Hockley Golf Club

The course at Hockley Golf Club is generally regarded as the highest-rated layout in and around the cathedral city of Winchester. This James Braid out-and-back design sits at the western edge of the South Downs National Park, where it enjoys the benefits of free-draining, chalk-based, downland terrain ... perfect for year-round golf.

Apart from a slight drone from the M3 motorway on the opening and closing holes, here you'll enjoy a wonderfully natural and scenic round. Holes 1 thru' 5 head eastward, gently climbing an attractive valley before reaching the open downland plateau. Here, complete with lovely views across the course and surrounding Hampshire countryside, the middle section of this absorbing course is laid out.

Once on the higher plateau the terrain is reasonably level, with only a few minor changes in elevation. The final holes inevitably descend back down towards the clubhouse, not least at the snaking, tumbling par-5 18th.

If some of the "plateau" holes lack definition from the tee, that is certainly not the case around the greens. The greenside bunkering and mounding is full of character, as are the excellent greens themselves. A shared double-green serves the short drivable par-4s at 6 and 13.

Pick of the holes: although unremarkable in some ways, the par-4 9th deserves a special mention. 100 yards before the green lies a trench that runs across the fairway; this was the outer perimeter of an ancient Roman villa. The 9th green itself is one of the most undulating on the course, under it lies the villa! Beware an even deeper "blind" dip in front of the par-4 15th green.