With the summer golfing season finally in danger of getting started, we head to the railway town and home of Bentley Motors, Crewe. Wychwood Park is handily located, just off junction 16 of the M6 in Cheshire, with the course nestled among an estate of executive homes. As we roll into the development, we’re met by a security barrier tended by a jovial guard, who emerges from her sentry hut to treat us to some hilarious wordplay based on the double meaning of the term ‘tee time’. Lovely stuff.
With our sides only mildly perforated, we pull into the club’s car park, and are soon treated to a taste of what’s to come. Besides the large clubhouse, and well stocked pro shop, we find a velvety putting green, with a spectacular backdrop down into the valley (see main pic) that whets the appetite for what lies ahead. There’s an impressive driving range too, to banish the pre-round cobwebs; over 100 yards wide with grass tees that give PGA Tour vibes.
The club is a modern resort complex, with a stylish 113 bed hotel and conference centre hosting a range of corporate events during the week, and golfing groups at the weekends. It’s easy to see why it’s a winning formula, with thoughtfully designed zones set up to cater for the various flavours of guests, including private dining areas, bars, terraces overlooking the course and a barbecue area that looks ideal for creating al fresco summer memories.
Back to our visit, and as we step onto the first tee, after admiring the starters hut, instead of being met with the traditional gender-based coloured options, we’re presented with what Wychwood have coined ‘enjoyment tees’. These comprise of four tee boxes based on their respective slope rating. For the ultra-talented, this includes the option of the full 7,213 yard ‘151’ experience, second only in its difficulty among Cheshire’s nearly 100 courses to The Open’s 2023 host, Royal Liverpool.
However, for those of us with far more modest abilities, Wychwood’s approach – introduced post-COVID following feedback from visitors – offers the option to play from less taxing 148, 138 or 132 tee position, without the potential mocking that playing off the ‘ladies’ tees could invite! We elect to go off the 138s, which still means the opening hole, a par 5, measures a brutal 549 yards that feels more like a mile after a topped drive… or at least so we’d imagine!
Whilst the imposing brick houses that fringe many of the holes look newly constructed, the 500 acre site was actually unveiled over two decades ago. Built in 2002, Wychwood Park comprises 500 properties that surround the golf course and hotel. It was a complex project, partly due to being on a Site of Special Scientific Interest, with two of the holes built on peaty soils, and protected species such as freshwater crayfish, badgers and water voles to preserve.
It’s a landscape that makes for a beautiful setting, with timber boardwalks traversing the wetlands, creating mid-round scenes that seem almost other worldly when compared to the typical parkland courses in the region. It’s also an environment that’s clearly popular with a wide assortment of birdlife, plus those rush-ridden ponds and streams make attractive and tricky hazards, with many of the holes crafted around them and requiring clever navigation.
The course is in superb condition, despite the weather’s best efforts, and special mention should be given to the greens, and those that tend them. Considering the incessant rain that’s plagued the country for the past 6-9 months, it’s nothing short of a miracle that Wychwood’s greens are all firm and seemingly completely unphased by the torrid conditions of late. One can only imagine how the greens staff achieve this feat, and how much time – and sand – have been ploughed into them over the years.
Post round, and we caught up with Golf Operations Manager Ian Orrell, who tells us his priority is creating a member’s club experience, to compliment the quality and range of facilities the club offers. This has included signing up to ’59club’, a PGA endorsed customer service specialist, that sets out industry best practice, and carries out mystery shopper visits to ensure they’re followed. It certainly seems to be working, with Ian and the team winning awards at the recent ‘Service Excellence Awards’.
Key Info
Holes: 18
Par: 72 (all)
Yards: 151: 7,182. 148: 6,733. 138: 6,374. 132: 5,618
Slope: 151 / 148 / 138 / 132
Visitor Green Fees: £25-45
Website: https://www.wychwoodparkhotel.co.uk/golf
Location
Prices correct at time of writing (June 2024).
Check out Wychwood Park’s #2 ranking among the full list of toughest courses in Cheshire here, and see our overview of Golfing in Cheshire here.
Where shall we review next? Let us know here.
