Langley Park Golf Club
Barnfield Wood Road,
Beckenham, Kent BR3 6SZ
Tel : +44 (0)20 86502090

Charlie Clouston wrote on: Mar 1, 2002

A flattish, heath-land course which suffers from the perennial London problem of being overplayed. This contributes to a general conditional malaise (especially the greens, when I played) which robs you of some enjoyment. In summer it is really very beautiful in parts but it based in a heavy clay soil and in the heat the fairways can bake to a uniform brown, whilst in the wet drainage has historically been a considerable problem with temporary greens a constant winter feature. The club has recently invested mightily in a new drainage system which should improve matters.
The primary defenses are the very long par fours of which there are no less than 8. There are also some challenging par 3s, notably the 190 yrd 5th to a split-level green, the bunker encrusted 125 yrd 10th to a raised and undulating green, and the 18th, which is protected by both ditch and pond (neither of which should trouble the sub 18 handicapper, but frequently do for some reason!). The management is planting new trees on a number of holes to further concentrate the mind, and there has been some re-bunkering.
This should not be a difficult course to score well upon, but you have to be getting away well off the tee and your longish irons must be accurate.

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