Played by NCG: Woodhall Spa (The Bracken)
Reason for a Woodhall Spa (Bracken) review: We were at England Golf’s first referee seminar and couldn’t resist squeezing in a round while the championship panel were dutifully sitting a tough Level 3 exam in the morning.
Where is it?: They say good things come to those who wait. That’s a relief because Woodhall Spa, situated about 18 miles from Lincoln, is not the easiest place to get to.
From York, I crossed the Humber Bridge and traversed 30 miles or so of winding back routes before the home of England Golf came gloriously into view.
What to expect?: Let’s be honest, if you are off to Woodhall Spa it’s the Hotchkin that will be foremost in your mind.
But to be disappointed at not getting on the heathland classic would be a mistake. The Bracken is a seriously good golf course.
Donald Steel’s course, opened in 1998, starts gently enough but then becomes rather tricky as you switch between the expected heathland and woodland to arable farmland.
It’s not as tight as the Hotchkin. It’s easier to find a fairway and it’s more straightforward to escape from a bunker (I found enough of them) but if you get yourself short-sided you can be in serious trouble.
My best bit: I don’t like to brag, but I did get a hole-in-one – my first – on the Par 3 7th.
I hit an
8-iron, from 127-yards, onto the front of the green and then watched as it dropped, beautifully, into the hole.
It’s hard to top a moment like that, but the par 4 2nd, with its tight tee shot and cleverly guarded green was also a highlight.
What to look out for: The undulating greens. For someone used to playing flat tracks in North Yorkshire, these were something of an eye-opener but a delight at the same time.
I’d never really realised the problem of being short-sided until I had a chip to the left of the ninth hole – with a bunker in the way and a sharp run-off area on the other side.
The putting surfaces, remember this was still early Spring, were superb even though the professional said we should ‘come back in a couple of weeks when they’ll be brilliant’. I can’t wait.
When I go back: I’ll make a point to think more about strategy and to keep my ball in the right areas. If I do that, my score will tumble.
[course view=”list” id=27023]
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
