Playing golf in Surrey is always good fun. With so many world-class golf courses to choose from, it’s a bit of a golfer’s paradise.
With the likes of Hindhead Golf Club, Sunningdale, and Wentworth, it’s easy to get lost in the truly special golf courses and perhaps miss out on other little gems in the area.
Puttenham Golf Club is one of those courses just off the A31 before you get to Guildford. Having recently got the chance to play there, in this article we’ll give Puttenham Golf Club a review and help you decide whether it’s worth your time.
Let’s get into it and find out a bit more about this interesting little golf club.
Puttenham Golf Club Reviews
Our Rating
| Overall [4.0/5] |   |
| Course Design/Layout | |
| Course Difficulty | |
| Course Conditions | |
| Green Conditions | |
| Pace Of Play | |
| Facilities | |
| Hospitality | |
| Practice Facilities | |
| Food & Drink | |
| Value For Money | |
Puttenham Golf Club Information
Guildford, Surrey. Opened in 1894.
18 Holes Course | Par 71 | 6220 Yards | Heathland
puttenhamgolfclub.co.uk
Puttenham Golf Club Location
Puttenham Golf Club located in Surrey, at the base of the Hogs Back, right off the A31 and ten minutes by car from Guildford and Farnham. Just 35 miles from Central London and 15 minutes by car from Woking amongst others.
Although a little hidden away, it’s a very accessible golf course to find. One of the oldest courses in the area, Puttenham Golf Club was formed in 1984 by a group of Army Officers and other local businessmen.
Puttenham Golf Club Green Fees
| Mon – Fri | Sat – Sun | |
| Visitor (Before 11am) | £75 | N/A |
| Visitor (Weekday After 11am/ Weekend After 2pm) | £52.50 | £52.50 |
Puttenham Golf Club Scorecard
Image source: Puttenham Golf Club
Puttenham Golf Club Slope Rating
| Tee | Gender | Slope Rating |
| White | Men | 131 |
| Blue | Men | 127 |
| Yellow | Men | 122 |
| Red | Women | 129 |
Pre-round Thoughts
I love playing golf in Surrey. I’d have to say it’s one of my favourite counties to play golf in. With so many amazing golf courses to choose from, it’s hard to really know which ones to choose.
I’d always heard a pretty mixed bag of things about Puttenham Golf Club, so I knew that I had to give it a play. To some, it was a quirky little course hidden amongst plenty of trees and sloping fairways.
To others, it was “Pitch and Puttenham”.
When you look at the scorecard, 6220 yards off the white tees for a par 71 is fairly short, but it’s certainly no pitch and putt.
According to the club’s website, Puttenham is known as one of the friendliest clubs in the area which is always a good thing for visitors. It also describes the 18-hole layout as a challenge to any golfer, so I’m intrigued by what this relatively short course can offer.
Price-wise, we’ve got ourselves a £52.50 midweek green fee for a tee time after 11 am. This seems a fair price when compared to other local options. Guildford Golf Club has a price of £55 midweek, then you’ve got the cheap options of Hurtmore Golf Club at £29 and Clandon Golf at £21.
After a friendly welcome, a few shots down the driving range, and then a couple of putts on the sloping putting green, we’re ready to take on this interesting little course.
Puttenham Golf Course
The course at Puttenham Golf Club is an eclectic mix of heath and woodland, with a huge selection of trees, wildflowers and amazing heather lining the fairways on almost every hole.
The layout is tight with the tree-lined fairways and offers a good test for golfers, with accuracy and positioning off the tee crucial.
The narrow fairways and rough are predominantly sandy soil meaning that it drains quickly and you’ve got good all-year-round golf with excellent playing conditions. The various hollows and slopes also ensure that it is dry underfoot for as much as possible.
The card features a good selection of golf holes to enjoy. Just the two par 5s and three par 3s mean there’s a deal of par 4s to be played. Having said that, the par 4s do offer a good mix of shapes and doglegs to make you think about your shots.
For a lot of the better players, they’ll be looking to attack many of the shorter par 4s to pick up a few shots. However, as mentioned, the key to playing Puttenham Golf Club well is your placement from the tee box.
Fortunately, when we played, we had great weather and the greens were in really good condition. Not the fastest greens you’ll ever play, but very smooth and consistent.
Front Nine
The front is certainly the easier of the two nines. With a relatively gentle start, there’s a great chance to get ahead of the scorecard early.
Par 3s – 5th
The one and only par 3 on the front nine comes at the 5th. This long and narrow par 3 is the most challenging of all the par 3s and perhaps one of the toughest holes at Puttenham Golf Club.
The 211-yard hole plays uphill and requires a well-struck shot. Missing the green to the right will either catch the large Oak tree short and fall off right, or the deep bunker will swallow it up. Anything right or long is not very pretty so the miss is definitely short left.
The small green slopes heavily from back to front, so it’s a proper test of your short game.
Par 4s – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th
The 1st at Puttenham Golf Club is the club’s signature hole. It’s short at only 274 yards but plays uphill all the way and provides a pretty daunting first tee shot. Anything right is pretty much dead and choosing a line from the tee is difficult in that it’s a blind 1st shot.
Number 2 is slightly longer at 389 yards and features an interesting sloped green. Then you’re not the short 3rd which plays more like a par 3 at only 281 yards and downhill.
The 4th is a tough hole that asks for a solid drive and a good approach to an uphill green. Avoid the bunkers and OOB on the left. The small tree in the middle of the fairway can also provide some frustration if your tee shot ends up behind it.
Number 6 at Puttenham is a really unique golf club. Downhill all the way, it plays 428 yards on paper. Some players will only need an iron from the tee to be short of the hedge that runs across the fairway. The 2nd shot is pretty blind-sighted and ensures that you land on the green, as anything short will be affected by the slopes short of the green.
Closing off the front nine is the 8th and 9th. Both short holes at around the 300-yard mark, neither are really gettable in one because of the dogleg left and right.
Par 5s – 7th
The 7th is a good chance at picking up a shot if played correctly. The large dog leg right swings all the way around, so a tee shot favoring the left side is preferable to open up the green for your second.
The layup is again down the left side of the fairway which naturally slopes to the right. The green also has the same undulations and can leave a tricky, swinging putt from the back.
Back Nine
The back nine comes at you pretty fast with a few tough holes. If you’ve had a good opening nine, you’ll do well to hold onto that coming in.
Par 3s – 15th, 18th
The nine has some interesting little par 3s to keep you on your toes right until the final tee shot.
15 is the shortest of the lot at only 157 yards from the white tees. Playing slightly uphill, you’ll need to carry the front left and right bunkers to make it to the green that slopes from back to front. the green does sit pretty narrow so you’ll need to be accurate with the shorter iron.
Finishing up with a par 3 is always fun, and the 18th at Puttenham is a great way to end the round. The 176 yards seem alright from the tee box, but the green is deceivingly difficult to find. The bush front left sticks out across the green and pushes you towards the right side of the hole. The bunker right catches anything on that side and if it’s worse than that you could end up in the member’s car park…
Par 4s – 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th
The back nine features some really great par 4s.
10 is a tight tee shot down to a fairway that slopes from right to left. The tee shot here is key. Anything left or right will lead to no happy ending. The approach into a long, narrow green isn’t too stressful having got the tee shot out of the way.
The 13th is the toughest hole according to the card. Playing slightly downhill all the way, the 418-yard hole feeds gently to the left. A slight draw off the tee will set you up for a shortish approach into a green protected by a large fir tree right and a shallow bunker left. The big tree on the right seems to have a tendency to suck up any balls that are slightly right in the air.
Number 14 is another interesting dogleg to the right that will need a well-positioned tee shot. Then you’ve got the shortish 16th, with a fairway that slopes all to the left. The green is again very narrow and is surrounded by different lumps and bunkers.
The final par 4 at Puttenham Golf Club is on the 17th. The 350-yard hole has the B3000 road running adjacent on the left side so be sure to avoid that. The fairway runs from right to left and slightly uphill and includes a row of gorse at about 90 yards short of the green. Longer hitters can take the fairway gorse on, but for most, it’s just a layup short. The green is again a very narrow one and has three separate tiers to contend with. The miss here is definitely slightly right, as anything left or long will fall off down the slope.
Par 5s – 11th
The second and final par 5 comes on the 11th. this for me is one of the most challenging holes on the course mainly due to the tee shot. The tree-lined hole is super intimidating from the tee, as the large trees are basically on top of you.
If you can manage a good drive, avoiding the drop-off right, you’ll be left with an uphill second shot. If you’re going for the green, the shot is blind so you’ll need to have the correct line into a very tight green.
If you choose to lay up short, it’s best to stick with the left side as anything right will fall away and could end up in the bushes. The deep green means getting the right distance on the approach is far from easy.
Our Verdict
Puttenham Golf Club is very similar to your typical Surrey golf club. Tree-lined fairways, and gorse and heather to catch out any loose tee shots.
Unlike most courses, however, Puttenham Golf Club really does put an emphasis on being accurate off the tee. You can’t really overpower this course, despite its short yardage, which I really like. Every single hole makes you think about what is the best play, especially off the tee and will require most clubs in the bag.
There’s a few bad holes that have been squeezed in to make up the 18, although, there’s also plenty of very good holes to enjoy.
The course conditions couldn’t really be faulted and the greens were in lovely shape. The club also has a really friendly atmosphere for visitors.
For me, Puttenham Golf Club is a bit of a hidden gem. As with lots of other good courses in Surrey, I think Puttenham often gets overlooked. That, as well as the fact it’s so short, can perhaps put people off.
However, at only £52.50 for a round, I think it’s a really good option for a lot of golfers and you should definitely give it a go if you can.
Final Thoughts
Puttenham Golf Club is a great place for golf, for golfers of almost all levels. With loads of attractive sections of the course and challenging golf holes, the course will have you playing many types of golf shots over the 18 holes.
A stunning woodland setting, accompanied by great conditions, means Puttenham Golf Club is a wonderful place to play golf.
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.
