Queenwood Golf Club

Queenwood Golf Club is perhaps the most exclusive club in all of England. The course is opposite Foxhills Golf Club in Ottershaw, Surrey, England. Opened in 2001, Queenwood Golf Club was designed by David McLay Kidd and has matured into one of the premier heathlands in Surrey, west of London.

The Golf Course at Queenwood

Queenwood Golf Club is spectacular with the bold green complexes and heather-clad bunkers being highlights. The routing is made up of two loops of nine beginning and ending at the clubhouse. The front nine is a clockwise loop and the back nine, is counterclockwise. Of interest was the amount of gorse which was planted between holes. Many of the holes sport mounding on either side of the fairway topped with gorse which gives each hole on the course a feeling of seclusion. Perhaps that’s exactly what the membership is looking for?

The Front Nine at Queenwood

The takeaway point for me from the design was the clever use of elevation. The first two holes take you downhill from the clubhouse back near the entrance. The next two holes are slightly uphill. There is a somewhat arduous walk between holes 4 and 5 but once on this plateau, you stay on the higher ground until the 8th tee. Then you play two parallel holes, down and back up to the rear of the clubhouse.

The Back Nine at Queenwood

Three holes on the back nine feature man-made lakes greenside, coming on the 10th, 11th, and 16th. The home hole at Queenwood Golf Club is superb with incredibly contoured green and bunker in front which obscures the bottom of the pin and green surface perfectly. The elevation changes are just as pronounced on the back nine but do not come as abruptly as the transition on the front.

Queenwood’s Bunkers

The bunkers are very clever at Queenwood Golf Club. They look fantastic and appear, at first glance, to be both deep and steep. However, upon inspection, they are quite playable and as deceiving as they are beautiful. There is enough help on hand to rake sand up faces if it gets washed down but I have it on good authority it isn’t needed. Perhaps mundane to ponder, the bunkering is what makes Queenwood Golf Club so special. From an architectural perspective, it is the quality of construction that stands out!

Queenwood GC Synopsis

Queenwood Golf Club’s allure is in its’ exclusivity. It is deserving of all its accolades and praise – it is simply stunning. It is pristine and manicured but somehow not artificial nor contrived – a delicate balance to achieve. The greens sites are bold and the green on the 12th is as unique as you’ll see anywhere. If you have a chance to peer behind the gates, take it!