| Product: |
Titchfield Abbey Golf & Fishing |
| Date: |
30/07/02 (827 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great for non-golfers, beginners, improvers, or regulars who fancy a short round, So close to my house! Cheaper ice cream than in the village 1-stop!, Such a historic setting! You can pay and play no experience required!
Disadvantages: Fairly boring holes, It's too hard for me as I'm pants at golf! No bogs!, Can get expensive, can be slow at times
In deepest, darkest Hampshire*... lies a 15th century tithe barn and 67 acres of land... but hey no... that is not the big wowzer of it all... because the real star of the show is the gem that this fine area boasts... in fact 2 real gems and one mini gem (ooh do you remember them? You know the little biscuits with the iced thing on top... mmm lovely!... sorry back to the point)... yes three 9 hole par 3 pitch and putt courses! Can you believe it... 3 in one place... and having just rediscovered this local beauty I simply must tell you all about it!
Way back in 1994 (that’s actually longer ago than I realised!) the Tithe Barn, lying in historic Titchfield, was a typical family run Southern farm shop, specialising in soft fruit. The shop was popular with locals but was unfortunately rapidly losing profits to large chain supermarkets. As is ever-increasingly THE in-thing for farmers to do, the family decided they could make more money by using their land for leisure rather than farming. Did they choose to turn it into a quad-bike trail? Nope... Did they build an assault course for overpaid execs to use as they try and master the mystery of teamwork? Nope... dang you’re good at this game! Oh yeeeees... silly me... I already told you what was there in my first para! Yes sireee Bawb they decided to turn it into a golf course!
So in August 1995 we saw the arrival of Titchfield’s first golf course... not really a whole course but a “pitch and putt” course... because that’s what you do... you pitch your ball (and then if you’re like me you repeat part one several times until your ball has successfully been retrieved and cleared from the woods... then retrieved from the rough... then hit into a different bit of rough... until finally it makes it’s way over the fairway and onto the green!) and then of course you putt it (once again if you’re like me it takes several putts to hit the blasted ball into the
wee hole in the ground next to the stick with the flag on the end). Golf sounds quite simple really doesn’t it! ;) This first course was, and still is, generally known as “the red course” - the reason being that all of it’s 9 flags are red – and I’ll give you more precise details about it later.
Approximately two years later (1997 if I remember correctly) a new addition was added to the site... why yes, the yellow flag (Lakeside) course was born! The new course lay right next door to the red course but led it’s way around a coarse fishing lake to add an odd twist to the proceedings!
At this point, there was still a small farm shop inside in the barn and the fields separating the barn from the road (Mill Lane) were still used for growing fruit. This was not to continue for long though! By about Easter 2000 a further course (the Barn Course) had been added to the grounds. What the Barn Course lacks in features it makes up for in length!
~ ~ Golf in general ~ ~
These courses are aimed primarily at novices and complete beginners (such as myself) so seeing as I am hoping you will find this op interesting and a) fancy a shot at golf after reading it or b) realise that you don’t always have to join a big club before you can have a little try to see if you enjoy yourself, I’ll give you a little bit of background on golf and it’s specific terms (you know things you may find handy to know). Familiar golfers (*cough cough* especially the great golfing hero of Ireland Mester kenjohn) may wish to skip this bit... yes ok you can read on if you like but no laughing!
This game originated in Scotland (they do have a real knack for thinking up these odd sports!) and was invented by bored Scottish shepherds who passed the time by hitting stones to target areas with sticks. Since then it has come along way, although the basic premise remains the same... you must hit the ball (small, ro
und thing... won’t patronise you lubbly readers too much hehe) with your stick (commonly known as a club... but other variations – which generally crop up when I’m playing with my dad – include pole and cue... (oopsey once again the Scott family have confundled their sporting terms!) to the nice flag - which is situated what seems like blooming miles away from where you start – in as few shots as possible.
To complicate the matter further these golf tykes have given different parts of the hole (dip in the ground that the flag sits in which your ball must disappear down before you can end your turn but also the term for the whole hole... ooh gosh I’m complicating matters terribly... but I think (hope) you know what I mean... yes the hole is the area of ground from where you start off (the tee) to where you finish) the flag. Yes we start at the tee... this is also the name given to a little peg-thing you stick in the ground and place your ball on for your first shot... we then aim to hit over the fairway... the pretty nicely cut bit of grass between the tee and the green... this is the very nicely fine cut and hopefully lush vaguely round-shape of grass surrounding the hole... the one in the ground housing the flag that you wish to hit your ball into. However, it’s not always that plain sailing... you may hit your ball into the rough... this is the long grass or woods etc that run alongside and around the hole... not a good place to hit it... trust me! You may also hit the ball into a bunker (a gully full of sand... which thankfully they have none of at Titchfield)... this is also not a good place to hit it! Titchfield also has a few lakes around and about the place... I don’t recommend hitting your ball into one of these... they don’t tend to float well and you don’t want to get your club rusty ;)
There are various types of clubs available and I’ll gloss over a few main ones quickly
for you: a driver... is the club used to drive the ball (hit it hard and long) normally used for the tee shot (at Titchfield you use a slower sort called and 7 Iron/8 Iron because the holes aren’t *that* long... comparatively!); a wedge... is a club used to lift the ball high... normally used to lift the ball onto the green (not available at Titchfield); a putter... is the club used to try and hit the ball into the hole when on the green.
Scoring in golf is pretty easy to work out... your score for each hole is simply the number of shots it takes you to get your ball from the tee into that wee hole! When your round (collective name for the holes) is over you simply add them up to see how you did.
You can then compare your score with the “par” of the course... the par is the number of shots it should ideally take to get from the tee to the green plus 2 for putting... so at Titchfield you should be on the green in one shot (yeh right!!!!) and then have your ball safely in the hole with two putts (hmm... I tend to score about 5 on a good hole!).
You may have heard such terms as “birdie” or “bogey”. These are the things you find flying in the air and up your nose (and yes typically in that order!)...oh no sorry... in golf they refer to your score in relation to par... if you score 2 on a par 3 hole it’s a “birdie” as it is one below par... if you score 4 it’s a “bogey” as it’s one over par... there are various other terms e.g. eagle for 2 below par (hole in one at Titchy wahoooo!) and double bogey for two over par.
If you’re confundled by these terms you may wish to check out the golf dictionary!
http://www.golfeurope.com/almanac/golf_terms/d ictionary.htm
Now let me tell you some more about Titchfield!
~ ~ Clubs ~ ~
Before you start playing golf at Titchfield you will need to get your clubs sorted! You can bring you
r own or hire some from the “Club House”... You will be given an iron and a putter... these are generally 7 or 8 irons (little weight difference) and a basic putter. The clubs come in all sizes and there are also left-handed ones available. The nice ladies in the kiosk will help kit you out. The quality is fairly low but good enough for the occasional player. Hire of clubs is free – simply leave your cars keys or a £5 deposit.
~ ~ Balls ~ ~
You will also need balls... golf balls I mean (and not me being dirty but a direct quote form the little old lady manning the kiosk last time I went up to the course!)... there are all different makes and models... but to me they all look practically the same but just come in a few different colours (my dad has a nice luminous yellow one!)... these can be bought from the club, brought from home or hired. If you choose to hire you pay 80p per ball and then get 50p on their safe return but you can buy basic balls for 35p, slightly better ones for 50p and even better ones for 75p. It’s always a good idea to take a spare ball out with you in case you lose one mid-round... as I often do... plus keep an eye out for lost balls (finders keepers losers weepers rules apply... although this does not mean you can run onto a fairway and steal someone else ball... a tactic my cheeky dad once tried to employ while we were hunting for lost balls!).
Now your kit is sorted you must chose your course (although you could do two (18 holes) or even all three (27 holes) if you fancy!
~ ~ Copse Course (RED) ~ ~
This, as with all of the courses, is a 9 hole par threer. The holes vary in length but are basically the same... the green is more or less directly in front of the tee... for beginners this is good as you don’t have to concentrate so much on obstacles and can focus on your length... but I can see how the more experienced golfer probably wouldn’t be fussed about frequent visits
!
The copse course is, as the name suggests, by a copse - which you could easily lose your ball into onto the 4th, 6th and 7th holes – but is not exactly picturesque. To the West you have the back of Cartwright Drive Holiday Inn (formerly Forte Post House) and the road to Whiteley... to the North you have the copse but you can also see a small travellers settlement a few fields away... to the East you have the best view over Catisfield and Highlands and on a clear day you can just see Portsdown Hill in the distance oh and you also have a pretty good view of Titchfield Abbey (now in ruins, interesting ruins though and it’s rumoured to be the place that Shakespeare wrote Romeo & Juliet - definitely worth a visit if you have the time!)... to the South you can look out over the Lakeside course.
The longest hole is 140 yards (hole 7), the shortest 65 yards (hole 1/6) and my favourite hole is number 4... because I’m good at it... plus there is a large rough area to the left side of the fairway which is great for finding lost balls in (to re-sell of course!)... I also like hole 7, which is the most challenging... sloping down towards the copse (how many times have I lost my ball in there!) with a steep-ish slope off the green means it often gives me my worst score of the round (typically an 8 lol).
Par 27 and measuring 920 yards in total!
This is the retro course and my personal fave!
~ ~ Lakeside Course (YELLOW) ~ ~
This is the shortest course with a mere 715 yards (yes a mere 715 yards hehe... don’t be disturbed if you were thinking about using golf for exercise (if you’re any bit as bad as I am then you will be doing plenty of walking... and whacking bushes to find your ball... bound to burn a few calories!). Once again the holes are pretty much the same (basically straight) but the lake which the course winds around is a nice backdrop.
My favourite hole is the ninth, which is also t
he longest at 110 yards, basically because having to hit over a small footpath is quite fun and for me a challenge! Most holes tend to be around 70 yards in length.
I personally am not too keen on this course as it I find it a little too short for my liking. However, it probably has the nicest scenery of the three.
~ ~ Barn Course (ORANGE)
This is the longest of the three courses with a total of 1080 yards over the nine holes. Once again the fairways are straight and the scenery is not particularly inspiring and one could easily hazard a guess at it’s former use without being informed... yes it still blatantly looks like a bit of a farmers field... but with nicer grass! It’s a basic up down up down course on a gentle slope... good for practising your length though. The shortest whole is 80 yards (number 9) with seven on the nine being longer than 100 (longest is number 4). The newest addition is also much closer to the road, and civilisation, than the other two, another factor I’m not keen on.
~ ~ Club House ~ ~
OK, so that name is pushing it a tad... there is little trace of the former shop and the barn looks like a barn... but a barn with an impressive history! The grade I listed Tithe Barn was originally built by French monks living at the nearby 13th century Abbey and has recently been carbon dated back to 1410. After the dissolution of the monasteries the Earl of Southampton turned the Abbey into a private house for himself (and friends, of whom THE William Shakespeare was a close one). He used the barn to house his Tithe... in return for rent of his land villagers gave him one tenth (a tithe) of their produce. The name has stuck ever since (the official name for the farm is Fernhill Farm). It was used as a barn until 1950, but disused in 1960's, and then restored in 1980. At approximately 157 ft long and 46 ft wide with eight bays, tie beams collars and arched braces, a hipped roof, two hipped wagon entr
ances, built of stone and brick with weather boarding to front and one side, it is reputedly one of only six remaining great monastic barns of its size and type in the country.
Nowadays, however, it’s use is not quite so grand... it houses to kiosks, an ice cream counter (well priced) and a quad bike! The kiosks are where you go to pay your fees, buy your balls, tees and collect your scorecard and clubs.
Sadly there are no toilets (although there is tonnes of room for development) and no drinks counter (although they ran some sort of small cafe a few years ago so maybe they will start doing that again sometime soon... I hope!
~ ~ Rules ~ ~
There are few rules, no dress code or anything, simply...
- Don’t damage the course on purpose
- Be careful where you hit your balls... shout “FORE” to alert anyone standing close to where your ball is about to land
- Only play a one ball game (do not use more than one ball per person... some cheeky beggars head up there with 2 or 3 balls each!
- No unaccompanied under 16’s (it’s in everyone’s best interest I can assure you!)
~ ~ Niceties ~ ~
There are 3 qualities I would like to point out about the club...
- The staff are generally helpful and friendly (they must be making a fair bit up there because there seems to be an abundance of staff!).
- The aforementioned quad bike is used by the staff to patrol the courses... this cuts down on trouble makers e.g. those pesky tykes playing with more than one more... the staff are also often keen to help you look for lost balls (one normally follows me round from hole to hole waiting to spot my ball in the rough lol).
- You can never quite tell how busy it will be until you get there, so before you chose your course you can ask one of the nice ladies in the kiosk to radio up to the dude on the quad bike and get them to find out how buys each course is... if you
get stuck behind a slow crowd (sometimes people go up there with large groups which take forever!) you’re allowed to overtake them and head to the next free hole and then go back to the holes you missed when they’re free... inevitably when the weather is nice there may well be queues (this place is v. popular!).
~ ~ Pricing ~ ~
Per 9 holes:
Adult: £4
Junior (U16)/Senior (60+): £3
Additional rounds:
Adults: £3.50
Junior (U16)/Senior (60+): £2.50
Clubs – Free of charge to hire – simply pay a £5 deposit or leave your car keys.
Balls – Ranging from 35p-75p to buy or 80p to rent with 50p deposit returned upon their safe delivery back to the kiosk!
Tees – 2p each
Scorecard – Free
Pencil – 10p (occasionally you can just borrow one... depends on how shifty you look!
~ ~ Open Times ~ ~
Summer - 09:00am – 20:00pm (last round starts at 19:00pm)
Winter: Times vary - please phone 01329 846606 for latest information
~ ~ Directions ~ ~
“Situated adjacent to the A27, Titchfield Abbey Golf & Fishing (TAGF) is ideally situated just 2 miles from junction 9 of the M27. Just 12 miles from Portsmouth, 10 from Southampton, 70 miles from London and 3 miles from Fareham Station” Ample room for parking when you get there!
Now I’ve been rethinking my style recently, I think I’m sometimes a little too positive, but that’s just me, the cup is generally half full! Anyways, I’m not gonna pretend Titchfield Abbey Golf centre is le creme de la creme... it’s not. But for youngsters, beginners, improvers and the regular golfer fancying a short round it comes pretty close!
Check out the website for some clear course maps or to find out about the fishing facilities.
www.Tagf.co.uk
*artistic license... real site lies under a mile from the A27 (a major road linking Portsmouth
and Southampton and the coast in between)... but hey that’s good... means the place is easily accessible for you non-yokle peeps :)
Corporate & Society Events
You can also hire the courses privately (Mon-Fri only) - enquiries to: enquiries@tagf.co.uk or telephone 01329 846606. Online booking is also available
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