Best clubhouse, worst clubhouse

Simple really.

Best i've been to. Blairgowrie.

Worst. King James VI.

I judge clubhouses not on their look but on their atmosphere..

Best - Gillingham golf clubs old clubhouse pre 2001, great atmosphere extremely frinedly people and a good craic to be had
Worst - Gillingham Golf Club post 2001 new building no atmoshpere and the people thinking because they now have a multi million pound building they need to act like tubes.....

Other than than... K Club or Lough Erne really frinedly locals who are happy to share a yarn and a guiness with you.

London Club always found to be a them and you type thing, them that has mega money and you who don't!

I love the old school type clubhouses, the ones that haven't changed in 100 years, were you can still feel the presence of all the long gone characters. Places like Sunningdale and Swinley Forest are like that. Parkstone also has a very good one with an excellent patio area overlooking the 1st/18th.

Not keen on some of the modern ones, they can feel a bit like hotel lobbies with no soul or atmosphere. All very pleasant, just something missing.

I agree with you there D4S and you Mav. Many a club has been ruined by the 'committee' deciding that they need a new clubhouse and proceed to build soulless Bermuda rejects, that no-one really wanted.

Mind you, the ones that are stuck in the 1950's are just as bad!

For me - Holinwell is up there for tradition and sublime ham sandwiches and my own course Thorpe Wood, which is a pay and play and as such does not have a traditional clubhose, but there is a bar attached to it and it's always busy. So lots of life and a beer garden that overlooks the 18th risk and reward green, that can have a real crowd on a pleasant summers evening.

I found Royal Musselburghs Club house interesting.

Can't think of a really bad one, but my group were made to feel most unwelcome at West Derby a few years ago

shanker

Holinwell is exactly the type of old school clubhouse I was thinking about. As I recall, it had some good views of the lower part of the course and quite a few little cubby holes where you could have a good old natter putting the world to rights?

drive4show wrote:
Not keen on some of the modern ones, they can feel a bit like hotel lobbies with no soul or atmosphere.

Exactly. I've mentioned Bearwood Lakes on here a few times. That has an amazingly beautiful clubhouse with huge function rooms, nice bars, great views etc. But it is totally soulless. Most times I've played there it has been almost empty and we've rattled around in it somewhat

Davie

Meyrick Park in Bournemouth used to have what was basically a glorified garden shed, an old wooden building that was ancient. It got into a terrible state of disrepair and had to be demolished and replaced. It was the most amazing place, lots of little nooks and crannies, big old leather armchairs, great atmosphere. It was a fantastic place to relax after a round.

The Bearwood Lakes of this world will never achieve that.

K Club is right up there.Hollinwell great as stated.Hunstanton fantastic history and luvly lady behind the bar(when I last went)Some of the munis are horrid sadly ,Stockley,Western Park.I could go on for hours

Talking on of Muni's one of the best atmospheres i've experienced is at Deangate Ridge on Hoo Peninsular just off the river medway not a bad little course and has a clubhouse that is not pretty but very friendly indeed, and had some good beers in there with complete strangers

How could I forget the clubhouse at The Dukes, very sulibrious, nicely furnished with great views but with uppity, condescending staff ( you're just waiters FFS), atmosphere like Fred Wests back garden and a price list which makes you shudder.

I'm with D4S.
Longniddry, Sunningdale, Parkstone and HCEG.

The only bad one I can think about is Dundonald.

If bad is pretentious then I know a bucket load of them. The Oxfordshire, Woburn, The Belfry [nice hotel though] etc etc.

HCEG of course Doon, how could that one have slipped past and just down the road, Gullane.

Both were exactly as you would want them 20+ years ago. Hope they haven't changed too much.

Seem to remember both had a smoking ban in the restaurant way before anywhere else. Is that right, or are the little grey cells degrading faster than they should? Maybe it was just loyal toast linked.

Moor Park is the best clubhouse in the World. It was on Spooks on Sunday night masquerading as Bannan Hall.

http://www.moorparkgc.co.uk/

Also on here if you like Ashes to Ashes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StjLCN9arCg

Is it me, but the price of some these golf clubs charge, is just outrageous, the worst one's I have been in for price is The Forest Arden and the Warwickshire, you would need a mortgage to buy a meal for 2

George

Sorry, have to disagree with you. Yes, a very impressive building but I thought it lacked atmosphere. No feeling of a 'club' whatsoever, more like a nice country hotel. I couldn't imagine it full of golfers on a Saturday afternoon having a post round drink and loads of banter, felt almost as if that would be frowned upon.

US:
Stately Elegance - Winged Foot, Aronimink, NGLA
Rustic but Exceptional - Pine Valley, Shinnecock
More British than Most British Clubhouses I've Been in: Merion
Think of the BEST Men's Grill, now make it an entire Clubhouse: Whisper Rock
Best Locker Room - Seminole, Indian Creek
Best post round Golf Deck - Aronimink

UK (from my limited experience)
Best Clubhouse/Putting Green Combo: Walton Heath
Clubhouse that makes me feel like I'm in a Merchant/Ivory Film: Swinley Forest

Clubhouse that I liked a lot but is very polarizing: Old Head

oldparwin wrote:Is it me, but the price of some these golf clubs charge, is just outrageous, the worst one's I have been in for price is The Forest Arden and the Warwickshire, you would need a mortgage to buy a meal for 2

Amen brother.......

Some of the places you tip up to and a pie and a pint causes you to leave an organ behind because your carged so much the only way to afford it is to sell a kidney.....

Forest of Ardenis a superb example of that, another again I hark back to the London Club, it's localish to me, i'm forunate enough to be a good friend of oneof the pro's there whom I played junior county with and he gives me regular invites to play, even with the discounted and sometimes free price I pay to play with him there, a tip to the bar leaves an awkaward explanation to the Mrs. Went up there couple years back for the ET Q School first round to spectate and its as though they think hello big boys in town hike the prices. Popped into the bar with my friend which made me special as clubhouse was OOB to all general spectators, orderded a pint along with a hearty winter meal of Ham, Eggs and Chips total for the pint and meal have a guess................ £17..............

Mav.

They sell chips, how common.

Doon on the menu they were labelled Les Frites! So to us that's chips and is what I asked for only to be corrected when the barmaid or should that be serving girl said "so to confirm sir that's ham eggs and les frites" yes love that's rifht ham egg and chips.

Jambon, Ooof, and les frites.

One of my pet hates really, menus written in some impossible language that it is impossible to know exactly what you are getting for your lunch.

I concur on Sunningdale, reeks of class but yet not snooty.

The other one that springs to mind as a favourite is Royal Dornoch's, for the service, the view and the history on the walls. Fabulous place.

Oh, how could I forget the Caledonia Clubhouse in Carnoustie, I've probably had more Guinness's there than in my own clubhouse....and they do a mean steak & onion Panini.

Agree with Sunningdale but think that as a relatively new clubhouse, Kingsbairns deserves a mention. Another modern place that really works is Oitavos near Lisbon which is ultra modern but a fantastic place to enjoy a few sun downers.

Was also lucky enough to spend some time at Leopard Creek earlier this year which is pretty amazing. The fact that the clubhouse backs on to Crocodile River where you can often see hippo and elephants cooling off while enjoying a drink halfway round is quite surreal.

Most inapropriately designed clubhouse has to be Torrance/St Kittocks.

Mind you that looks like it will be eclipsed by Trumptown.

I don't mind the design for the new Trump one, it looks like a typical country pile.
The Kittocks clubhouse is fine, it's the hotel that is an eyesore.

Go with a group of friends most years to St Malo and always try to play the "links" at Dinard. Their clubhouse is Art Deco and if you're coming up the 18th late in the day the setting sun just lights it up.
Inside it feels like it hasn't changed since it was built which is great in the bar/balcony but not quite so good in the changing area. Course well worth playing too.
Large part of my golfing heart stays there each year.

Forgot my examples of the worst but having read back up through the thread the one comment that jumps out (good shout Doon) as "YEP!!! I know exactly where you're coming from" is sadly Dundonald. Love the course and the staff were friendly enough but the clubhouse is a portokabin (I was going to say glorified portokabin but it's not even that). I'd hate to be inside it in anything more that a 4 club wind...could end up being blown tumbling over in the general direction of Kilmarnock!

For me, best clubhouse has to have a panoramic view over the golf course and beyond.... Anywhere with a view of the sea or hills beyond the course you are playing is what counts. What better way to relax after you've hacked it round like I do, with a pint of real ale and bag of nuts and thoughts of what might have been.....

JAS wrote:Forgot my examples of the worst but having read back up through the thread the one comment that jumps out (good shout Doon) as "YEP!!! I know exactly where you're coming from" is sadly Dundonald. Love the course and the staff were friendly enough but the clubhouse is a portokabin (I was going to say glorified portokabin but it's not even that). I'd hate to be inside it in anything more that a 4 club wind...could end up being blown tumbling over in the general direction of Kilmarnock!

This may sound odd, but I found the Dundonald portakabin to be the most luxurious portakabin ever... certainly better than many "proper" clubhouses. But then it was 6 years ago when I played there and the portakabin was all shiny and new, with artist's impressions on the wall of what the permanent clubhouse was going to look like. I guess they must have let it go a little.

The London club has come in for stick on this thread for being soul-less and expensive. These observations may well be true, but it provided me with a fantastic clubhouse feeling after a round on a cold, wet and blustery day. Having a soak in the Japanese bath then relaxing with a Japanese beer next to the fire is a great way to recover having trudged off the course soaked to the skin and freezing cold. All that was missing was a geisha girl to tend to my needs...

Other great clubhouses: El Valle in Murcia and El Bosque in Valencia... both modern and trendy but very comfy and great terraces with views of the 18th. I think a pre-requisite of a good clubhouse is a bar and patio with a view of the 18th, so in this vein I will add Stanmore, Leven and the TwentyTen at Celtic Manor.

Poor clubhouses: well so many muni's have little more than a hut, especially 9 holers, so I won't name them. As far as private courses go Mill Hill has an inconveniently located clubhouse (you have to walk 200 yards along the A1 and then through a subway to get to the course), Forest of Arden felt like an airport departure lounge, but the one that wound me up most was an average little course somewhere in Surrey (Broken Hill - can't quite remember it?) where some muppet barman told me to tuck in my shirt. I've never seen such a pompous little man in such a pompous little 70's council estate style clubhouse.

Noshanking

Could not agree more, except let me change real ale and nuts, to Guinness and pie and chips

Dislike most golf clubhouses to be honest. Stuffy and old with manky carpets. The one at Rockcliffe is nice, no stupid rules about tucking in your shirt or not being able to wear trainers.

Can sympathise with that diggers nothing worse than going into a stuffy clubhouse. The worst ones are those that still insist on shirts and ties after a certain time of day or night. Once played a 36holer years back where we had a late finish I was not allowed in the clubhouse to collect my 2nd place prize as I did not have tie and blazer which had to be worn after 7pm. Had the prize given to me in the car park by one of the members after the presentation... I won't name and shame that one as it's a beautiful course that I would recommend playing just avoid the members and clubhouse stuffy bunch..

Panmure and Elie both require a jacket and tie in the Gents bar.

Predictably full of coffin dodgers, rotarians etc.

Some of us coffin dodgers, are quite nice people, just because we treat people with respect, and expect the same courtesy in return, we are the ones who respect the rules and expect them to be adhered to and not ignored.

Nothing wrong with old people OP, but they tend to be the ones who hold up outdated clubhouse traditions such as Blazers, Slacks and ties and are almost completely responsible for Golf living in the dark ages, so while I give respect to old people who deserve it, the ones responsible for holding golf back deserve to be rebuked about it.

I totally disagree that golf is in the dark ages, just because you do not agree with some of the standards they set.

I would suggest that it would be easier for you, to avoid such clubs, I am certain they would not appreciate people like you, darkening their doors.

I'm with s_r on this one. Clubs that require a jacket and tie just to enjoy a pint (or a Gin and Tonic) after a game, are damaging to the image of golf.

I have no problem whatsoever changing into a jacket and tie for a set meal after a game, or a gala presentation evening. The idea of having to deck out in jacket and tie after a casual game though is just ridiculous

Like I said if you do not like those clubs then you do not have to play there.

At the end of the day its the members that vote to have these rules, I would imagine that it might be to keep some certain type of people out???

Time for you to move here s_r, though have to warn you that shoes and shirts are generally required in the clubhouses.
Seriously, I've got no time for the sort of stereotype you describe, and I'm probably older than most of them. Can't you play somewhere more civilised?

(Not suggesting ties and jackets are UNcivilised, but surely there's a time and a place for everyone?)

oldparwin wrote:Like I said if you do not like those clubs then you do not have to play there.

At the end of the day its the members that vote to have these rules, I would imagine that it might be to keep some certain type of people out???

That's a worrying implication you are making there OPW. If I've misunderstood you I hope you'll come back and correct yourself (or me) - but the implication as I see it is that you wouldn't like to have a post-game shandy with the "certain type of person" who didn't want to dress up in a jacket and tie after a casual game.

Are you suggesting that you could enjoy 18 holes with a golfer who dressed and behaved immaculately on the golf course but if he didn't want to change into a jacket and tie afterwards, he becomes a "certain type of person"?

Mannings Heath is a favourite:

http://www.weddingservices4u.co.uk/Wedding_Advertisers/Images/FU2482_LOGO_1.jpg

Davie

When I play late in the evening, then I usually have a pint on the patio and get served through the hatch, so I do not need to go into the clubhouse.

A few people on here think that some of the rules in golf clubs are plain daft, if that was the case then the membership would soon change them, it is the members that impose these rules, and as guests of the club you would be expected to abide them, but like I said to s-r if you do not like the dress code in the clubhouse then do not go in there

I retired about 5 years ago and if I have worn a tie on more than 10 occasions I would be surprised. funerals, weddings and the odd formal occasion.
I now own one decent suit and jacket and for old times sake a BLAZER.

I am approaching 'coffin dodger' stage and have 'old fashioned values'. But.... is it not time some of these snobby clubs moved on. It is amusing that the really posh clubs have a much more relaxed dress code than the pretenders. I could have lunch at HCEG in the 1960's without wearing a tie but would have to put one on at a tatty wee 9 holer.

What is this fixation with ties, dreadful modern fashion [post 1900's] to blame.

PS. Bad choice of words there OPW.

oldparwin wrote:I totally disagree that golf is in the dark ages, just because you do not agree with some of the standards they set.

I would suggest that it would be easier for you, to avoid such clubs, I am certain they would not appreciate people like you, darkening their doors.

As a matter of fact, I'm actually a member of a club which has some rather archaic rules. I didn't actually realise when I joined but I recently received a voting paper asking me to cast a vote as to whether we should allow women in the clubhouse.
I was flabbergasted that they even had to ask. Surely in this day and age it should be the defacto position that there is equality.
So you think that golf is not in the dark ages OP? What other sports have such widespread discrimination?

It's a poor and infantile excuse to say "if you don't like it, don't play there". We should be a bit mature these days.

Kwini, perhaps I should play somewhere more civilised. St.Andrews like to lay claim to where the game started, it seems that their attitudes are still back there.

SR

This will surprise you but the worst has got to be the links trust clubhouse that is next to the Jubilee and New 1st tee's. I always expect it to be ok but every time I go in the food and drink is just awful and you would have to be mad to buy anything from the shop. Given the status of the venue you would hope there was a enough pride from those that run it to produce good food. It is not just the food, the coffee my well be the worst coffee possible if you don't use that instant crap.

The changing rooms are nice but that does not really make up for the restaurant.


The best is tough to think of as I am inclined to agree with diggers in his attitude to clubhouses. As long as I feel welcomed and can get a good beer or coffee it usually does me. A good coffee is unfortunately a rare thing in the world of golf clubs.


Oldparwin

Who are "those type" of people exactly?

I am poor not sure about infantile, would need to ask my wife, but when it comes to paying out cash, I am going to make sure I am going to get my moneys worth, and if I thought I would not enjoy the course or the clubhouse rules, then I certainly would give it a miss, not prepared to pay out money for something I am not going to enjoy

Mac, agreed, I've only been in that Links Clubhouse once, because I have my own club clubhouse to go to.
I've a bit of a problem with the Links Trust in general, it's supposed to be a charity, not run for profit, and while the courses absolutely clear up in terms of revenue I think it's very cynical of them to run their clubhouses (the one you mention, The Eden one and The Castle one) at such extortionate prices, especially given the quality on offer at the one you visited and The Eden one.
The Castle clubhouse is horrendously over priced but of good quality so can almost be excused.

mac
"Those people" are the ones who do not respect the rules of the golf club.

That's all very well OP, and by and large I agree with you, but I do think that if you're money is good enough to get you on their course and your attire considered good enough to gain entry to the course then it ought to be good enough to grace their clubhouse.
I'm not a young man anymore, but nor am I an old man, therefore I think dressing up like Tim Henman's dad in Blazers and Slacks is a very outdated and pompous look and could do with a bit of updating.
It's 2011, not Edwardian England.