Played by NCG: Hayling
Reason for a Hayling Golf Club review
It’s been on my radar for years and is the best links course I had yet to visit.
Where is Hayling?
Hayling is found on Hayling Island. It’s very close to Portsmouth, but on a small spit of land.
What to expect
The opening few holes are very flat and depth perception is difficult. Then as you approach the turn the topography changes and you find yourself amid genuine duneland. On the day we played the closing stretch was extremely testing, with four long holes out of the last five played into the wind.
My best bit
There are a couple of superb short holes at Hayling (though I wouldn’t judge the 1st a classic). At the 5th you have to find the narrowest of raised greens while the 11th is a classic tabletop target that puts itself at the mercy of the wind.
Watch out for
The quirky 8th. All is not what it seems from the tee. Trust your yardage book and lay up then accept you may well have a blind approach to the green on the other side of the ridge.
When I go back…
I’ll take advantage of the early holes if the conditions are similarly benign. Sadly, by the time I had gained any degree of sharpness my scorecard was in tatters and we were about to turn into the wind.
Dan Murphy
Dan loves links golf, which doesn't mean he is very good at it. He is a four-handicapper at Alwoodley. A qualified journalist and senior editor with 25 years’ experience, he was the long-time editor of NCG. His passion is golf courses and he is the founding editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings. He loves nothing more than discovering and highlighting courses that are worthy of greater recognition.
