Hole 1, Firs
392yards
A gentle opener down an avenue of old firs. Favour the right half: anything from the left kicks toward the cross bunker at 250.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 392
- Yellow
- 368
- Red
- 337
Eighteen holes
on the heath
Laid out across Chobham Common in 1908 and still walked the way it was drawn: firm fairways, pines and silver birch on every side, and greens that reward a running shot.
100Tee · 168Par 3The 7th, The KettlePar 3 · 168 yards · Our signature hole, over a hollow to a green held by two sleepered bunkers
Hole by hole
Every hole drawn from the air, with carries and distances to the middle of the green, and a line from Tom Ashworth, who has played it more often than anyone.
200150100Tee · 392Par 4Hole 2, Long Acre
512yards
Reachable in two with the wind behind, but the green is shelved. Lay up to 90 yards and the flag is yours.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 512
- Yellow
- 481
- Red
- 440
Hole 3, Adder
418yards
The heather creeps in from the left at driving distance. A long iron off the tee is no disgrace here.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 418
- Yellow
- 393
- Red
- 359
Hole 4, Birch Hollow
174yards
Played down into a bowl of silver birch. Take one less club; anything long runs into the trees.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 174
- Yellow
- 164
- Red
- 150
Hole 5, The Ridge
436yards
Stroke index one for a reason. The drive must carry the ridge at 205 to see the green; a par here is a good score.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 436
- Yellow
- 410
- Red
- 375
Hole 6, Cutty
348yards
Short and sly. Drive to the plateau at 230 and flick a wedge; the green is barely twenty paces deep.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 348
- Yellow
- 327
- Red
- 299
Hole 7, The Kettle
168yards
Our signature hole. A carry over a hollow of heather to a green held by two sleepered bunkers. Aim for the centre and take your three.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 168
- Yellow
- 158
- Red
- 144
Hole 8, Gorse
404yards
A shoulder of gorse guards the dogleg. Cutting the corner saves forty yards and costs a ball if it goes wrong.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 404
- Yellow
- 380
- Red
- 347
Hole 9, Homeward
371yards
Back toward the clubhouse clock. The green slopes hard from back to front; stay below the hole.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 371
- Yellow
- 349
- Red
- 319
Hole 10, Pinewalk
385yards
A narrow corridor through the tallest pines on the heath. Accuracy over length, every time.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 385
- Yellow
- 362
- Red
- 331
Hole 11, Fox Covert
427yards
Long, uphill and into the prevailing wind. The front bunkers are deeper than they look from the fairway.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 427
- Yellow
- 401
- Red
- 367
Hole 12, Sandy Lane
196yards
The longest of the short holes. A running shot from the right uses the slope; the left side falls away sharply.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 196
- Yellow
- 184
- Red
- 169
Hole 13, Railway
528yards
Named for the old line that ran behind the green. Three good shots, the second kept left of the cross bunkers.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 528
- Yellow
- 496
- Red
- 454
Hole 14, Wren's Nest
312yards
Driveable for the brave. For everyone else, an iron to 100 yards leaves a pitch to a green that tilts away.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 312
- Yellow
- 293
- Red
- 268
Hole 15, Old Quarry
441yards
The drive crosses the lip of the old sand pit. From the top, the green looks closer than it is; add a club.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 441
- Yellow
- 415
- Red
- 379
Hole 16, Heron
152yards
The shortest hole on the course, over the pond. Club selection is everything when the wind swirls in the hollow.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 152
- Yellow
- 143
- Red
- 131
Hole 17, Long Drag
497yards
A three-shotter that bends gently right. Birdie chances for those who find the fairway twice.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 497
- Yellow
- 467
- Red
- 427
Hole 18, Clubhouse
423yards
Home up the hill in front of the terrace, so everyone sees your approach. The green is wider than it is deep.
Tom Ashworth, Head Professional
- White
- 423
- Yellow
- 398
- Red
- 364
The scorecard
Three sets of tees. Visitors play from the yellows unless they ask for the whites; ladies play from the reds. Choose a tee and the whole page follows it.
Par 71 from every tee. Ratings and slopes are set by the county union and reviewed every few years.
How the heath
is kept
Rhys Callow has been Head Greenkeeper since 2011, with a team of eight. Most of their work is meant to go unnoticed: firm, fast-draining turf, true greens and heather that stays off the fairways.
The greenkeeping year
Main workWinter setting
JobJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Height of cut on greensMay to Sep at 3.5mm; Jan to Apr at 4.5mm; Oct to Dec at 4.5mm3.5mm4.5mm4.5mm
Irrigation, greens and tees onlyMay to Sep
Hollow-tine and overseed greensAug to Sep
Heather cut on a four-year rotationJan to Feb; Nov to Dec
Bunker faces rebuiltJan to Mar; Nov to Dec
Winter tees on the par 3sJan to Mar; Nov to Dec
Heights of cut
Set on the bench every Monday with a prism gauge. Drawn here to scale.
- 3.5mmGreensMay to SepDaily
- 4.5mmGreensOct to AprAs needed
- 9mmTees Three a week
- 12mmFairways Three a week
- 38mmSemi-rough Weekly
We roll most mornings rather than cut lower, which keeps the greens near 10 on the stimp without stressing the grass.
From the shed diary
Minus four at six o’clock. Held the first tee until 09:40 rather than play temporary greens. Winter tees in on the 4th, 7th, 12th and 16th while the main tees rest.
Work party, fourteen members and the team. Pulled birch seedlings along the 8th, cut this winter’s quarter of the heather by the 3rd and spread the brash on bare ground by the 13th as seed.
Thirty days without rain. Borehole water on greens and tees only; the fairways have gone gold, which is how heathland should play. Dartford warblers in the rough by the 12th again.
Hollow-tined and overseeded all eighteen greens with fescue and bent, top-dressed and rolled. 8.5 on the stimp this afternoon; back to full pace in about ten days.
Rhys Callow, Head Greenkeeper
Wrenmoor Heath Golf Club
Chobham CommonFounded 1908
Local rules
Play is governed by the Rules of Golf as approved by R&A Rules Limited, and by the following Local Rules.
- 1.
Out of bounds (Rule 18.2). Defined by white stakes and the boundary fence. The practice ground is out of bounds when playing the 1st and 9th.
- 2.
Penalty area (Rule 17). The pond on the 16th, marked with red stakes. Heather and gorse are not penalty areas: play the ball as it lies, or declare it unplayable.
- 3.
No-play zones (Rule 16.1f). Green-topped stakes left of the 3rd and behind the 12th protect nesting ground. Relief must be taken at the nearest point.
- 4.
Young trees. Staked trees and trees with guards: free relief is required if the tree interferes with your stance or area of intended swing.
- 5.
Stones in bunkers (Rule 15.2). Treated as movable obstructions.
- 6.
Distance devices (Rule 4.3). Rangefinders and GPS are permitted, for distance only.
On the course
- Pace. Three hours forty for a two-ball, four hours ten for a four-ball. If a hole opens up in front of you, call the group behind through.
- Before 08:30. The course belongs to two-balls. Three- and four-balls start after that.
- Pitch marks. Repair yours and one other. Divot mix is kept on every par 3 tee.
- Bunkers. Rake your footprints; leave the rake in the bunker, handle toward the fairway.
- Trolleys. Off tees, greens and aprons. Follow the white lines round the greens.
- Phones. On silent. Calls are taken in the car park.
Rules and
etiquette
Printed on the back of every card we hand out at the pro shop. The Rules of Golf apply in full; these are the few things particular to the heath, and how we ask everyone to play it.