged way over the odds. I realise they may be trying to raise extra income but to do this with blatant disregard for paying customers is a poor show. Waiting 20-25 minutes at the 10th, and then easily 5-10 minutes on every hole from therein spoilt it. Poor Show Garons.Reviewer Rating
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Ian M rated 1 out of 5
Reviewed Apr 15 2015
Course in very poor condition fairways like fields to many boring holes
(Round played: Mar 2015 - Score: 100 Handicap: 12.9)
(Round played: Mar 2015 - Score: 100 Handicap: 12.9)
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Rich rated 1 out of 5
Reviewed Sep 16 2011
I'm sorry but Ballards Gore is an awful course. It may well be one of the longest courses in Essex but if you can't see the green and have no idea where the line off the tee is due to a severe lack of marker posts then what's the point of being so long. I'm by no means a bad golfer (3.2 handicap) but had a shacking round today. This was due to constantly ending up in the wrong place off the tee and being blocked for my second shot.
I agree the greens were good (although very slow), as was the general condition of the course, but it's a long time since i've been so annoyed by a round of golf.
Definately much, much better courses in Essex so don't bother with this course unless you plan to play several rounds and memorise the layout.
I agree the greens were good (although very slow), as was the general condition of the course, but it's a long time since i've been so annoyed by a round of golf.
Definately much, much better courses in Essex so don't bother with this course unless you plan to play several rounds and memorise the layout.
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Neil D rated 2 out of 5
Reviewed Mar 12 2022
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Neil D rated 2 out of 5
Reviewed Mar 12 2022
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Craig rated 2 out of 5
Reviewed Jun 8 2021
Mr G
Face don't fit then your not welcome. Just had a really bad experience at Ballards.Staff where really nice but that's where it stopped.
Played many of times with friends who are members and up till today not had bad word to say.
But today
No marshaling for slow play.
Golf course could do with a cut. Super long in first cut and fairway.
Slow play.
The offer to play though was not acknowledged at all by members if front.
2x4 balls (waiting time was round 10 minutes)
Playing as a 2 ball myself today.
Must of had there blinkers on today.
3x 2 balls gave up and walked in due to wait time behind me. We was the 4th to give up.
Didn't stop to see of Beer was cold. Although could of done with 1.
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Phil S rated 2 out of 5
Reviewed Mar 28 2019
An OK course in OK condition but nothing to write home about. Very friendly staff in there though and the members came over to say hello which was very hospitable.
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the rainman rated 2 out of 5
Reviewed Apr 3 2018
Pace OF Play
Having recently played two rounds there, I managed to get held up by two 4 ball groups. I Timed that first group on one par 5 hole and they took 25 minutes to play one hole and they remained blissfuly unaware of the backlog that this pace was casuing in terms of baklogo and que of players behind them. This pace of play is unnacceptable on public course.Reviewer Rating
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Thomas M rated 2 out of 5
Reviewed Nov 16 2016
Nice (albeit long and a little unimaginative) course that held up well after 8 hours of torrential rain before and during our round. Unfortunately the whole experience was spoilt by the rude and unhelpful staff in the pro shop.
I booked the round through GolfNow on the Tuesday, booked the 11:40 tee off successfully, got a phone call from GolfNow saying that the course couldn't honour that time as someone had booked it offline, but could we do 12:10 instead. I asked if they could do earlier as 12:10 might mean we struggle to get around before sunset, they came back and said they couldn't, so we went with 12:10.
So on Saturday we saw the weather outside (it had been raining pretty heavily from early morning) and thought a few people would most likely cancel or not show up, that we'd chance our luck and get there a little early and see if we could tee off a little earlier too. We arrived at about 11:05, popped into the pro shop and cheekily asked. Was rudely told "no" and that only members could tee off before midday, "fair enough" I said, but mentioned that the GolfNow website originally offered us a tee off of 11:40, and that there were other tee offs on there for before midday too, and if this was the case then they should really update the GolfNow site to reflect this. Was told that I was wrong and the pro proceeded to load up the GolfNow website on his iPad and check. Lo and behold there were times for before midday for upcoming Saturdays. No apology forthcoming, I was told they'd try get us out early, but it was unlikely, and that we'd have to go off the 10th (therefore putting us straight into the traffic of groups already out there, and slowing us down further and giving us even less chance to get around before dark). We gave up and decided to go and have a practice on the putting green, so went and got our stuff out of the car. A couple of gentleman just coming in from the course came upto us in the car park and told us we were crazy going out in this weather (it was still hammering it down), and that all of the members were coming in after 9 holes due to the weather. We mentioned to him that we they wouldn't let us out on the course, as no-one was arriving to play or tee off but us, he couldn't believe it. It turned out that the other gentleman was the Club President, and said he'd try to have a word and get us off early. He came back and was really apologetic and told us it was a no go. So we stood there, on the putting green in the rain (watching no-one arrive or tee off) until 11:50am when the pro came out and said that we could finally go out. It was obvious from the moment we got there that no-one else was going to arrive and play, yet we were rudely kept waiting for 45 mins for no real reason other than stubbornness.
We'd actually come to scout the course for our golf society, but the whole experience left such a bad taste in our mouths that I'd begrudge given them any money. That's green fees + food/drink in the Clubhouse for 30 people that they've missed out on. It's not difficult to see why some golf courses are struggling when you still have attitudes around like this. It was a stark contrast to Epping Golf Course (where we played on Sunday) who had a friendly, welcoming club house that was far less rude and snobby than Ballard's Gore. Never likely to return, and would advise others to avoid.
I booked the round through GolfNow on the Tuesday, booked the 11:40 tee off successfully, got a phone call from GolfNow saying that the course couldn't honour that time as someone had booked it offline, but could we do 12:10 instead. I asked if they could do earlier as 12:10 might mean we struggle to get around before sunset, they came back and said they couldn't, so we went with 12:10.
So on Saturday we saw the weather outside (it had been raining pretty heavily from early morning) and thought a few people would most likely cancel or not show up, that we'd chance our luck and get there a little early and see if we could tee off a little earlier too. We arrived at about 11:05, popped into the pro shop and cheekily asked. Was rudely told "no" and that only members could tee off before midday, "fair enough" I said, but mentioned that the GolfNow website originally offered us a tee off of 11:40, and that there were other tee offs on there for before midday too, and if this was the case then they should really update the GolfNow site to reflect this. Was told that I was wrong and the pro proceeded to load up the GolfNow website on his iPad and check. Lo and behold there were times for before midday for upcoming Saturdays. No apology forthcoming, I was told they'd try get us out early, but it was unlikely, and that we'd have to go off the 10th (therefore putting us straight into the traffic of groups already out there, and slowing us down further and giving us even less chance to get around before dark). We gave up and decided to go and have a practice on the putting green, so went and got our stuff out of the car. A couple of gentleman just coming in from the course came upto us in the car park and told us we were crazy going out in this weather (it was still hammering it down), and that all of the members were coming in after 9 holes due to the weather. We mentioned to him that we they wouldn't let us out on the course, as no-one was arriving to play or tee off but us, he couldn't believe it. It turned out that the other gentleman was the Club President, and said he'd try to have a word and get us off early. He came back and was really apologetic and told us it was a no go. So we stood there, on the putting green in the rain (watching no-one arrive or tee off) until 11:50am when the pro came out and said that we could finally go out. It was obvious from the moment we got there that no-one else was going to arrive and play, yet we were rudely kept waiting for 45 mins for no real reason other than stubbornness.
We'd actually come to scout the course for our golf society, but the whole experience left such a bad taste in our mouths that I'd begrudge given them any money. That's green fees + food/drink in the Clubhouse for 30 people that they've missed out on. It's not difficult to see why some golf courses are struggling when you still have attitudes around like this. It was a stark contrast to Epping Golf Course (where we played on Sunday) who had a friendly, welcoming club house that was far less rude and snobby than Ballard's Gore. Never likely to return, and would advise others to avoid.
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Thomas McGregor, Hornchurch rated 2 out of 5
Reviewed Nov 14 2016
Nice (albeit long and a little unimaginative) course that held up well after 8 hours of torrential rain before and during our round. Unfortunately the whole experience was spoilt by the rude and unhelpful staff in the pro shop.
I booked the round through GolfNow on the Tuesday, booked the 11:40 tee off successfully, got a phone call from GolfNow saying that the course couldn't honour that time as someone had booked it offline, but could we do 12:10 instead. I asked if they could do earlier as 12:10 might mean we struggle to get around before sunset, they came back and said they couldn't, so we went with 12:10.
So on Saturday we saw the weather outside (it had been raining pretty heavily from early morning) and thought a few people would most likely cancel or not show up, that we'd chance our luck and get there a little early and see if we could tee off a little earlier too. We arrived at about 11:05, popped into the pro shop and cheekily asked. Was rudely told "no" and that only members could tee off before midday, "fair enough" I said, but mentioned that the GolfNow website originally offered us a tee off of 11:40, and that there were other tee offs on their for before midday too, and if this was the case then they should really update the GolfNow site to reflect this. Was told that I was wrong and the pro proceeded to load up the GolfNow website on his ipPad and check. Lo and behold there were times for before midday for upcoming Saturdays. No apology forthcoming, I was told they'd try get us out early, but it was unlikely, and that we'd have to go off the 10th (therefore putting us straight into the traffic of groups already out there, and slowing us down further and giving us even less chance to get around before dark). We gave up and decided to go and have a practice on the putting green, so went and got our stuff out of the car. A couple of gentleman just coming in from the course came upto us in the car park and told us we were crazy going out in this weather (it was still hammering it down), and that all of the members were coming in after 9 holes due to the weather. We mentioned to him that we they wouldn't let us out on the course, as no-one was arriving to play or tee off but us, he couldn't believe it. It turned out that the other gentleman was the Club President, and said he'd try to have a word and get us off early. He came back and was really apologetic and told us it was a no go. So we stood there, on the putting green in the rain (watching no-one arrive or tee off) until 11:50am when the pro came out and said that we could finally go out. It was obvious from the moment we got there that no-one else was going to arrive and play, yet we were rudely kept waiting for 45 mins for no real reason other tan stubbornness.
We'd actually come to scout the course for our golf society, but the whole experience left such a bad taste in our mouths that I'd begrudge given them any money. That's green fees + food/drink in the Clubhouse for 30 people that they've missed out on. It's not difficult to see why some golf courses are struggling when you still have attitudes around like this. It was a stark contrast to Epping Golf Course (where we played on Sunday) who had a friendly, welcoming club house that was far less rude and snobby than Ballard's Gore. Never likely to return, and would advise others to avoid.
I booked the round through GolfNow on the Tuesday, booked the 11:40 tee off successfully, got a phone call from GolfNow saying that the course couldn't honour that time as someone had booked it offline, but could we do 12:10 instead. I asked if they could do earlier as 12:10 might mean we struggle to get around before sunset, they came back and said they couldn't, so we went with 12:10.
So on Saturday we saw the weather outside (it had been raining pretty heavily from early morning) and thought a few people would most likely cancel or not show up, that we'd chance our luck and get there a little early and see if we could tee off a little earlier too. We arrived at about 11:05, popped into the pro shop and cheekily asked. Was rudely told "no" and that only members could tee off before midday, "fair enough" I said, but mentioned that the GolfNow website originally offered us a tee off of 11:40, and that there were other tee offs on their for before midday too, and if this was the case then they should really update the GolfNow site to reflect this. Was told that I was wrong and the pro proceeded to load up the GolfNow website on his ipPad and check. Lo and behold there were times for before midday for upcoming Saturdays. No apology forthcoming, I was told they'd try get us out early, but it was unlikely, and that we'd have to go off the 10th (therefore putting us straight into the traffic of groups already out there, and slowing us down further and giving us even less chance to get around before dark). We gave up and decided to go and have a practice on the putting green, so went and got our stuff out of the car. A couple of gentleman just coming in from the course came upto us in the car park and told us we were crazy going out in this weather (it was still hammering it down), and that all of the members were coming in after 9 holes due to the weather. We mentioned to him that we they wouldn't let us out on the course, as no-one was arriving to play or tee off but us, he couldn't believe it. It turned out that the other gentleman was the Club President, and said he'd try to have a word and get us off early. He came back and was really apologetic and told us it was a no go. So we stood there, on the putting green in the rain (watching no-one arrive or tee off) until 11:50am when the pro came out and said that we could finally go out. It was obvious from the moment we got there that no-one else was going to arrive and play, yet we were rudely kept waiting for 45 mins for no real reason other tan stubbornness.
We'd actually come to scout the course for our golf society, but the whole experience left such a bad taste in our mouths that I'd begrudge given them any money. That's green fees + food/drink in the Clubhouse for 30 people that they've missed out on. It's not difficult to see why some golf courses are struggling when you still have attitudes around like this. It was a stark contrast to Epping Golf Course (where we played on Sunday) who had a friendly, welcoming club house that was far less rude and snobby than Ballard's Gore. Never likely to return, and would advise others to avoid.
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Anton P rated 2 out of 5
Reviewed Sep 26 2016
(Round played: Sep 2016 - Score: 89 Handicap: 10.3)..ballards gore is a bit hitters course with only minor imagination required. If u hit big then you will enjoy but wayward or short off tee and you may struggle to score well. Club house has zero atmosphere I'm afraid.
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Anton P rated 2 out of 5
Reviewed Mar 13 2015
(Round played: Mar 2015 - Score: 95 Handicap: 7.8)
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Anton P rated 2 out of 5
Reviewed Jul 29 2014
If you are fairly long off the tee you will score well at Ballards. Course in good condition particularly the greens
(Round played: Jul 2014 - Score: 84 Handicap: 7.1)
(Round played: Jul 2014 - Score: 84 Handicap: 7.1)
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The golf courses reviews are the personal opinions of members of Golfshake who completed a review after playing the course. These opinions do not necessarily represent the views of Golfshake.com
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