Hankley Common Golf Club Preview

Nish: 0:02

every story has an ending. Does our quest to play the top 100 courses in 10 years have a good ending? I’m nish. I’m chris. I’m jim and we’re here to guide you through this golfing journey chris didn’t allow you to get your nish hole sorry, we’ll start that again. I’m nish mr hole in one times two. This is the top 100 in 10 golf podcast. I’m Chris and I quit.

Nish: 0:28

These intros are getting spicy now, aren’t they? Episode 36, the Hankley Common Preview. Tom Doak, who’s a very renowned designer of golf courses, said the following about Hankley Common the golfer is treated I don’t know, it’s a weird way to start this quote, but the golfer, that’s just normal, isn’t it? If you play it, the golfer is treated. It’s a weird way to start this quote, but the golfer, that’s just normal, isn’t it?

Nish: 0:46

If you play it, the golfer is treated to several hours of bliss in the gorgeous English countryside, with Heather stretching as far as the eye can see.

Jim: 0:56

Doesn’t sound like bliss to me with all that Heather, but Words that put dread into a 18 handicapper straight away, but this is the second round that we’re playing in our little surrey trip.

Nish: 1:09

Uh, that is courtesy of andrew. We must name check andrew again. He was so kind to to reach out by email and he’s been our kind of golf guy in surrey sorting this out and and that’s not an exaggeration he was like, leave it with me, I’ll sort everything out. And yeah, just, it’s been an absolute diamond.

Chris: 1:30

Yeah, it’s amazing, isn’t it, how hospitable people are and how welcoming people are on this journey we’re on.

Nish: 1:36

Just that you feel excited about meeting people like that as well, don’t you? And doesn’t know us? Just heard our wonderfully, beautifully sexy voices and thought I need those people in my life.

Jim: 1:50

I think Bit of a charity thing, you know, get the Northerners down. It probably is.

Nish: 1:56

These boys don’t look like they could afford to play these golf courses.

Chris: 1:59

So let’s invite them down.

Nish: 2:01

But Hankley Common is a golf course I have, like Hindhead, never heard of, so you have, it is one I’ve heard of.

Chris: 2:11

yes, hantley is again. It’s a pretty well-renowned one, I think, on the amateur scene, so it gets some big tournaments. So they’ve got the Brabazon Trophy there this year.

Nish: 2:21

Now, what is the Brabazon Trophy? Because I’ve heard of this and year.

Chris: 2:29

So that’s now what is the brabazon trophies, because I’ve heard of this and it feels like it’s quite a big thing. Yes, it’s basically the english men’s amateur championship, basically. So, rather than the rna one, it’s the english, the egu one.

Nish: 2:34

Right, you won basically, and is this the sort of play, a trophy, pardon me that our mate gary walson home would have been big into?

Chris: 2:42

yeah, I don’t know whether he ever won it I’m not sure, but yeah, he would have certainly been playing those kind of events for sure yeah, gary, if you’re out there and you’re listening, please, we’d love to have you on the podcast.

Nish: 2:51

Actually because you’ve got a wonderful story and if anybody knows him, the connection would be amazing. I’d love that, because he looks like a character to talk to yeah, but okay, so it’s a big, big, big deal then winning.

Chris: 3:03

Oh yeah, so yeah, so yeah. It’s going to be. It’s going to be a challenging golf course. I think you know they don’t set these at easy places. Um, so it’ll be a big boy in terms of why don’t they just put it on a? Really just put it on a pitch and put one? Yeah, just put it.

Nish: 3:16

See what they can shoot a long and straight just go for it, boys, we want to see, like you know, minus minus 100 winning the tournament. Now mention again for the website of Hankley Commons Golf Club.

Chris: 3:32

You’ve got a real thing for these websites, haven’t you?

Nish: 3:35

Mate these two, hind Head and Hankley Commons. I’ve really loved because they’re different. And they’re just like. I feel like a lot of places have the. If anyone doesn’t know, I do websites on the side, so that’s probably why I’ve got a bit of a weird morbid fascination with them. But seeing a different website, a different style of website immediately is just like oh hello, what’s going on here?

Nish: 3:58

And you feel like you need to click through everything and the information is not laid out as it normally would be. So you explore it a little bit more and I got the feeling with the hankley common website that I think there’s a lot of thought gone into how they want to lay this information out. So prime example would be the more salubrious courses will have a hell of a lot about their history designers, whatever. There isn’t that much on their website about the history of the club. It has good history, very much so, and it’s a big hitter course and it’s again I’ve not heard of it but you have and it’s in that kind of in that amateur golf scene. Everybody knows about it, but they’ve kind of almost gone. Yeah, we’re a lovely golf course, very well considered golf course, but we’re not gonna over egg our history yeah, it’s about the course and yeah, yeah, experience correct and it’s like it looks like a lovely traditional club.

Nish: 4:54

The clubhouse looks fantastic and there’s wood paneling, all this kind of stuff, but it’s almost like they’ve kind of gone. But we don’t need to go on about who’s played here before and who’s won and whatever.

Nish: 5:06

Let’s just let you come and enjoy it and play in the golf course. So you know it is big hitter because James Braid and Harry Colt another very, very big, yeah they have had a go at designing this golf course. Apparently, the course has maintained largely the same routing which is one of our favourite words from the rankings, rankings episode but largely the same rooting ever since they got their grubby little hands on this golf course. So, yeah, honestly, these websites is a big thing. I’m about to get stung by a bee, aren’t I? Massive bee behind you. I don’t want to look. I don’t want to look like green oh my god, it’s pretty big.

Chris: 5:42

It’s actually massive. It’s actually massive. This, this is the most worried I’ve ever seen you on this podcast.

Nish: 5:50

It’s like a knee knocker on that. The sixth, the sixth tea at hind head I’ll be feeling as nervous as this this is gonna be like get used to it anyway.

Jim: 5:58

You know they love heather.

Nish: 5:59

This is where you’re gonna find out if I if I, if I’ve never been stung by a bee, I’ve been stung by a wasp.

Jim: 6:03

But oh, you didn’t get reddish veil, I did get stung by reddish veil by a wasp, didn’t I?

Nish: 6:07

yeah, it’s very painful, annoying little things. You didn’t cry. Now they do have on their and we’re going back to the website again. So just for two. So they’re less than my last point about the website. But so there’s two last points. But they have some amazing old photographs on the website in the history that they do have. And I mean these are old photographs like very grainy, very black and white, all that kind of stuff. But actually even with some of the really big golf courses that we previewed and gone through the site, it hasn’t had that degree of old photography. And I really like that. That’s a really nice thing because it’s kind of like it’s history but it’s not in your face. History, yeah, if that makes any sense, not at all. No, just rambling now.

Nish: 6:51

All right, great, but the overall thing, I would say yeah that’s why the episodes, the switch off rate at two minutes is pretty high.

Chris: 7:01

Is that the point? You start talking, that’s. Is that the point?

Nish: 7:06

you start talking. That’s exactly it. We’ve done the intros right. Yeah, um, but I think the overall feel I got from the site and it whether it’s deliberate or not, I don’t know, I’m hoping it’s deliberate, but the sentence I’ve written here is that it seems like they do know that this place is special, a very special place to play golf yeah, but they’re not snooty about it, yeah yeah, which feels welcoming and it feels nice.

Chris: 7:27

It’s interesting because and maybe this is just a bit of a North-South divide thing, but I always kind of envisage those places, those kind of Surrey golf courses, as being a bit like that. Yeah, but I think both Hindhead and Hankley that we’ve looked at don’t feel like that at all, not at don’t feel like that at all, not at all. Completely opposite kind of feel in terms of yeah, yeah, in terms of that, welcome. So it’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out on the day.

Nish: 7:48

Yeah, with our welcome, our actual welcome, on the day yeah and how it goes. A couple of little points. We talked in the previous episode the hide and hind head preview about any unusual rules or anything like that. There weren’t any unusual rules. However, there was an interesting thing here on their website. The one thing that does keep coming up a lot is pace of play. They’re really keen on making sure that the pace of play is kept up. Yeah, I think that’s because the course is hard.

Nish: 8:15

Yeah, it’s like you’re losing ball constant looking for ball correct. Yeah, it’s like keep up, because it even says when you’re trying to book, like when visitor information try and book, it says the ideal group size is a three ball. That’s what we recommend.

Nish: 8:27

Don’t play as a four ball right if I’m in there, correct, but it says it said on the website that if you are expected to play from the yellow or the red tees, if you want to play from any of the other tees that they’ve got set up, you have to ask for prior permission from the general manager. Oh right okay, which is fascinating. I’ve not encountered that so far.

Chris: 8:48

Yeah, I mean that suggests that, like you say, pace of play is a real issue, which means it’s going to be really hard.

Nish: 8:53

It’s going to be rock hard, isn’t it? Yeah, yeah, well, we’ll get to general course. Look and feel in a minute. Yeah, they do have a refreshing mobile phone policy, jim, oh, do they? And massive credit to hankly common for this massive credit. So this is directly from the website. Right, the use of mobile phones for diary, photographic internet and the like is acceptable throughout the club, provided it doesn’t negatively impact on others. Perfect, yeah, that’s a sensible mobile phone policy.

Chris: 9:30

Do what you want, suitable for the current times, be respectful, don’t be an idiot.

Nish: 9:35

Yeah, don’t be a dick. Yeah, that’s great. Just remember that, nish.

Jim: 9:40

Yeah, I mean when you take him for pictures of the salt pots on someone else’s table. See that before. Excuse me would you mind if I the branded salt pot there? Are you actually eating here? No, no, no, just like the salt pots, just like the salt, yeah, yeah.

Nish: 9:55

Actually, would you mind just picking her up and giving her a little grind?

Chris: 9:58

And then I think the last thing about the website was that they do have stunning aerial photography of the golf course yeah, you can see basically the whole hole someone’s been out and taking some really good pictures of that place, haven’t they like all in the mist and kind of looks the? Yeah, visually, they’ve done some stunning, stunning things absolutely 100.

Nish: 10:14

Yeah.

Chris: 10:15

So look they’re all my general club info things and actually you probably notice a lot of that is it’s light on history because, they don’t force that down your yeah but I kind of quite like that yeah you know it’s like we’ve got history, but we don’t need to ram it down your throat yeah, I think the one thing that seems to keep coming up when I when I’ve been looking um, is the word spacious. Everyone keeps saying it’s so spacious interesting sounds like it’s on a huge site it’s over 850 acres but the actual course itself is only 164 acres, so the club own all that acreage around it Low space. So it sounds like you’re just going to be out in the countryside on your own. Yeah, on your own, can’t it be.

Chris: 10:56

Oh, what a treat. But also it sounds like they’ve got rid of a lot of the trees recently. It almost looks like one big, vast, open, well common, I suppose. Yeah, yeah, that’s what it kind of is. Wow, interesting, see. I don’t think it’s going to be like anything we’ve played before. I think it’s going to be fairly unique, maybe not necessarily unique.

Nish: 11:13

Unique, no-transcript, I don’t think that leads me to an interesting question, shoot Do you feel any of the courses that we’ve played so far have been similar to a previous one that we played on the list?

Chris: 11:30

I mean, I guess it’s when you’re playing Lynx Golf. Lynx Golf always has the same kind of feel, doesn’t it? Like it might be slightly different in terms of the well, no, that’s not necessarily true, they’re not all the same, but it’s a similar kind of feel, isn’t it? Because you’re in a similar sort of plot of land, ultimately, aren’t you? It might be slightly more undulating or less undulating but ultimately it’s a similar kind of turf, similar kind of rough and similar kind of bunkering.

Chris: 11:51

To an extent, bunkering it’s back, it’s back yes, he’s back, he’s back um, so I guess that I, I, yeah. Ultimately, I guess they’re kind of split, aren’t they Sort of Heathland links? And then there’s a kind of parkland stuff. Really, we’ve done a couple of Heathland-y ones, so Ganton and Woodall Spa, yeah, but I think this is going to be like the next level.

Nish: 12:13

Yeah, like it’s a proper Heathland. Yeah, I mean in bold letters. I’ve written Heather.

Chris: 12:20

Yeah.

Nish: 12:21

Yeah, like there’s a lot of it. Is that to do with golf, or is that something?

Chris: 12:24

else, no, no, just somebody I know called Heather, my sister-in-law.

Nish: 12:27

Yeah, there’s a lot of it, yeah, and there’s a lot of carry over Heather as well, yeah, although I think I mean Heather’s better than Gorse. When you get your ball back, it’s gone. You can’t get in there.

Chris: 12:42

Yeah, usually you’ll get a shot out for Heather and you’ll be able to find it. But yeah, yeah.

Nish: 12:47

Heather, you can, yeah, you can find it.

Chris: 12:49

It’s the lesser of two eagles I’ve got another question for you, chris.

Nish: 12:51

You they say that please make sure you don’t take your trolley into the heather. What’s the reason for that? Is it like the plant will get damaged and doesn’t recover, or something? Is that what it is?

Chris: 13:10

I assume so if you snap it at the base of it, then that’s probably the plant’s neck of that point?

Nish: 13:14

yeah, I suppose so. And then they don’t want thick woody branches aren’t there. So I guess, if you start, yeah, I didn’t know that all the time, but it’s very specific. It’s like take the trolley anywhere else, just do not probably also nesting birds as well.

Chris: 13:27

You get a lot of nesting birds in uh in heather.

Nish: 13:29

Yeah, you learn something new every single day uh okay, right, fine, sorry, I digress, worst question ever touche touche.

Chris: 13:42

Really All got a little bit bellody there for a minute didn’t they.

Nish: 13:44

Is this what you want to know? Is this what you’ve dragged me out on a Sunday afternoon for?

Jim: 13:49

I think you need to kind of just remember what minute this is on the recording and see how many people will edit it out.

Chris: 13:57

Or edit it out.

Nish: 13:58

yeah, what have you just asked? Okay Now what have you just asked Okay.

Jim: 14:03

Now, that is just purely filling time, isn’t?

Nish: 14:06

it. That’s what it’s all about.

Chris: 14:08

All right, I’m going to ask you a question that’s relevant then, jim, what do you know about hanky common?

Jim: 14:13

It’s on fire. It’s on fire at the moment, unfortunately. Yeah, breaking news. Yeah, they’re with a wildlife reserve, and that’s close by to the course, or not?

Chris: 14:26

how big is hankley common, is it?

Nish: 14:28

well, you’re saying the site for the course is 85 acres, or was?

Chris: 14:32

it 850 acres. Just that’s the golf course. But I assume hankley common is much bigger than that, right?

Nish: 14:36

yeah, so it’s already massive anyway, yeah.

Jim: 14:39

Yeah, it’s right next door, door to it. It shows on the map here and it was yeah. Well, hopefully they can get everything under control, but it’s going to take years, decades for that to properly recover.

Chris: 14:53

It’s going to rain this week.

Jim: 14:56

But also wasn’t Skyfall filmed.

Nish: 14:59

Why are you asking me?

Jim: 15:01

You know the answer.

Nish: 15:03

Jimmy, it’s on your phone in front of you. It’s not know. You know the answer. It’s right. Well, I do, as I’d look, jim, it’s on your phone in front of you.

Jim: 15:05

It’s not Skyfall. Skyfall one of the greatest movies ever made.

Nish: 15:11

Agreed was always gets me that if it’s on I’m watching the whole thing. But specifically Javier.

Jim: 15:18

Bardem in that movie is unbelievable it is actually where the Skyfall is home. It was recreated there, wasn’t it? Ah?

Nish: 15:28

So that looks like the picture. There You’re breaking, shattering the illusion. They didn’t drive all the way up to Scotland.

Jim: 15:36

Well, they did, because they had to film it on Glencoe, didn’t they?

Chris: 15:38

Yeah.

Jim: 15:38

Where they stop and they have a beautiful view of Glencoe in the background.

Nish: 15:44

But I think the actual house was right and you can actually go and see it apparently, wow, we might pop it, we should have a little yeah, a little james bond tour whilst we’re there I mean, yeah, that, that bringing it maybe a little bit back to golf. I’m still obsessed with playing stoke park. That’s not a million miles away either, is it? Yeah, I feel like we stay there couldn’t we, you can yeah, because they’re redoing it all maybe this is your opportunity, nish mate, I’m desperate to go and play Stoke Park. Yeah, maybe that’s the next top 100 that is Guildford, isn’t it?

Chris: 16:13

I’m not making that up, I’m pretty sure it’s Guildford, isn’t it? Stoke park, I thought what in stoke? No, not in stoke newington actually. No, I think you’re right, it’s a different stoke park. It is down, it is. I’m pretty sure it’s gilford.

Nish: 16:27

I think it’s down there somewhere it’s been on layer cake as well, hasn’t it stoke park? So yeah, yeah, I think. Anyway, what do you, what do you know about?

Chris: 16:34

it’s the same founder as hindhead. Yeah, so he, yeah, founded both courses within a pretty short space of time. Right, he was one of the founding members, right?

Nish: 16:46

and you’ve got like. Hindhead’s logo is Hind, hind and.

Chris: 16:52

Hankly Commons logo’s like.

Nish: 16:55

It’s a fox, isn’t it, or something it is a fox.

Chris: 16:57

Yeah, it’s like a modern fox though, isn’t it modern fox?

Nish: 17:00

modern fox dresses a bit more dapper yeah, absolutely yeah, gold teeth not like mazel brush yeah, yeah, yeah, he’s a modern fox, not bin dipping, but he’s in the home more he’s more, more modern fox, this guy that was great again. I like that it’s not like an old-fashioned crest again feels like there’s history, but not like in your face. History, I mean.

Chris: 17:19

I guess they’ve also. They’ve kind of almost got to play off against, you know, some of the like Walton Heath and all the Sunningdales and all those kind of things down there. I guess they almost need to do something slightly different.

Nish: 17:29

Yeah, Make them set themselves apart.

Chris: 17:30

Because obviously those courses are so old and so steeped in history and so well known that they probably have to do something slightly cater for a different in terms of membership and visitors. I don’t know, maybe that’s part of it.

Nish: 17:42

Yeah, I think. So. What was it ranked again, Jim? You knew, On your list it’s 58. I?

Jim: 17:47

think it’s moved up to 56 now.

Chris: 17:48

So on the current list it’s 56.

Nish: 17:53

So we’re in the meat of it, aren’t we In the meat of the top 100 there? So it’s a long-established top 100 course, isn’t it?

Chris: 18:03

Yeah, absolutely. It looked like it had a really tough opening hole. I think I don’t think there looks like there’s many easy holes? I don’t think there’s much to go out there. I kind of look over and look at each hole and go, yep, another tough one.

Nish: 18:11

There’s plenty of trees and a lot of narrow tee shots. Yeah, I think it’s going to be a stern test of golf and I’ve written here that it heavy on bunkers, but again, I think they don’t need them because there’s a premium on keeping it straight and it’s going to trees and things going to get in your way.

Chris: 18:25

It’s not my kind of golf though, is it Not at the minute? Well, I enjoy playing it, but just straight golf is just not. Not really where I’m at. Yeah, that’s a FEP.

Nish: 18:34

Yeah, yeah, I’ve got the feeling this was, this was like a, really like Ganton, a really grown up, well thought out. Golf course, yeah, definitely, and I think how we’re going to feel about it probably will be influenced by how we play on the day, I think.

Chris: 18:54

I think it’s one of the ones you could get beaten up pretty easily by, I think, on a tough day.

Jim: 19:07

I might have mistakenly said in previous episodes that I’m a man who likes trees on a golf course, but you like to look at them on a golf course, I think?

Nish: 19:09

yeah, hearing the birds, I just don’t want to be anywhere near the trees, that’s all. Uh, yeah, it was going to be an interesting, interesting round, I think, but it looks sort of relatively straight and flat.

Chris: 19:15

It’s yeah, from the there’s not too much in terms of, yeah, visual aspects of the hole. They look like tough golf holes. They’re. They’re fairly narrow and there’s nothing beyond the fairway, so it’s just fairway and then heather and trees. But the actual format of the holes look fairly straightforward. I suspect it’s going to be one of those ones that on a course map it looks straight. When you get there and you stood on the tee, the angles of it just looked slightly different and it probably looks a lot more visually intimidating. It’s a bit like Woodall Spa. Yeah, play Woodall Spa and you go.

Chris: 19:44

Oh, it’s just a straight hole, yeah, but then actually you’ve got kind of all you can see is heather and you’ve no idea where the fairway is and you’re like oh, actually, that’s really intimidating to look at. Yeah, just because you don’t. I think is the phrase. Look at your course planner and play it off a course planner yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, just close your eyes and go for it.

Jim: 20:07

That’s my advice for the day.

Nish: 20:08

Oh, I would say it works for me, but it doesn’t. It’s that good life mantra is it but it always also does look like.

Nish: 20:16

I don’t know when I wrote this and then I wrote as as soon as I’d written it I’d probably got through whole watching the videos and the flyovers, probably got through about whole 10 or 11. And I was like every single green here is guarded by a bunker, front left and front right. And then I got told 12, but there wasn’t one, and then 13, there wasn’t one. So I think it’s not necessarily that’s the case, but it looked like certainly early on you’ve got to be flying it the right distance. Your distance control has got to be important. Uh, and again, my friend, if you shot well, I mean a lot of them, particularly links golf courses. Jim, as you know, you can bump and run quite a lot, can’t you?

Nish: 20:53

because it’s not really that much in front and it’s it lends itself to that. I don’t think this is I yeah, it’s good.

Chris: 20:58

These, these places are going to be hard. They’re going to be dry and fast, because it’s just not rained at all this year, is it? So I think these places are going to be playing tough.

Nish: 21:06

So you’re saying, don’t play a distance ball. I’m not saying anything this year, but what about all the logos? I think, it’s even I’ve written here. I think it’s a rarely pulling out the driver kind of day maybe.

Chris: 21:23

Yeah.

Nish: 21:24

Yeah, I think’m just going to do it it’s going to be a safety kind of day.

Chris: 21:28

Keep your ball in play nah doesn’t feel right, you know me champagne, golf mate.

Jim: 21:35

That’s what it’s all about it’s all risk and reward.

Nish: 21:39

It’s largely risk little reward very little reward. It’s not a place to leave the ball short. I don’t think Risk and reward, it’s largely risk, yeah. Little reward, very little reward, yeah. And again, it’s not a place to leave the ball short. I don’t think you do have to get those yardages right. So, come on, garmin Got to work for me today. What is the signature hole at Hankley Common Gym? The signature hole is the seventh, the seventh and it’s a par three. Get in, yeah.

Chris: 22:12

You do realise that before we do these things, I just go online and just create the signature hole content.

Nish: 22:18

Are you editing it? You’re going off Wikipedia. That’s clearly what you can do.

Chris: 22:22

It’s known for its elevated tea, its well-protected green. You’re going off Wikipedia, that’s clearly what you can do.

Jim: 22:24

Just me, Just me. Par 3s every time. It’s known for its elevated tee, its well-protected green and challenging nature, making it a favourite amongst golfers. The hole is often described as one of the finest par 3s in the country.

Nish: 22:35

Nice. It’s challenging nature Is that, like you just get up there and it’s a bit feisty with you, the hole, it’s just like alright, it’s got a bit of a challenging nature, this hole, isn’t it? What are the finest par threes in the land?

Jim: 22:48

the hole is often described as one of the finest par threes by who in the country. Actually, maybe it’s a chance to plug it.

Nish: 22:55

AI says it got a present off Chris, it’s a. Bernard Darwin book. He’s come up a few times so illustrated by harry. Harry roundtree did a few of these things. Yeah, yeah, it’s good that’s, that’s a lovely present. Thank you, chris. No sweat, you really shouldn’t have yeah, okay right, so give us an idea. What’s the distance on this par three? It’s not like a 200 yard or something. Is it elevated t, though, so I suppose that could be okay, wouldn’t it? Yeah elevated t again. That’s two holes in a row.

Jim: 23:21

That is row although that’s weird because it’s quite. We don’t often see this. And then you’ve done three of this week course. If you can hear me, that’s that B behind me.

Nish: 23:30

Still, if I yelp it in a second then it’s coming at me for a very flat looking course to have an elevated path really, I don’t think it’s going to be that flat.

Chris: 23:39

I don’t think it is either. It’s gonna it’s gonna be again.

Nish: 23:42

It’s one of those things difficult to difficult to get the visuals on pictures, because generally if there’s loads of trees around, that’s not really a hilly nature is it. So, although I say that I don’t know what I’m basing that on. That’s just a complete nonsense thing.

Chris: 23:55

That’s just come out, yeah. Yeah, they don’t have trees on hills, yeah idiots yeah, what?

Nish: 24:02

what’s the? Do you know what the yardage is, jim? 206 yards, it’s 206 downhill. Yeah, what is the elevation change? I think, if I recall correctly, it was surrounded by bunkers as well. This green, very well protected, yeah, so you’ve got to. You’ve really got to get a good clip on it, and it’s got to. You’ve really got to get a good clip on it. And he’s got to be on on the money, hasn’t?

Chris: 24:24

it. Yeah, I mean, it looks like one of those courses that’s incredibly well maintained.

Nish: 24:27

It looks great it does yes very well maintained, actually, I think it’s. It’s like a prim and proper place, isn’t it for sure?

Jim: 24:38

So it’s 206 yards, but obviously if you’re playing off the shorter tees it’ll be 183.

Nish: 24:42

It’s 155 actually off the yellows it’s 155 off the yellows downhill.

Chris: 24:48

Yeah, sorry, I didn’t realise you were still looking for it. I got the card in front of me for five minutes.

Nish: 24:52

Oh, what a great little segment that is yeah, brilliant, yeah. So, yeah, I think we’re looking at probably not even looking at anything more than an 8 or 9, really, are we that? I don’t know what the drop is, but that’s good, because that gives you a bit more of a chance to hit it more accurately, I think yeah, yeah, I was going to walk up a hill to get to the actual tee from the 6th.

Jim: 25:12

So what? Take plenty of balls up there yeah, yeah, don’t worry, mate.

Nish: 25:18

Yeah, these logo golf balls are going to get plenty of action. I, I think. Okay, fine, so that’s Signature Hole. What did you think of for a side bet? For us, jim, a side bet.

Chris: 25:32

So Maybe it should be James Bond related. I was going to say at least sevens or most sevens A 007 related thing.

Nish: 25:41

Yeahs, a 007-related thing. Yeah, I don’t know what that would be. I know exactly. That’s a. I’m thinking about this spot.

Jim: 25:49

Well, I think the description of the course quite narrow fairways, a lot of heather. You’ve got to launch it. Try and get onto the fairway.

Nish: 25:59

So most fairways hit, I think Most fairways hit Great, and that’s great because it doesn’t have to be adjusted or anything like that does it?

Jim: 26:05

It’s just straight up. No, no, no.

Nish: 26:06

Yeah, I want to take it seriously this one. I’m going to keep a little scorecard.

Jim: 26:09

Because you haven’t been already.

Nish: 26:10

Knock it on there, keep it on the thing for the side bet. Absolutely. Yeah, well, you get that. I mean it’s an interesting one. That one isn’t it, because I think, like you said, it’s dry, it’s hot. I mean the fairway’s going to be hard.

Jim: 26:27

Even on the fairway it’s going to be tricky.

Nish: 26:29

Yeah, ah, we’re going to get the fairway technicalities soon. Oh right, because the fairway bunker counter’s hitting the fairway. Absolutely, of course does of course it does. You know my policy on this uh I love it absolutely love it uh, my final little point that I’ve got about hankley common is that the approach to the 18th, which then looks onto the clubhouse, does look absolutely stunning. So I think we’re I’m going to be taking a lot of pictures of that yeah, particular.

Chris: 26:57

it sounds like they’re building themselves of having great food as well, so hopefully we’ll be in for some culinary delights Nice club sandwich?

Nish: 27:04

Absolutely, oh nice, yeah, good point. Actually, we should have like a separate spin-off podcast really about the food choices at these places. That’d be quite good.

Chris: 27:17

It’s an interesting one, isn’t it? I feel like golf club cuisine is usually pretty lacking Correct.

Nish: 27:25

Yeah, it’s fair to say, isn’t it Like you?

Chris: 27:26

get a sandwich and some chips. That’s kind of it. Yeah, a wrap yeah. Interesting to see whether we see much divergence from that.

Nish: 27:33

We loved S&A for that, didn’t we? Because they were creative with their sandwiches.

Chris: 27:37

Yeah the yeah, that’s pretty much the only place that I can think of that’s had like anything that’s stand out.

Jim: 27:43

And again, if you, just go in and you’re ordering a club sandwich. You’re not really looking at the menu very true, yeah, and just go in.

Chris: 27:47

Yep, there it is.

Nish: 27:48

I’ll have one of those please or whatever they call it, the variation, the one that was the biggest surprise to me was was Woodall Spa tried for a long time to build a new clubhouse, haven’t they?

Chris: 28:00

but?

Nish: 28:00

yeah, it was. It was so unkeeping with being the centre of excellence for English golf. Yeah, and it’s just like this little shed, horrible, horrible, harsh.

Chris: 28:14

Sorry, I don’t mean that it was kind of quaint, wasn’t it terribly cladded? Single story yeah, calf, yeah, it’s definitely not what you’d expect, is it from the home of golf?

Nish: 28:22

It’s odd, really really odd. Yeah, I don’t know. Do we mention another course that we’re playing in a podcast for a preview for another episode? I don’t know, but West Lancs Now that looks like a good place to have some food, so I’m quite looking forward to that, have we done? Do we know if either of the courses have got a halfway hook? I don’t know why that was so high-pitched. Is that just?

Jim: 28:43

you getting ready for the, I’m going to have to edit that one out.

Nish: 28:46

Do we know if there are any halfway hooks at either of these courses? I didn’t. I would imagine so, but I don’t know. Yeah, because these aren’t like.

Chris: 28:53

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen I can understand.

Nish: 28:54

Lynx not having a halfway hook because he’s way out. Comment on one of the videos. Yeah, I, I feel like there’s a good this is a good traditional golf club that we’re going to really enjoy the fineries. And again, playing with a member is going to be brilliant because we’ll get 20 off so I think, yeah, I mean that’s.

Nish: 29:12

Does that? Does that go into your influence? Your um ranking of the club sandwich? How much you paid for it? Obviously great would. Is there anything else you gentlemen would like to bring up about Hankley Common before we wrap up and look forward to playing these great?

Chris: 29:29

golf courses? I don’t think so. Other than that, I’m very much looking forward to coming and going and taking these two courses on. They look like two pretty awesome courses.

Nish: 29:37

This must feel like a good one for you, with your previous golf career curtailed. But you know a chance to with the brabazon trophy like a chance yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, to relive what might have been.

Chris: 29:49

Yep, yeah, I’m sure I’ll shoot a lot more than I probably would have back then, but yeah, I was gonna say, do you?

Nish: 29:54

have a for this. Maybe let’s cover just hanky maybe on this one.

Chris: 29:59

But do you? Have a, a target in mind for where you want, where you want, to what you want to shoot, not really because I’ve there was a period where I was playing quite a bit like when we were at Glen Eagles and I kind of was getting better, and then I’ve just stopped playing again. So I feel like yeah.

Jim: 30:15

I don’t know, I’ve just not been playing enough.

Chris: 30:16

I was coach. I I’ve not been having any sessions either, so maybe that’s the problem.

Nish: 30:22

Yeah, maybe I was supposed to have one this weekend, but it got cancelled.

Chris: 30:26

It’s too hot isn’t?

Nish: 30:27

it, irons will fly off the grips and all sorts of things.

Chris: 30:33

Yeah. So, yeah, not really, I’m not going in there feeling particularly confident at the minute in my golf game, which is a shame because we’re playing the comp on Thursday, so I probably could do with feeling a bit more confident.

Nish: 30:42

We said this in the Westlands preview, like it’s easy street for us. We just let Paul and.

Nish: 30:46

Nat do it. Yeah, yeah, sure, like, just rock up, just, oh, I didn’t like that T-shirt I’m picking up. I want to see Nat because he stole the trophy. He deserves this now. But I want to see how far I can push paul’s competitiveness. So can I be that obnoxious and annoying about my lackadaisical play that he like puts his arm around me? He’s like mish, need to have a little word with your mate, need to pull your finger out a little bit, you’ll’ll just get the look.

Nish: 31:22

Yeah, well, I need to know what this look is. Come on, what’s the what’s, what’s? Is it just disgust, Disgust, this day.

Chris: 31:28

Yeah, if you play like you did at Ganton, you’ll know after about four or five holes. I didn’t care.

Nish: 31:37

That was not so funny locked out of my house not that you remind Emma much, but there we go. I don’t even know why I’m doing this, because she doesn’t listen, so it’s just this completely wasted comment, if I’m perfectly honest with you. But great, this double header is going to be brilliant. Thank you again, andrew, for sorting this out. I know you’ll be listening along and we’re really looking forward to A meeting you in person and B playing a bit of golf with you and talking about courses that we’ve played or we’ve got upcoming, which will be, which will be wonderful. So next time on the top 100 in 10 golf podcast, we’ll be reviewing our first experience playing in an open competition at top 100 golf course when we take on Westlanks.