In golf, there are a few courses where sometimes you have to just stop and pinch yourself to make sure it’s real life – Liphook Golf Club is one of those courses.
This brilliant golf club on the Hampshire and Surrey border has for a long time been one of the best places for golf in England. Having been fortunate enough to play there a few times, here’s a review of the delights that Liphook has to offer.
Let’s get into it and see what makes Liphook Golf Club so special.
Liphook Golf Club Review
Our Rating
| Overall [4.9/5] |   |
| Course Design/Layout | |
| Course Difficulty | |
| Course Conditions | |
| Green Conditions | |
| Pace Of Play |  |
| Facilities | |
| Hospitality | |
| Practice Facilities | |
| Food & Drink | |
| Value For Money | |
Course Information
Liphook, Hampshire. Opened in 1923.
18 Holes Course | Par 71 | 6523 Yards | Heathland
liphookgolfclub.com
Location
Liphook Golf Club is located in the dense woodland of Liphook, Hampshire. A few miles off from the A3, Liphook is really accessible to get to.
The turn into the golf club is lined with huge pines and an array of impressive houses, which is pretty telling for what’s to come.
A fabulous location for golf, this area also includes the magnificent Blackmoor Golf Club and Hindhead Golf Club 10 minutes up the road.
Liphook Golf Club Green Fees
| Mon – Thurs | Fri – Sun | |
| Visitor | £135 | £160 |
Liphook Golf Club Scorecard
Liphook Golf Club Slope Rating
| Tee | Gender | Slope Rating |
| Blue | Men | 134 |
| White | Men | 129 |
| Yellow | Men | 126 |
| Red | Women | 128 |
Pre-round Thoughts
Liphook Golf Club was always the pinnacle of golf courses to play when growing up. Competing in junior events meant that I could play a fair bit of golf at Liphook, which I always relished.
However, since those days, Liphook Golf Club has undergone a bit of a redesign. Back in 2020, the club added five new holes and changed the layout of the scorecard. The redesign was completed by one of the best in the business – Tom McKenzie.
Therefore I was intrigued to get back there and see if these changes were an improvement on what was already an epic golf course.
Now, as you can expect, the green fees for Liphook are far from cheap. At £135 for a midweek round, you’ll struggle to find many places in the area that are more expensive.
Plus it certainly does shave that ‘elite’ club feel which can be a little intimidating, especially for visitors.
Nonetheless, if you want to play the best courses in the country, then you’ve got to come to expect the high price points and the slightly stuffy reception from members.
The drive into the club really sets the tone for the day. It’s grand, elegant, and screams quality. As you pull up to the clubhouse you get a view back down the 18th and it’s fair to say it’s a sight to behold.
On a warm Summers day, we’ve got perfect conditions for golf. A quick swing in the practice net (instead of the walk to the range) and we’re ready to go.
The Course
Liphook golf course is a classic heathland. My favourite type of golf course to play, a heathland offers beautiful heather, gorse, and more rugged fairways and rough. Liphook, unlike most heathland courses however features a whole host of wonderful trees which line almost every single hole. These Scots pine trees are incredibly imposing and are littered all around the course.
The mixture of holes presents a real challenge to all levels of golfers. Fairways are quite generous, but careless shots will be eaten up by well-positioned bunkers and poor shots will nestle deep into the heather or even gorse.
The greens are absolutely incredible to putt on and unlike most, you will ever experience. The club claims they’re some of the best in southern England and it’s hard to disagree. They’re also large and heavily borrowed, so prove a real issue for the flat stick.
The 18 holes certainly aren’t long, however, there is an emphasis on hitting the ball into the right positions. Choosing the right place to miss is also essential to avoid racking up some big numbers. If you can keep the ball below the hole for 18 holes you’ll walk off with a good score.
The front nine takes you out in 35 with a good mix of pars and then back in 36 for a combined par of 71.
Front Nine
The front nine is a very tricky start to your round. Starting with a long par 3 is never easy and it doesn’t get any easier after that. Having said that, there are still a couple of good chances to pick up a shot.
Par 3s – 1st, 3rd, 8th
The opening hole is a very intimidating 203-yard par 3. Sitting right in front of the clubhouse, it will present a nightmare for a lot of golfers. Slightly downhill, it doesn’t play the full yardage but finishing on the green is far from easy. Anything short of the large green will feed off to the right. It’s a terrific hole to start your day but definitely won’t ease you in gently.
The next short hole comes at the 3rd. A great little hole up the hill to a large green protected with two bunkers at the front. Anything missing the green will fall away into the rough or heather.
The 8th is the first of the five new holes, completed in the 2020 redesign. This 176-yard gem of a golf hole is an absolute delight. A generous green gives plenty of room for error, but if missed too far right, one of the two bunkers will swallow it up. The imposing pine tree to the left of the green cleverly puts doubt in your mind, bringing the right side more into play.
Par 4s – 2nd, 4th, 6th, 9th
After the 1st hole, the long 2nd doesn’t get much easier. A slight dogleg to the right, you’ll play over the edge of heather to a fairway that slopes from right to left slightly. The green is hidden, with an old coach road on top of a mound so finding the correct part of the green isn’t easy. The green is an absolute monster as well.
The 4th is another long par 4 straight down from the tee box. The stroke index 1 hole plays most of its 460 yards, but the fairway is pretty generous. Once on the fairway, the approach is to a green that is long but sloped to perfection. Anything short left will fall away down the slope. If you’re long right that’ll also make its way off down the bank leaving a very tricky chip shot. If you can walk away with a par on this hole you’ll be delighted.
The 9th hole is the 2nd of the new designs and is a truly beautiful piece of course architecture. At 363 yards, it’s not the longest. However, it has plenty of hazards to catch you. The dogleg right needs a drive just short of the left-hand bunker. Too far right will block you out from the green, or even leave you in a watery grave. This is a relatively small green for Liphook standards and the slope from back to front can catch you out. With a good tee shot, the 9th is one of your best chances at a birdie on the front.
Par 5s – 5th, 7th
The 5th is one of the many ridiculously good holes at Liphook. Just under 500 yards of pure joy, this par 5 is a good chance to pick up a shot.
The par 5 7th (previously the 13th) is one of the best par 5s you will play in golf. Everything about this design makes it a great golf hole. The blind tee shot over the ridge to a fairway that slopes in the opposite direction to the shape of the hole. The subtle burn runs across the fairway. The elevated green is protected by bunkers and a front runoff. This, for me, is a top 20 golf hole I’ve played.
Back Nine
The back nine feels a little easier compared to the front and also has three of the five new holes. The two par 5s are a great place to pick up a shot.
Par 3s – 12th, 17th
Number 12 is a delicate golf hole that used to be the 7th on the old layout. From the tee box, you get a great view down the course, with vibrant purple heather in the forefront. At 150 yards it’s just a short iron, but the double-tiered green will certainly require your attention.
Getting the yardage right on 17 is vital to avoid the mounds of heather short. The green is again large and runs at an angle from left to right. A solid swing here and you’ll have a good look at birdie.
Par 4s – 10th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th
The 10th is the best of the new holes at Liphook. Bringing together the old 10th and 11th, it’s now a stunning par 4 that could compete with any other par 4 in golf. A new pond down the left is dangerous for any pulled shots trying to avoid the well-placed bunker on the left. It also comes out of nowhere as I, unfortunately, found out, on my way to a 6. If you manage to thread your tee shot through the gap, you’ll have a short club to the green which is protected by three punishing bunkers.
13 (previously 8th) and 14 (previously 9th) are both classic golf holes that will require accurate tee shots and well-placed approaches.
The new 15th is a far better hole than before and adds more of a risk/reward element. At just 308 yards, the longer hitters can get home in one. For shorter hitters, the layup short of the bunker and iron in is the play. The green has a wonderful gully running all the way across it, which will bemuse you with the putter.
16 is a mid-range par 4 that moves to the left and feeds downhill at about 240 yards. Home to my first ever eagle 2, the 16th has always had a special place in my heart and is a nice way to finish the par 4s.
Par 5s – 11th, 18th
The 11th is a great new hole that has taken the old par 4 11th and extended it into a hefty par 5. At 560 yards, it’s the longest on the course. If you can take on the bunkers on the right, it will leave you with a better line into the green. Anything left off the tee will have the approach shot affected by the trees just short left of the green.
18 is a first-class finish to what has been an exceptional round of golf. Unfrotuanlty for me, that can’t be said for my scorecard. However, the overall experience of the round is just incredible. It’s a great hole to try and make a birdie on as it plays just 461 yards off the whites.
Long hitters can get the ball over the hill on the fairway, where it will feed down the other side. Everything slopes to the right, so if you want to keep it in the fairway you’ll have to pick a spot down the left. The second shot is far from easy as the ball will be beneath you. Long is dead and right will find one of the four treacherous bunkers. With everyone sitting in the clubhouse overlooking, the 18th is a chance at glory. Or in my case, a three-putt par…
Our Verdict
Trying to write a review on Liphook Golf Club is far from easy. For a course of this level, it’s difficult to put into words just how amazing this place is.
It’s pretty simple if you can get the chance to play Liphook Golf Club, even if it’s just once, you have to give it a play. Yes, £130 isn’t a small sum but this golf course is a treat and something special. It’s almost hard to believe it allows visitors.
Everything about this golf course is incredible. The tees, the fairways, the gorse, the heather, the slopes, I could go on! It’s got it all and you won’t putt on better greens, I think, ever.
I’ve always put Liphook and Blackmoor as my top two courses in the Hampshire region. Both are world-class in my opinion, but with the new re-design, Liphook now takes the top spot.
The work done on the five new holes and the re-shaped layout takes this course to another level. The new 10th hole is a truly majestic golf hole.
Liphook is challenging, immaculate, and entertaining all in one and once you get past the elitist appearance, it’s an amazing place to enjoy a round of golf.
Save up, make the effort, and have a round at Liphook Golf Club. You absolutely won’t regret it!
Final Thoughts
That closes off our look at Liphook Golf Club. It’s safe to say, if you get the chance to play there it will live long into your memory of great days in your life.
If you’re looking for great Hampshire golf, there are plenty of wonderful choices to pick from. See our review of Hockley Golf Club and Hayling Golf Club.
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.
