Revisiting Swinley Forest: Did It Still Live Up To The Hype?

Nish 0:11

Every good story is about the journey. And this is the story of our journey trying to play the top 100 courses in the UK and Ireland in just 10 years. This is the Top 100 in 10 Golf Podcast. Episode 88. Swinley Forest Golf Club Revisited. We’ll look after 29 of the finest golf courses in the UK and Ireland. We haven’t made it to Ireland yet, but we’ll include Ireland in that. Swinley Forest sits as my personal number one. And I was very lucky to be invited to a society day there, which I will explain a little bit more about shortly. And that gave me another crack at that golf course. It’s the first time that either of us have revisited any of the 29 courses that we’ve played, and it did get me wondering, would playing it, and actually for me playing it quite soon after playing it the first time around, would that change my review and my opinion? So this is Swinley Forest revisited. Prior to that, I have a favour to ask of you. Please, wherever you’re watching or listening to this podcast, could you hit follow? That’s the one thing that tells the algorithm to serve this content to more people just like you out there, and that helps spread the word. You’ve just heard we’ve been nominated for the best sports podcast at the Independent Podcast Awards, and that is in no small measure thanks to you. Your support, your follow, that helps us and encourages us to produce bigger and better content. And that’s what we’re here going to promise to do to you or do for you in exchange for that follow.

How The Society Day Came About

Nish 1:57

So my day revisiting Swinley Forest came about because uh it was on Instagram, actually, and there is a chap that I I follow on there, and he runs a society. So he’d put a message out there saying, look, we’ve had a dropout from our Society Day at Swinley Forest. Uh it involves 36 holes, which was an absolute first for me. I’ve never done that. There was a four-course carver lunch included in that, and obviously entry to your prizes and and and what have you that you get on normal society days. You obviously get a bacon roll on arrival, tea, coffee, meet the guys, you’ll have a great time. Who wants in? Quick as you like, because I was fresh off Swinley Forest being my number one. Quick as you like, I was in there. Uh I applied, and to my good fortune, that evening I got a message back saying, You’re in. If you can make it that day, that’d be amazing. So I did the old panicked um phone call to the wife. I was like, um, this has got to happen on a day, I think it was a Friday that we did this. And I was like, it needs to happen on a day that uh you need to sort everything out. So please can you do that? Um, all worked out okay. And yeah, that was my day. Now the thing that attracted me to all of this was those kind of lunches, those carry lunches in some of the clubs down south, they are famous. Uh, and I haven’t ever experienced that, so it was a completely new thing for me. The other thing was it was this 36-hole thing. So, not only am I gonna get to play Swinley Forest once and then revisit it, I’m actually gonna have to do or get to do that again. So

Format Of The Day: Shotgun Start & 36 Holes

Nish 3:45

the format of the event was you we went out in threes, which was a great number to go out with. There was good chat, uh, but also it wasn’t a round that was gonna grind to a halt because we all needed to get back for lunch. So, shotgun start, and that was another first for me. So you know, some people went out to the 10th Tee, some people, and we were out on the first Tee on the the first round, so that again is a new experience, and um yeah. So we the first the first uh round is your singles, uh and you obviously you score your points on that, you then have your lunch, and then for the second 18 holes, so on that one we started on hole 10, so we had to like drive down to that Tee because it’s miles away, and you don’t really realise you’re driving anything, and I just I couldn’t walk this. So we got down there, um, and then in that one, it was uh the it was the two best stableford scores from that hole went forward for the team prize. So uh yeah, so a day started.

Arrival And Meeting The Group

Nish 4:53

I actually went down the night before, uh took advantage of the local premier in, stayed over there, and uh got to Swinley Forest like really, really early because I just didn’t want to miss out on anything that was going on. So uh I get there. Uh my host was was already there, he was organising stuff, so introduced himself. I hadn’t actually met him at that point, but yeah, met him uh and and it was great. We were all kind of hanging around the the pro shop, trying to get our little prizes, our little trinkets and reminders of the day and all that kind of thing. So we had a really good time, just kind of everyone’s excited at that time, aren’t they? And it’s a really, really nice society. All the guys uh were so welcoming, everybody said hello, everybody gave me the time of day, um, and we sat down, had our bacon roll, had our coffees, and then it was time pretty much quickly to get warmed up and get out there. I think we were teeing off around about eight o’clock, I think it was the first tea. Uh so it was early, but it was another beautiful day down in the sand belt, and you know, when you know that you’ve got two rounds coming up, and you know you’ve got just a mega day with the lunch and everything like that, you’re really giddy with with excitement. So I obviously then met my playing partners, and uh it was it was brilliant, they were so good. Uh, there’s uh a guy from actually up near where we are from Sale, uh, and another guy from Durham. So we had a really nice group. I’m sure it would have been nice with everybody, but we had a really nice group, uh, and we all went out there and it was all having a bit of a chat as we were going round. Have you played Swinley Forest before all this kind of thing? And a lot of people had, but even the people that had had the same sort of giddy excitement about playing Swinley Forest again. So a little reminder it’s my number one course, uh, but in the lists that we’ve got, it it’s in the world list, so it’s in the world top 100 list, Swinley Forest. It’s uh something like 22, 23. I think it’s even higher now on the latest list, it might be in the teens in the latest list. And it’s a it’s a quirky course, it’s short, it’s not designed to beat you up with distance. Uh, they only had scorecards from the early 90s onwards. And bizarrely, and I don’t think I brought this out in our review when we did it, you can’t actually enter your scorecard on this on My England Golf, and that is because of the quirky rule that they’ve got that if you have a bad lie, you can actually just move it and and play from a from a better lie because that’s just the the way the club is, it’s about enjoying your golf. And this day was very much about that, it felt special because of that. And one

The Aura Of Swinley Forest

Nish 7:40

of the words that kept coming out when we were sort of talking, us who had played it before, you know, me getting all weird about that, like I’ve played Swinley Forest before, but the people who played before, when we were talking to people who hadn’t played before, we kept using a word, and I think that really encapsulates what Swinley Forest is all about. We kept saying that it’s got aura, and it really does. As soon as you get in through the gates, there’s something about the place. I can’t tell you what that is. I can’t tell you whether it’s the it’s not a massive clubhouse, but it’s a very old traditional building, it’s not crazily plush inside or anything like that, but the hospitality service is amazing. It’s not the Pro Shop, it’s pretty small, but it’s really, really well laid out. I don’t know. There is something about everything, the sum of its parts just give it this feel and this aura, and I was so glad that when I went again, I got all of those feels all over again. So that was you know one of the main sort of sticking points with me. You’re not sticking points, sorry, that makes it sound like it’s a bad thing, but one of the main things that I took away from that was that everybody still had this feeling of awe and awe about this place. So I’m gonna tell you a little bit about how these society days work because a lot of the times you might find yourself playing Swinley Forest in this capacity because they are very open to having society visitors, they have that all the time. The courses, the membership is really interesting for me because in both times we’ve gone, we’ve we have met members while being there, but we’ve maybe only met three or four members during the whole day. It’s that kind of place, it’s really quiet, otherwise. So I think the societies now come and they play there because there is that accessibility, but it also helps keep the club going, right? So, um, so that’s why we were there, and that’s you know what I thought. Now, every single member I’ve encountered at Swidney Forest, Swinley Forest is one of these places you could go into feeling intimidated, feeling like you might be a bit out of place. Every member I’ve ever spoken to at Swinley Forest has been absolutely wonderful, really generous with their time, really down to earth, I’d almost say, and they’ve wanted to be to shown a genuine interest in what you’ve got to say and what you think of the golf course, and they’re so fiercely proud of that golf course and club, it really shines through. So go in it with a really positive mindset is going to be amazing.

Course Conditioning Second Time Round

Nish 10:16

Now, the conditioning of the course, when we played the first time round, we were pre all the massive heat waves that we’ve had, we’d had, and it was just beautiful on the eye. All the colours really popped, and the conditioning was just amazing. You can tell it’s not a course that’s played on loads, so it’s really just neat and tidy and pristine everywhere. Um, we’d now played this, or I’d been and played this now towards the end of August, and that meant that we’d had some of the heat wave conditions. Now, I think maybe as a result of the fact that it’s not played on that much, the conditioning was still absolutely superb. Yes, there were some brownish patches uh here and there, but it still had all of that visual appeal, and actually, one of the things that I was remember was so striking about Swinley Forest was that there were huge elevation changes within holes sometimes. You know, you’d tee up really high up, you’d dip right down, and then you’d finish in an elevated green, and that was as evident as it was the first time round, so it hadn’t lost any of that impact for me. The other thing that I remember from my visit there was that the par threes were excellent, and I have to say they were excellent again. They’re difficult as well, you know. Just the length of this course shouldn’t deceive you. There are some very tricky holes here, and we were lucky that the heather wasn’t bad. We just played Walton Heath a few weeks back, and that heather was unreal, how bad it was. This is not the case. Swinley Forest is just not a place that’s designed to punish you for poor golf. Yes, you’re gonna find yourself in some tricky spots, but you know, they actually want you to enjoy your round of golf, and I think walk off like I’ve walked off each time, which is like that was an amazing golf course. So the par threes I struggled on again, I didn’t play as well as I could have done on all of them, however, they are amazing. And Swinney Forest brings out images of trees, they’re so well positioned and they frame the holes so so so well. Again, I would defy you, like I said in the review, I’d defy you to not get your camera out almost on every single tee. Like it’s it’s just an incredible place to to play golf, and visually it’s so impactful. Now, one of the things that I’ve sort of written here in my revisit review, and I don’t think I brought it out last time. And we’ve played a couple more courses since Swinley Forest, and you get to rethink what you said previously. But I found the whole place was just effortlessly cool, it really was. It kind of doesn’t need to shout about anything, it’s just uh it knows it’s an amazing place to play golf, which is gonna sound so weird for a golf course, but I just don’t know. It’s just it’s effortless, effortlessly cool, and it’s understated elegance. It’s just an experience you have to have sometime in golf.

The Golf: Forgiving But Not Boring

Nish 13:37

So let me tell you about the golf again. Like I said, the conditioning was superb. There are some tee-shots you’re gonna play quite forgiving, you know. We’re not talking about really narrow fairways or anything like that, or bunkers positioned in crazy places where you really have to strategically plot your way around. I don’t think it’s that kind of place. Some people enjoy that. I do to a degree think there needs to be a bit of jeopardy in your tee-shot, and there is if you spray it a bit wide, of course, you’ve got to hack out of some rough or maybe some heather. However, I think that way that that golf course has been designed, that element of fun, that element of enjoyment, that element of the social bit of golf. Yeah, I was there with two people I’d never met before, and we really got to know each other well after having played those two rounds. You know, we sat down for lunch together, all that kind of thing. I think that to me just is is what the essence of that place is. Go and enjoy playing golf. You’ve earned it, you’ve got a day off work, you’ve dropped the kids off at school, you’ve done your morning, whatever it is, now’s your time. Go and enjoy it, go and have a good one, go and play some shots that you’re gonna talk about for the rest of your life, and yeah, that that is the essence of that is the essence of the place. So,

The Four-Course Carvery Lunch

Nish 15:05

one of the things that we got in this society day was the four-course carvery lunch. Now, in golf clubs down in the sandbelt, particularly, but down south, you know, you I’m talking places like Royal St. George’s, the Sunningdales, I’m talking about Cinque Ports, I’m talking about um Walton Heath, I’m talking about uh obviously Swindony Forest, all these places. The the tradition of a carvery lunch in the middle of your day is is very much alive, and you’d heard all a lot about this. You’ve got to wear jackets, ties were optional for us, but you can wear a tie if you want, change your jacket. So it was great, finished your round. I actually went and had a shower, uh, freshened up, got my shirt, trousers, jacket on, and you know, there’s a place for that in golf. Some people don’t like that, and I know people like that who vehemently will fight against that. But you know, there is a place for everything. Golf is a in my eyes is a very inclusive game, uh, particularly in the UK, and you should have space for that, you should have space for your turn-up, you don’t have to be formal, anything like that, and they can both live side by side, in my opinion, and it was a wonderful experience. Now, one thing that did catch me off guard was the concept of a four-course carvery lunch. I’m a northern boy, and for me, a calvery is everything on one plate, all at one go, right? So I was kind of joking with everyone. I was like, what is a calvery down here? Have I got it completely wrong? But look, the the courses are all about there were some beautiful salads at the start. I’m actually coeliac and I’m gluten-free, so uh I had to make the request of the club beforehand. They were so good with me, and that blends into this the hospitality there, it is so, so, so good. But they were amazing in the way they looked after me. But anyway, let me get to this lunch. So imagine school dinners times a million, like it’s a pimped-up school dinner. It was so good. You sit in in rows and tables, so it’s very social, which was great because you could interact with some of the other people that we hadn’t had a chance to play golf with, and you know, you go up and you queue at the carvery to go and get your food, and it was it was just it was just delicious, like everything about it was great. Some people were having a glass of wine or a bottle of wine, um, some people hydrating. I was driving back that night, so just an orange juice and lemonade for me, and you know, you meet and talk to some amazing people, and golf again, I said, is an inclusive sport. People want to share their stories and they want to share what they’re they’re on about. And I met some frankly wonderful people. Some of them were from abroad. I met a lovely lady from the States. Uh, I just it was it was so good, and it was such a nice thing to do. And before you know it, you’re having such fun. Before you know it, it’s time for your second 36. So that was a car relunction. Again, if you get a chance to do this at some point, look, take your preconceptions out of it, go and do it. It’s well worth it, I think. You’ve got to experience it once. It’s a bit like us with caddies. We haven’t taken a caddy out yet. We’re waiting for the right course almost to do that. And when you do it, I think it’s going to be one of the things where you go, do you know? I’m glad I did that for the experience of doing it. So Swinley Forest is an experience-driven place for me. Um, now the hospitality, they are so so so friendly and on it. They’re absolutely on it with the service, and that’s everybody. They’re all really polite to you. You cannot ask them for anything that they can’t do. So, look, if there’s anything, don’t feel embarrassed, just go and speak to them. They were really good. I spoke to uh the gentleman who kind of manages the whole team there, and I spoke to him both times I’ve been there just to let him know that it was absolutely wonderful how they looked after everyone, it was so good.

The Second 36 And The Practice Green Mishap

Nish 19:05

Um, so we went out and we did our second 36 holes, and this was obviously the sort of team format shotgun start out to the 10th Tee. Uh now I had a stupid thought in my head when we went out to 10th Tee, and I was like, because I’m still in this, I’ve never started on a 10th Tee before. And I was like, We’re gonna finish on the 18th here. How are we gonna go and get our cars afterwards? But then you know, then it clicks in, and you go, hang on a minute, you’re gonna finish on the 9th, so you’re gonna get any car and you can go. But really interesting start in halfway through the course because it does change your perception of that course a little bit, because you normally get into 18 and you’re like, Oh yeah, I’m finishing 18th at Swinley Forest. There’s the amazing clubhouses behind you, and then there’s the uh the practice green, which I’ve got a good story about in a minute, but you’ve got the practice green there, and you you finish, and then you you kind of go, and it’s like, oh no, turn right back to toll number one, and and crack on again. So the second time round, um no, in fact, it was the first time round before. So this is the first 18 we did. I got to 18 and I played an approach shot, and every single iron I’d been playing up to that point had landed short. So I was like, this is normally my eight-iron range, it’s an elevated Tee. I’ve taken that into account, but everything’s been coming up short. Let me go with my oh no, sorry, it was nine-iron range, let me go with my eight-iron, and I absolutely buttoned it to the point where it overshot the practice green behind the 18th green, and my host was sat there watching uh as I ended up there. So uh tail between my legs, walked up. How’s my sorry? This is the first approach shot I’ve actually over overshot. Now, if you do find yourself in this place, this is my top tip that I wouldn’t have found out before, only because I’ve had to play this shot now. So my ball was playable, it wasn’t in the OB area of the practice green. And I actually played a chip shot that ended up about six or seven feet away from the hole. And the tip I have here is if you do find yourself there, you can do a regular bump and run because when it runs down the banking that separates the elevated practice green from where the actual 18th green is, uh there is not on the banking side, there’s a sleeper present, so you wouldn’t be able to do a bump and run, but on the other side, it just goes path and then straight onto the green, onto the the fringe. So actually, you can roll it, so you don’t need to fly it the whole way, you don’t need to take any risky flop shot on, you can bump and run it. That’s my top tip. Um, whether you’re gonna ever need that or not, I don’t know. But it ended up afterwards when we were watching. There were a few other people who had to do the same thing, so hey, well worth knowing that. Um, but yeah, you you sort of you finish your your 18, then you go around to number one again. Now I I played really well again on the second round, I didn’t on the first round, I felt like it was I don’t know what it was, I think it was maybe I was getting my head a little bit too much about us reassessing the course and I just enjoyed it again. And I’ll tell you something, I’ve never played the same course back to back on the same day. I’ve never done 36 holes in a day. For me, if a golf course is as enjoyable on hole number 36 as it is when you get an on-hole number one and two at the start, that tells you everything around about that golf course. It was brilliant again. Uh, and we know we just thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Same things kept coming out. Isn’t this place amazing? What an amazing aura! What a day we’ve had, and I use that phrase a lot in my golf, but what a day it was. So,

Final Verdict

Nish 22:52

look, that is my revisit of Swinley Forest. There are a couple of other courses that I have revisited since, and it was only the Swinley Forest one that got me thinking maybe I should do a revisited series because I’ve had a chance to listen back to my review, take in the points. Look, I stand by every single word I said. It’s still my number one, it’s still up there, it still gave me all of those amazing feels, and I would still say if you get an opportunity to go and play Swinley Forest, I would grab it with both hands. Until next time on the top 100 in 10 Golf Podcast.