×

Top Links:

Get A Golf Handicap

UK Golf Guide

Golfshake Top 100s

Find Golf Travel Deals

Golf Competitions

Search

Community Forum

Course:

Tee Times | Search | Reviews

News:

Gear | Tour | Industry Insider

Tuition:

Video Library | Tuition Sections

Community:

Join | Log In | Help | Useful Links

×

Freshwater Bay Golf Club

4.6   Golfshake Golf Course Rating 34 reviews | Post Review | Website
Price Guide: ££££ | HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Course Information

Freshwater Bay Golf Club, Isle of Wight is an 18 hole, par 69 (5725 yard), private, downland golf course

18 holes | Par 69 | 5725 yards | Private | Downland


View more golf courses in Isle of Wight

Address: Afton Down, Freshwater, Isle of Wight, PO40 9TZ United Kingdom

Tel: 01983 752955

Golf Pro: James Veal

Website: http://www.freshwaterbaygolfclub.co.uk/


Golf Club Facilities

Golf club hire  Club Hire
Buggy Hire  Buggy Hire
Changing rooms  Changing
Clubhouse  Clubhouse
Bar  Bar
Food  Dining

* Weekdays: from 9.30am (10.45am on Thursdays)
* Saturdays: from 9.30am to 12 noon and from 2.00pm
* Sundays: from 10.00am

Midweek Guide: £38.00 per round *

Weekend Guide: £38.00 per round *

  • Societies Accepted to Play
  • Society Deals Available
  • Voucher Deals Available
  • 7 Day Membership Available

Restrictions: Maximum Handicap No Restriction

* Any prices shown are guide prices, please confirm with the course prior to booking.

Tee Time Information

Midweek Guide: £38.00 per round *

Weekend Guide: £38.00 per round *

* Any prices shown are guide prices, please confirm with the course prior to booking.


Review Information


GOLFSHAKE RATING

4.61

Golfshake Golf Course Rating

 

AVERAGE RATING 4.3
(based on 34 reviews)

5 star
15
4 star
14
3 star
4
2 star
1
1 star
0
 

HIGHLY RATED

100%

would play again or recommend


4.3

The Course

4.6

Course Conditions

4

Value For Money

3.9

Pace of Play

3.7

Facilities & Service

4.7

Hospitality

3.2

Practice Facilities

3.8

Food & Drink

What the club says: Freshwater Bay Golf Club is set on the chalk downs overlooking the English Channel on one side and the Solent on the other. The scenery is spectacular, with uninterrupted views to Swanage in the west, the Salisbury plains in the south to the Spinnaker Tower at Portsmouth in the east.
This is a beautiful part of the Isle of Wight. The Victorian poet Alfred Lord Tennyson made his home within ½ mile of the golf course and wrote;
“Take it and come to the Isle of Wight:
Where, far from the noise and smoke of town
I watch the twilight falling brown
All round a careless-order’d garden
Close to the ridge of a noble down…

His monument is visible from the golf course and the feeling of tranquility that he wrote about in the 1800s is still very much in evidence to this day, with the hustle and bustle of “normal” life soon forgotten whilst you take in the views and take time to “smell the roses.”

The site, owned by the National Trust, is a Special Site of Scientific Interest and also a European Special Area of Conservation, as it is home to many rare and endangered species of flora and fauna. The course is blessed with ancient monuments which provide a special kind of hazard to the visiting golfer - the seventh fairway threads itself through two bronze age burial mounds hence the name Tumuli.
The course itself is a downland course, par 69 off the white tees, and is a challenge to golfers of all abilities. There are 6 par 3’s of varying length and difficulty, with the signature hole being our 14th. It has a stroke index rating of 18, but none of the members know why!!

Our clubhouse is friendly and relaxed and members are always available to provide advice on weather and playing conditions. We believe that our friendly hospitality will add to the enjoyment of your game,

Enjoy your game on Freshwater Bay Golf Course and delight in the views. However, do not be lulled into a false sense of security - the holes rarely play as serenely as they look!

Played this course? Tell us what you thought. Submit Review


Highly Recommended

Reviews for Freshwater Bay Golf Club

Sort by: Date | Review Rank | Rated High | Rated Low

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

50x50
Bruce P rated 5 out of 5

Reviewed Sep 15 2023

Great golf course. Amazing views and very friendly staff. Nice and quiet too. I would recommend this to anyone visiting the Isle of Wight

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Value for Money
Hospitality
Course Conditions
Golfbreaks.com
50x50
Shane K rated 3.5 out of 5

Reviewed Oct 6 2022

Difficult but played in bad weather, must be great in the summer

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

50x50
James B rated 5 out of 5

Reviewed Apr 25 2022

Glorious day

Great course, lovely views of the sea and plenty of challenges from the slopes, breeze and interesting layout. I loved it.

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Facilities/Service
Value for Money
Pace of Play
Hospitality
Course Conditions
Practice Facilities
50x50
Paul William A rated 5 out of 5

Reviewed Nov 22 2021

Beautiful

II struck gold with the weather today as the sun was out. I played this course in November and I believe this is now number 1 on the island. It is nearly December and the course was better condition than a lot of courses are in the Summer. There is an option in the clubhouse to play 10 holes and this even has it's own scorecard. I'd heard prior to coming that Holes 14-18 were the best and the 10 hole scorecard gives you the option to play 1 2 3 4 5 and then 14 15 16 17 18. The views are breath-taking with the Solent one side and the Channel the other. The 14th is called the drop and the flag is way down from the tee and is great fun. I would expect a bit/a lot of wind on this course due to the location, I got a really great price for this round. I didn't stay for a drink but the clubhouse looked great, like a small pub. This course is worth visiting the Isle of Wight for. Note: It is quite steep going up but it's worth it.

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Facilities/Service
Value for Money
Pace of Play
Hospitality
Course Conditions
Practice Facilities
Food & Drink
50x50
Paul William A rated 5 out of 5

Reviewed Aug 7 2021

Wow! Must play on the Isle of Wight

The big two courses on the Isle of Wight are Shanklin and Sandown (played yesterday) and Freshwater Bay and this one edges it. The views are stunning!
There is an option in the clubhouse to play 10 holes and this even has it's own scorecard. I'd heard prior to coming that Holes 14-18 were the best and the 10 hole scorecard gives you the option to play 1 2 3 4 5 and then 14 15 16 17 18. The views are breathtaking with the Solent one side and the Channel the other. The 14th is called the drop and the flag is way down from the tee and is great fun. I would expect a bit/a lot of wind on this course due to the location, I got a really great price for this round. I didn't stay for a drink but the clubhouse looked great, like a small pub. This course is worth visiting the Isle of Wight for. Note: It is quite steep going up but it's worth it.

(Round played: Aug 2021 - 10 hole option

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Facilities/Service
Value for Money
Pace of Play
Hospitality
Course Conditions
Practice Facilities
Food & Drink
50x50
Mark P rated 3 out of 5

Reviewed Oct 22 2019

Short but tricky

Thankfully played in little wind. As it was the first time played, the course was explained thoroughly by the pleasant welcoming lady at the bar and the greens to tees were self-explanatory apart from the 17th to 18th that ironically was missed from the explanation. However, the direction of the holes was not clear on a few of the blind holes. The links like course is straight out and back with a lot of zig-zagging. Short in length (the visitor green fees are relatively expensive for such a course) and a little too compact at the end but tricky with rises and falls and as it is set along a ridge most lies were hanging. Course overall was in very good condition and the members met were most pleasant.

(Round played: Oct 2019 - Score: 89 Handicap: 18.5)

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Facilities/Service
Value for Money
Pace of Play
Hospitality
Course Conditions
Practice Facilities
Food & Drink
50x50
Colin R rated 4 out of 5

Reviewed Jul 1 2019

Fantastic course but tough in wind and dry

Great course, really friendly staff and not very busy. Some amazing views and individual holes especially the 14th

(Round played: Sep 2018 - Score: 82 Handicap: )

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Facilities/Service
Value for Money
Pace of Play
Hospitality
Course Conditions
Practice Facilities
Food & Drink
50x50
Dennis H rated 4 out of 5

Reviewed May 6 2019

Beautiful course

Lovely course not too long it’s all up hill at the start but the views are amazing the back nine is very good

(Round played: May 2019 - Score: 94 Handicap: 19.9)

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Facilities/Service
Value for Money
Pace of Play
Hospitality
Course Conditions
Practice Facilities
Food & Drink
50x50
Elliot N rated 5 out of 5

Reviewed Dec 13 2018

Played at the end of september and the weather was still lovely luckily for us, right on the side of the cliffs. Very up hill for the front 9 then back down for the back 9. Enjoyed every last second on there and had wicked hole that was basically a straight drop down to the green for a par 3 towards the last few holes. Would play again if i'm a back over on the isle.

(Round played: Sep 2018 - Score: 103 Handicap: 38.1)

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Facilities/Service
Value for Money
Pace of Play
Hospitality
Course Conditions
Practice Facilities
Food & Drink
50x50
TR/Wokingham rated 5 out of 5

Reviewed Sep 11 2018

Wonderful!

Abandoned the wife and boy for a few hours one morning whilst on holiday on the IOW for a week in early August to get a round in here.... and LOVED IT.

Not a links course as such, despite being afforded wonderful views of the sea from many holes... more of a downland course sat on top of a gurt big chalk cliff on the south coast of the IOW. Afton Down in fact, site of the infamous 1970 IOW festival where the Doors and Hendrix rocked the island all those years ago.

I played with a pencil bag of half a dozen clubs, as I suspected the walk around the course would be quite arduous in the wind (it's always blowing a hooly here even if at sea level it's quite calm) and wondered what condition the greens would be in this year, after months of sun and very little rain.

Well... to say I was delighted about the condition of the greens (in particular) would be an understatement.
These were the best greens I've played on this year. By some way. And remember.... this course was about exposed to the sun and the wind as any in the UK this summer.

I told a member back in the clubhouse after the round that even though I'd been beaten up by the course and wind a bit (there's never a flat lie at Freshwater and if you're a little offline... the wind, slopes and hard ground will take your ball 50+ yards further off line!) I'd give the course a glowing review as I was amazed at the wonderful quality of the greens. He said "Thanks. It's (the upkeep of the greens) costing us a fortune (because of the extended heatwave) this year".

A wonderful course with a delightful 18th too... heading back west towards the clubhouse and Freshwater village with the wonderful vista of the sea and white chalk cliffs set out in front of you. Heaven I thought.

I was lucky enough to meet a few of the members too. "The characters of the club", the barmaid and pro shop manager (all the same thing!) said at the time. Very friendly they were too.

I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed this course and the couple of beers I had afterwards, but there'd be little point. I think you get the picture.

The only thing I can think to say about what I didn't like about the course is that there were lots of blind shots. On most holes to be honest. Certainly on the front 9 and the first few of the back 9 too.

Other than that... HIGHLY recommended.

Very highly recommended.

But you didn't read that. Did you.
(I'd like to keep this to myself!)

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Facilities/Service
Value for Money
Pace of Play
Hospitality
Course Conditions
Practice Facilities
Food & Drink
50x50
Peter J rated 4 out of 5

Reviewed Jun 28 2018

An usual downland course and very well worth a visit


Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Facilities/Service
Value for Money
Pace of Play
Hospitality
Course Conditions
Practice Facilities
Food & Drink
50x50
Chris S rated 5 out of 5

Reviewed Jun 26 2018

Great day

Excellent days golf at Freshwater club. The weather was glorious and views where fantastic. The course is a challenge and you need to be very aware of the slopes as your ball can easily run down these to the sides after a good shot. The course in very good condition with very quick greens. Club house is welcoming as are the members.

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Facilities/Service
Value for Money
Pace of Play
Hospitality
Course Conditions
Practice Facilities
Food & Drink
50x50
Clive S rated 3 out of 5

Reviewed May 25 2016

Very difficult course with sloping lies on many shots. A magnificent days an this course provides absolutely stunning views along the SW coast and across to the Solent and mainland.

(Round played: May 2016 - Score: 96 Handicap: 20.6)

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Facilities/Service
Value for Money
50x50
Mike S rated 3 out of 5

Reviewed Jul 23 2015

Nice course with some wind this made life trickier. Lots of difficult foot positions throughout

(Round played: Jul 2015 - Score: 102 Handicap: 24.9)

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Facilities/Service
Value for Money
50x50
N A STARK rated 5 out of 5

Reviewed Jul 7 2015

Just played today in 30mph wind. Absolutely loved it! Stunning location, good mix of holes and views to die for. Really recommend it.

Reviewer Rating

    

Click to notify: Spam, Abuse, Inaccurate

Show more

Additional Ratings

The Course
Facilities/Service
Value for Money

Show More Reviews

Showing reviews 1-15 of 26 reviews

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





Submit Review For Freshwater Bay Golf Club

Share your thoughts to provide valuable feedback to the golf club and to help other golfers who may be planning to play here.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Write Review


Nearby Golf Courses

Farringford

| Distance 0.91 miles
 
Walhampton Golf Course

£££ | Distance 5.94 miles
 
Barton-on-Sea Golf Club

£££££ | Distance 7.72 miles
 
Hoburne Bashley Park Golf Club

££ | Distance 9.21 miles
Scroll to top