Rachel Drummond introduces the Buckinghamshire Golf Club
For Rachel Drummond, Buckinghamshire Golf Club is home territory. She will play in the SPS Handa Ladies British Masters on a sponsor’s invitation. In a talk, she described the course at length and explained the layout of all the eighteen holes.
The first hole offers a real taste of the course with its challenging layout. The hole has some tricky green half way down, which forces the player to select the best club for putting.
The second hole is an easy one with a straightway that invites long drives. It is an ideal hole to score birdies, as it offers no curves or traps.
A stream near the start of the hole offers a difficult situation to the players. The hole is long and demands extra care near the end.
Things start to go uphill from the fourth hole. The hole is slightly bent to the left. With trees on the left side, many golfers will have to take it easy on this hole. It requires patience and proper planning to overcome this hole without a bogey or worse.
The fifth hole is windy and offers a great view of the course. Here the golfers will have to aim carefully and control the force of their strokes. Any wrong moves and the wind will carry the ball way off the intended spot.
The sixth hole is home to the bunker that occupies both sides of the fairway. The strokes have to be planned carefully to avoid the bunkers and allow the ball to sail right in place for a putt.
The seventh hole is an easy one. It is located near the centre of the green and does not offer any difficulty to the players. However, the golfers need to be gentle as the hole is fairly small and a strong stroke could cause trouble.
The eighth hole is tough because of being uphill in windy conditions. To top it off, it also has a bunker where many golfers will spend a frustrating time. The hole requires a firm handling and many golfers will struggle with the combination of wind and
a close by bunker.
To compensate for that, the ninth hole is a simple affair with a twist. There is a large tree that requires careful handling. Once it is clear, the rest of the fairway is easy.
The tenth hole requires precision because of its curious shape. The slight tilt to the right means that the golfers will have to be very careful about the strokes. A birdie is possible but requires careful planning and precise strokes.
The next hole, the eleventh, is designed to give the golfers some measure of relief after the tough ninth and tenth holes. With just a bunker on the left that could easily be avoided, the fairway is straight and smooth.
The twelfth hole demands some thinking. Either the golfer could plunge head in and miss a great opportunity for a birdie or shoot on the right to reach the green.
The thirteenth hole is not as easy as it looks, the green is rough and the dogleg is not easy to clear. Those golfers who plan on cutting across the dogleg are in for a surprise as the green is rough and double tiered.
The fourteenth and fifteenth holes are easy except for the bunkers at inconvenient locations. If the golfers can avoid the bunkers, these holes offer no other obstacle to a par finish.
The sixteenth hole has two streams that are placed to confuse the golfers into hitting the ball into the greens beyond. Those who avoid this trap will have no trouble in moving on the next hole.
The seventeenth hole has a few bunkers that require precision and expertise. Golfers will have particular trouble with the bunker located at 220 yards.
The final hole looks easy but is anything but that. Despite being straight and invitingly green, it has a water hazard that is least of the worries of the players. The greens are left rough and there are patches of smooth grass that require careful planning
to navigate to the hole.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: