28/03/2025
Played Hayling Golf Club yesterday with some very congenial company on a stunning spring day, and have to say, there was no place I would have preferred to be. It had been 3-4 years since my last visit and it was great to see that the whole Club has been given a significant uplift in recent times.
Whilst entrance signage and new tarmac in the car park are not the most exciting aspects of any golf club, first impressions are key, and there had clearly been investment in this area, which make the arrival more befitting of the stunning Clubhouse and wonderful links.
The original plan to play here was taken last Autumn, because we were seeking a high quality course that would be playable whatever the weather, and whilst the date got pushed back, our decision was entirely justified by the outstanding condition of the course. Firm, fast greens and fairways were a joy to play on. New riveted bunkering appeared impressively around many of the greens, and as the sun burned through the early mist, the bright yellow gorse came to life.
It is fair to say that there are no weak holes on the course; there are however, an excellent variety of short and long Par 4's, some very solid Par 5's and challenging Par 3's. All of this is encapsulated on the run from the 10th to the fourteenth, which is a truly outstanding stretch of holes, although others could quite justifiably prefer a different set.
The Par 3 11th is the signature hole, where any inaccurate shot will be spurned by the raised green leaving a tricky chip or bunker shot. The 12th too is a special hole; you just have to convince yourself that keeping left will reap rewards, even though it appears the far more perilous route.
The course asks questions the whole way round, and is enormous fun to play. And yesterday, it was pure heaven.