By Alex Clewett
Reason for a Remedy Oak Golf Club review
Three friends and I played here on day one of a short golf weekend. We picked Dorset as one of our group went to watch Rick Astley in Bournemouth on the Friday night: he certainly didn’t let us down…
The weather was utterly glorious and certainly contributed to a rare good standard of golf!
Remedy Oak, or simply Remedy to members, is an integral part of Dorset’s nucleus of top quality courses. A few miles north of Bournemouth, its nearest rival is the highly rated Ferndown but offers a very different test.
Where is Remedy Oak?
Remedy Oak, or simply Remedy to members, is an integral part of Dorset’s nucleus of top quality courses. A few miles north of Bournemouth, its nearest rival is the highly rated Ferndown but offers a very different test.
What to expect
Play Remedy in the summer months and you’ll find arguably the best parkland course in England; play it in winter and by most accounts you’ll encounter a boggy mess if you’re particularly unlucky.
We played it from the white tees and were surprised at how playable it was at only 6,400 yards. The course is big tournament-standard from the 7,000 yard tips but for us mere mortals, is great fun in a stunning woodland setting.
Favourite hole
The par-5 2nd lets you know just how lucky you are to be playing here. A long right-to-left drive will leave a long iron approach but the smart play is to lay up short of the vast lake that guards the green, with bunkers catching any attempt at bailing out.
Other notable mentions include the long par-3s at 4 and 11 and the beautiful 14th. There are very few weak holes and the design sets out to inspire golfers of all abilities rather than batter them into submission.
My best bit
I was really pleased with my 2 over 74 but the highlight has to be my 3 wood approach into the par-5 6th that ran just past the hole and settled 8 feet away. Just a shame I missed the eagle putt!
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My tee shot into the exhilarating par-3 11th was another good moment. After watching my three playing partners stick theirs in the water I was happy just to hit a solid 5 iron onto the dancefloor.
What to look for
We were warned that Remedy Oak complete their course maintenance in March so should expect a great course that wouldn’t be playing its best. Instead, we got a truly brilliant one that wasn’t far off top condition; once the work has bedded in it will rival anything else of similar ilk in the UK.
Played by NCG: Bingley St Ives Golf Club
