Wanstead Golf Club

Having played here before I knew that the course doesn't drain very well and that, after many hours of heavy rain, it was likely to be an "interesting" round. We duly arrived to the news that there were at least seven temporary greens in use. As a result we chose to play the back nine twice, as recommended by the super friendly and helpful club professional.

The back nine holes are more interesting than the front nine in my opinion anyway. After the first tee shot over a large ditch the following eight holes are a bit of a letdown. The back nine however, is much more fun. The layout becomes more quirky and water comes into play on two holes in a picturesque way. For me the signature hole is the 16th, a 160 yard par three carry over the edge of a large lake with geese and ducks crowding the tee box. It always makes me smile to have to frantically wave the birds away in order to hit my shot! The 17th is a pretty hole which requires a soft fade and plays much shorter than it looks - a real birdie opportunity.

The conditions when we played were pretty torrential. The fairways looked to be in decent shape but the greens do flood very quickly at Wanstead. Despite that they also seemed to be in good shape and rolled true and at a decent speed on the ones in play.

The pro should receive special mention for the very friendly welcome and in-depth brief on the state of the course. We didn't use the clubhouse on this occasion but previous visits have been fine and the food and drink options are decent (pre-covid at least).

The standard green fee for Wanstead is £50 - far too much, in my opinion, for a course which has a mostly uninspired layout. We paid £18 on a hot deal and despite having to play the back nine holes twice we felt that that represented very good value, even with the course suffering from the dire weather! The course condition is normally good and I feel in summer I would happily pay up to £35. In winter, with the poorly draining soil, I think £25 would be the most I'd part with. Definitely call ahead of booking to find out course conditions though, especially if it has been raining recently!

Interesting day at Wanstead GC. Rocked up early for our tee time and was greeted by the very friendly Pro who unfortunately informed me I couldn’t use my motocaddy as there were no trollies allowed on the course. A tough break for me since I struggle with my back badly and carrying is a challenge, however he was kind enough to lend me a proper carry bag so I didn’t have to lug my large cart bag around! It Would be a great idea for golf clubs to phone visitors in advance if there are any restrictions on the course.

This however was the only real negative of the day, course was very quirky and interesting including a 200 yard wander down the road after playing the first hole to get to holes 2-5 on a separate area of land and this helped liven up the front 9 which is otherwise a tad dull. Back 9 is far more interesting and this course is well worth playing. Excellent condition throughout and good greens to boot, two temporaries when we played but didn’t take too much away from the day or the course. Friendly members, and friendly people in general.Would play again.

Played here for the first time. Very welcoming staff from clubhouse to golf pro shop.
Very fun golf course to play.
I enjoyed every minute and will definitely be coming back.
Thanks Andreas for such an enjoyable day.
Carlos

Challenging course with some beautiful and tricky holes
Slow play by parties behind and in front held up the whole day

The fairways were in ok condition, the greens were hard and fast but in good shape. The gentleman in the pro shop was great. I arrived late and he was very accommodating. Layout of the course is good 2-5 was a little away from the rest of the course but was not a long walk at all. Overall very satisfied and enjoyed the round.

Lots of bald areas on the fairways. Tee boxes very messy too.

The greens were in ok nick and some holes better than others.

Cant say I'll be in a rush to return.

Really enjoyed my round. The pro in the shop was really helpful and explained the course layout before i went out. The course was in brilliant condition and the greens were rolling true. The only downside is that there's only 1 par 5

An enjoyable walk in the East end but not a straight forward layout. The nature of old courses in London which are short of space. Greens in good condition and ran true esp after the dew had lifted. Tee boxes on the back side of the course in need of work. Pro very helpful.

Fun course.The holes are closely packed alongside each other with little forgiveness for errant drives.

Old, well established course. Front nine holes tougher than the back, but the back 9 are way more interesting. Holes 2-5 are in “the field” and I think are recent additions to the original course. They consist of four par 4’s running alongside each other. I would call the rest of the course “quirky” with some tee shots requiring a close eye on other players if the course.

Second time I've played here and on both occasions I have thoroughly enjoyed it. The course is short in length with only one par five, but please don't let that put you off. The layout is different with the second, third, forth and fifth, a little walk away as others have mentioned. For me, the walk is worth it! Many of the members choose not play these holes preferring to play the sixth after the first. The fairways are narrow-ish but forgiving, the rough was a good length and you definitely know when your in it. The course is very well maintained, and the greens were in excellent condition on both visits. There was a couple of pitch marks on a few greens but that was due to lazy ignorant people not repairing their marks, members? Visitors? Who knows? The par threes all offer something different, one an elevated tee to a two tiered green, one is over a pond if your brave enough?
Both days I've played the weather has been pretty good so a few people have been out on the course, I was also in no rush so in no way felt held up by players in front of me.
The members, greenkeepers and Pro's I've met have been really welcoming and seem proud of their club and course, they were out in force today clearing leaves, sticks and branches from the course. At this time of year many a leaf looks like your ball on the ground, unless you choose to use something other than white or yellow.

All in all this is a really well maintained course that is fairly priced for being so close to London. I urge you to go play it!