If you’re looking for a value-for-money round of golf, then you really can’t go wrong with 18 holes round the undulating course at Clandon Golf, just past the Surrey town of Guildford.
Having stumbled upon this golf course a few years ago, it has been a happy golfing spot for a few really enjoyable rounds for me and a few mates.
There really is a lot to like about the Clandon golf course. For a simple, no thrills but super fun and affordable few hours playing the best sport in the world.
Here’s a quick review of Clandon Golf to give you a better idea of whether you should be booking a round.
Let’s get into it a find out a little more about Clandon Golf.
Clandon Golf Reviews
Our Rating
Overall [1.7/5] | |
Course Design/Layout | |
Course Difficulty | |
Course Conditions | |
Green Conditions | |
Pace Of Play | |
Facilities | |
Hospitality | |
Practice Facilities | |
Food & Drink | |
Value For Money |
Clandon Golf Information
Clandon Golf, Surrey. Opened in 2010.
18 Holes | Par 69 | 6111 Yards | Parkland
Clandon Golf Course Location
Clandon golf course is a relatively new course located 5 mins out from the centre of Guildford, just on the outskirts of West Clandon. A vibrant town steeped in history, it’s also surrounded by acres of green space and rolling Surrey Hills. Surrey is a famed golfing environment, with plenty of great courses to choose from. Nearby courses include West Byfleet Golf Club and Clandon Regis Golf Club.
The golf course itself is constructed on a fantastic chalk-based site, with plenty of slopes for drainage.
Clandon Golf Course Green Fees
Weekdays Monday – Friday Per Round | |
Adult Visitor | £31.50 |
Weekend / Bank Holidays Per Round | |
Adult Visitor | £21 |
Clandon Golf Scorecard
Pre-round Thoughts
When you come to Surrey for golf, you really really are surrounded by a whole selection of great courses to choose from. With that said, a lot of the courses in the region are out of the price range for many golfers. A lot of courses are well around the £100 mark for 18 holes, with others not even allowing visitors to play.
Therefore, when you find a course in Surrey that offers you a Saturday afternoon tee time for just £21, it certainly becomes a very affordable option.
We played during a twilight time slot, anything after 3 in the Summer, and gives you plenty of time to get around before darkness.
Prices for 18 holes go from £21 in the week to £31.50 on a weekend, which looks like a pretty reasonable price from the offset.
When you turn up, it’s safe to say you’re not blown away by the golf club entrance or car park. The clubhouse is nonexistent and the pro shop is more of a hut than a building. Practice facilities are very limited with nowhere to hit some warm-up shots or putts.
However, the staff were friendly and welcomed us in. From the off, you can tell this is a public golf course and unlike most traditional clubs. It’s clearly ideal for those getting into golf as it’s far from intimidating and with no strict dress code, recognising how to grow the game of golf.
Walking up to the first tee (feeling a little tight from no warm-up), the sun shining and the course looking lovely and green from all the recent rain.
Clandon Golf Course
On paper, it’s not a long track. A parkland layout with a good mix of par 3’s, 4’s, and 5’s, par 69 measures just 6111 yards. Relatively open, it lacks many threats for a good-level golfer. However, a few of the holes could be challenging for lower-skilled players.
Built on clay, it drains exceptionally well and this sort of setup can create great golf holes. I can only imagine it remains nice and dry in Winter due to the good drainage. The huge greens are large and when we played were in OK condition, not quick but a steady pace. I feel the greens are left a little slow to accommodate for the standard of golfer the course attracts.
A rather open layout, there are a few holes made tighter due to trees, long rough, and a couple of strategically placed bunkers.
Most holes have three tee boxes which is a nice touch, however, they were far from well-manicured which was disappointing. Overall the course definitely benefited from the excess rain that fell in the prior weeks, as the fairways and greens were soft and receptive.
Front Nine
The front nine holes aren’t the greatest you’ll ever play, but there are a few holes that will make you think.
Par 3s – 2nd, 7th
A couple of relatively mid-length par 3s to get to grips with. The 2nd has a green which is narrow in width way and surrounded by bunkers. Slightly downhill, it played a little shorter than the yardage of 178, and the green sloped upwards from front to back.
Number 7 is slightly longer at 191 yards. It too has a green surrounded by bunkers and isn’t the largest target to hit with a long iron. From the tee, it’s difficult to understand the real lack of depth of the green so choosing the right club is challenging.
Par 4s – 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th
The six par 4s on the front nine are fairly unspectacular, with the longest coming on the 9th at 431 yards. Having said that, a couple of holes do stand out for me.
The 3rd is a little bit of a risk/reward hole, albeit the risk is a little limited. The 333-yard, slight dog leg is reachable for the longer hitters which means they have to take their drive over a couple of large trees to get to the green. Alternatively, a little layout down the right will open up the green for a short pitch.
The 8th provides a good test, with a drive that goes down and then a second shot that goes back up. The fairway is well-guarded with bunkers and the green is double-tiered. The key is finding the fairway off the tee, avoiding the rather large-faced bunkers.
Par 5s – 6th
The longest hole on the course, the par 5 6th measures 600 yards off the whites. A really interesting hole, it dog-legs massively from left to right and has out-of-bounds all down the right.
Finding the fairway off the tee is important as the 2nd shot layup isn’t overly easy. A lone tree sits in the middle of the fairway and tends to get in the way of even good shots. With a good tee shot, the longer players can get home in two as it’s all downhill from the fairway.
Back Nine
The back nine is a more interesting test of golf with some challenging holes to contend with.
Par 3s – 12th, 14th, 16th
Of the three par 3s the one that sticks out the most to me is the 14th. A relatively short hole, it features a big drop in elevation with a green that is narrow and long. Choosing the correct club is tricky with the elevation change and with the wind swirling it becomes a rather challenging hole. The epic clay quarry sits to the left for any very wayward pull shots and the surrounding bunkers will pick up any wide balls.
Par 4s – 10th, 11th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 18th
A better variation of par 4s on the back nine with a mixture of short and long. For me, the toughest hole and the best hole on the course is the 15th. Aptly it’s stroke index 1 and requires some good, well-thought-out shots.
The tee shot requires an accurate one to a fairway with the quarry on either side and basically an up-turned bowl for a landing zone. Anything left or right is likely to be lost to the clay gods. Once you’re on the fairway, you’re left with a fairly long shot into a green with bunker right and drop off left. Definitely, the hardest hole to master and the most enjoyable to play. Making a par is a great score.
Other interesting holes include the 11th, a dogleg left up the hill and the final hole is a good one to finish up.
Par 5s – 13th
The only par 5 on the back is the 13th. I can’t really understand this hole for a few reasons. It’s certainly one of the most challenging holes on the course but almost feels like they ran out of room and threw in a silly par 5.
The 1st shot is slightly blind but the fairway is wider than you think. Loads of room left takes the stress out of missing it in the trouble on the right. Once you’re in the fairway it all gets a little confusing.
A giant drop-off into the quarry on the right, filled with tall trees that obscure your view of the green. This means even if you wanted to go for the reachable green in two, you’ve got no chance of seeing where it finishes on a rather crowned playing surface.
Then you look at laying up left of the quarry, which is about 20 yards of fairway to the left, all of which slopes right towards the drop-off. Even if you think you’ve hit a good layup, chances are you’ve misjudged it and you’re in trouble. Strange hole.
Our Verdict
As we got to the end of the round, it was clear to see that for £21, Clandon golf course was pretty good value for money. Overall the course is in good nick, especially for somewhere that is purely for visitors and mid/high handicap visitors at that. The lack of a strict dress code makes it accessible to new golfers which I always like to see.
For the better quality golfer, the golf club lacks a real challenge. There are no real great golf holes that you’ll go home remembering, however, there are certainly some challenging but fair holes to enjoy. Perhaps on a day with more wind, it could prove more of a challenge, but for me, I came off rather disappointed with a score of 1 over par (level handicap).
There are some good holes, some bad holes, and a lot of just alright holes. The views are very good though and when you get a clear day I’m sure you’d be able to see far and wide. It also seems to have a good pace of play which is nice, considering the cheap price tag.
Unfortunately, a lot of pitch marks on the greens made a few quick tricky to putt on. Of course, not the club’s fault but is so often the case for clubs that allow visitors at such a cheap rate.
I think I would begrudge paying anything more than £21 for this round of golf. Anything more feels a bit too much for the quality of the course and layout.
Final Thoughts
That’s it for the review of Clandon Golf. We did have a very enjoyable round of golf, the sun was shining and the course was in pretty good condition. Both playing well obviously made it feel better, but there’s no denying this is a budget golf course.
Clandon golf course is perfect for beginners not looking to pay extortionate green fee prices and an environment that isn’t stuffy at all. It’s a no-thrills place, with large fairways and greens, where new golfers can learn their craft.
Overall it’s a 1.7 out of 5 rating across the board, with the main positives being valued for money and pace of play.
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Founder, Editor
Ed is the founder and editor at EEE Golf. He’s been playing golf for over 20 years, competing in many top amateur events. He’s played courses all over the world and played with some of the best players in the game. His aim is to help educate people about the game of golf and give insights into the sport he loves most.