Following our two visits to Celtic Manor, we made the trip to Sutton Coldfield to play another world famous venue. Thanks to Your Golf Travel we got another amazing deal which included rounds on the PGA National and Brabazon courses, dinner, bed and breakfast for £119. However, Sam’s Clubhouse bar more than helps them make up for the cheap deals on offer. Read on for my verdict . . . .
As usual there were individual hole and overall prizes at stake between four pairings drawn at random. Our first round was on the National course and after a friendly opening hole there was water to contend with on the next three. One of my playing partners, Nick Penny, made two impressive early birdies. The first came on the par 5 second when after skying his drive to barely 100 yards he made a brilliant recovery to hole the below birdie putt. The second came on the par 4 sixth and it was so nearly an eagle as his approach shot stopped about a foot short of the hole. It was at this point I learnt about Nick’s comical psychological problem with his irons. He effectively plays with three fewer clubs in his bag because for some reason he can’t hit his even number clubs! Ironically, despite wanting to hit an 8 iron into the sixth green, he nearly holed his 9 iron instead.
Nick making his birdie on the 2nd on the National course
The greens were lightening quick with every putt of more than 5 feet somehow managing to pass the hole. The best example of this was when I hit a 5 wood into the long par 3 eighth. Left with a long, slightly uphill two putt for par from across the green my first attempt didn’t look like reaching halfway. I was amazed to be left with a 10 footer back and I had to settle for a bogey. The pairing of Dan and Barry were struggling for completely different reasons. Despite hitting all of his tee shots cleanly most of Dan’s drives drifted slightly right and he lost a number of balls in the thick rough. Meanwhile, Barry’s frustration was proving to be his downfall as he took it out on his sand wedge. On top of a broken club he also suffered a nasty cut to his hand which meant he was barely able to grip a club for the back nine. It didn’t stop him winning nearest the pin on the fifteenth though!
Above: Flanners has perfected the drive over mid-off and the view from the 7th green (below).
Above: Nick tees off on the 18th and James F plays out from the greenside bunker (below)
The one criticism my group had of the National course was that it has too many similar par fours. However, there was more variety towards the end as the 14th, a sharp dog leg right, invites you to cut the corner from the tee. The short par 4 16th, down as the easiest hole on the course, is all about position due to a large island of rough in the middle of the fairway. It’s possible to carry the island but there isn’t much room to land/stop your ball on the other side because of more thick rough and a stream.
At the end of the first day the combined stableford scores were:
James C & Atha - 65
James F & Flanners - 57
Penny & Michael - 53
Dan & Barry - 47
We had seen the weather forecast for the following day but as we stood on the first tee of the Brabazon (with sore heads thanks to a late night) the weather seemed to be holding out. After a similar opening hole to the National, the short par 4 second should have given us a chance of a birdie. However, due to the aforementioned hangovers this was far from the case. It was slightly disappointing to be putting on heavily sanded greens and although the National's were like marble, I know which I prefer.
Above: Barry teeing off on the 1st at The Brabazon and the view from the 3rd green (below)
The third hole (above) is probably the pick of the front nine - a par 5 which should result in a third shot of anything from 100-140 yards over water into a large green which slopes back towards the hazard. I bogeyed it and then managed to par holes 5-7, which proved to be crucial in the overall standings. It was at this point that the Met Office’s prediction proved to be right as the light drizzle gave way to a torrential downpour and the course became flooded very quickly. We decided that we couldn’t continue but before we headed to the clubhouse we attempted to play the iconic postage stamp tenth hole. We didn't even manage this as halfway down the fairway the rain became even heavier and the green was one large puddle. Our competition was cut short so the standings after 27 holes were:
James C & Atha - 87
Penny & Michael - 84 Nick's 20 points on the 9 holes we played deserves a mention
James F & Flanners – 77
Dan & Barry – 73
It was a shame that the weather prevented us from completing the course as it was set up for a tight finish – although I was happy to accept the prize money! Although The Belfry has hosted the Ryder Cup on four occasions, I don't think it quite has the same wow factor as Celtic Manor. However, we have kindly been offered a complimentary round at the Brabazon before March to make up for the bad weather so perhaps the back nine will change my opinion.
Away from the golf course we were certainly looked after, which made the deal even better value for money. A buffet three course dinner, breakfast, and a smart modern bar to have a pint with plenty of big screens to watch England v Poland.
For details of current deals at The Belfry visit the Your Golf Travel website. The Belfry’s own website also has course guides for the National, Brabazon and Derby courses.
