Wimbledon Common / London Scottish Golf Clubs

Wimbledon Common Golf Club / London Scottish Golf Club: expansively laid out in the centre of the even more spacious Wimbledon Common, the course here, the second oldest surviving course in England, embraces many aspects of golf as it used to be.

Two golf clubs (both welcoming visitors) use the course, each one starting from its own separate clubhouse, which are several holes apart. All players on the golf course must wear a shirt (and/or jacket) coloured pillar-box red. With many other users of the common travelling its pathways on foot, by bike, and on horseback, players on the golf course must be seen by, and mindful of, the other Common users.

Whether teeing-off from the Wimbledon Common clubhouse, or the London Scottish clubhouse, your first hole is a long semi-blind 230-yard par-3. There's other long par-3s to play, several short par-4s and one par-5 ... all a product of the days when holes were simply short, medium or long, and not denominated by the concept of "par".

With no bunkers to worry about, no water, little elevation change and mainly straightaway holes, you may think you're in for an easy time. Think again! Beyond the relatively tight fairways (several of them partly blind from the tee), you'll find plenty of long grassy rough. Beyond that, an often dense line of the bushes and trees through which the course meanders. Carries from the tee onto the start of the fairway often measure 100-160 yards!

Some may regard this course as a bit rudimentary; finding your way round (without much course signage) can be a challenge on a first visit. Others rightly see it as a true custodian of the origins of inland golf, perhaps little changed from when it was originally laid out over 150 years ago. For all golfers, it offers a tough test, and a chance to putt on some excellent, mid-sized, subtly-sloping and often bowl-shaped greens. And, most importantly, the opportunity to melt into the tranquility of this ancient woodland.

Pick of the holes: two standout holes are "Spinney" (4th/15th; W'don Common/Ldn Scots), a blind par-3 that's not easily forgotten, and the signature par-4 14th/7th ("Paradise"), with a testing drive and a green surrounded by majestic Scots pines.