The Wisley

“World-class” and “imaginative” are among the superlatives that could describe next-door neighbours at Wisley.

However, whereas the Royal Horticultural Society’s magnificent gardens attract a million visitors a year, a much more exclusive clientele enjoys top-quality golf over the fence.

A small sign with a swan logo marks the entrance to the drive up to The Wisley before arrival at an imposing gate.

Beyond the barrier is a 27-hole complex designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior and manicured to the highest standards.

The club impresses long before arriving at the first tee. In front of its dazzling, modern clubhouse, the eye is caught by a fountain with sculpted flying swans.

This contains a beautiful array of trophies (including a Concorde!).

On the terrace, we breakfasted before our game and lunched after it. The atmosphere was very convivial and we were told The Wisley prides itself on being a friendly environment for its members and guests.

The good-vibe baton was picked up on the driving range, where our caddie examined our game so he could help with accurate club selection.

We began with the nine holes of The Mill course, named after The Ockham Mill, a short distance up the River Wey, which is present on several holes.

Given the surroundings and the rare presence of a caddie, I must admit to being nervous on my first drive, which needed to avoid water on the right to hit a fairway that bends through bunkers on either side.

The tee boxes are pristine, the fairway turf is superbly consistent and the greens are fast with often bamboozling borrows.

Nevertheless, I began in promising fashion as my podcast partner and I took on our hosts, who are both long-standing members.

There was even a moment during the opening holes when we were winning! Our success did not last. Indeed, it rapidly dissolved into humiliation.

I felt serene while taking on the long par-four third only to see my approach fall into a swale in front of the flag. It would not be the last time that The Wisley would bite unexpectedly.

White sand abounds on the fifth, a medium range par-three with a green surrounded by seven bunkers. The writing was on the wall by now as one of our opponents notched a very laudable birdie.

The Mill’s sixth is one of The Wisley’s best – a par-five with hints on Carnoustie’s 17th, demanding a drive over the river that winds alongside the hole and then back in front of the green.

The river returns on the eighth – another long, bending par-five with a target beyond another potentially water grave.

Ripples of dismay are even more likely on the ninth which runs alongside a picturesque lake before turning sharply right into a green with a wicked slope. It’s a cracking hole.

After quick refreshments, it was on to The Garden, arguably Wisley’s premium nine, which has undergone very recent changes.

It begins with a dogleg par-five with a stream (which I found) down the left and bunkers awaiting overstruck drives.

The stream cuts in front and to the right of the hole, leaving players with the key strategic decision of whether to go for the flag or lay-up.

“Left of the flag is the line,” pronounced our caddie on the picturesque par-three third, which has a wide expanse of water guarding what seems to be a slither of green.

He may be a rat pack tribute act away from the club but I did it “my way” and bailed out right and kept dry. 

For the second time in consecutive holes, the par-putt appeared cup-bound but span around the hole.

Consequently, my podcast partner and I shook hands with our hosts on a six and five defeat.

The following two holes, a par-four and par-five, are alongside the River Wey on the left with bunkers and hillocks on the right. The latter offers a good chance for those who are straight and strategic.

I boomed what I thought was a decent drive down the par-four sixth only to see the ball take the right-left slope that filters towards the lake. 

A shot down the right would have left a comfortable shot into the green if traps could be avoided. However, there is a steep run-off for those who wander left of the flag.

One of the most challenging holes at The Wisley is the par-three eighth on The Garden - a 228-yarder with the river down the left and a magnetic bunker in front of the green. I avoided water but found sand.

Aptly, water and sand are the threats of the final hole that curves gently around another lake. 

By now, it was clear that plotting, placement and judgement of green pace were crucial for succeeding at The Wisley.

I needed to know it better and, dare I say, I would love a return invitation.