South Herts Golf Club

South Herts Golf Club: as you drive past the large mansion-like homes that seem to characterise the historic village of Totteridge, don't be surprised to find this classy and thoroughly enjoyable golf course at the end of Links Drive. Designed by the great Willie Park Jr, South Herts can count golfing legends Harry Vardon and Dai Rees amongst its long-standing club professionals.

The club was originally conceived as a replacement for the once ill-fated, but now still existing Muswell Hill Golf Club (see our Did You Know section below). South Herts' 18-hole Vardon course is laid out over pleasantly undulating parkland terrain. It is complemented by the short nine-hole Rees course, which comprises eight par-3 holes.

On the championship Vardon course, predominantly straightaway holes seem to take it in turn to point uphill or down. Many are played from nicely elevated teeing grounds, while most are given a swagger by the excellence of the standout greenside bunkering.

Recording a good score on this well-maintained, neatly presented layout, is definitely on the cards. Water is rarely in play, and two short par-4s are on offer at the start and finish of your round. The always good-width fairways are defined by a relatively light tree-line, easing any intimidation factor from the tee. Only at the audaciously curving par-4 16th does the layout seriously break from its straightaway convention. Here you'll need to take aim at a redwood conifer, before carefully tip-toeing down to the good-size green.

Pick of the holes: it would be easy to select the curvaceous par-4 16th, or the excellently bunkered par-5 9th (which leads you down to a well-stocked halfway house), or the par-3 14th played to a heavily-bunkered plateau-green. But our eye was caught by the short par-4 18th. It climbs gently uphill to arrive in front of the clubhouse terrace, from where you can also look straight down the short par-4 1st.