219 - Coxmoor

Location: Mansfield, England

Rating: 8.2

Coxmoor has been high on my list to play for a while. It is one of the more prestigious courses in the area where my parents live but during the summer months isn’t the cheapest option at just over £100 a round, which having played now I think is definitely worth it.

Anyway, I played with a mate just before Christmas and they had a winter rate of £45 a round so we thought it was worth a shot and it lived up to the billing.

Set in a wonderfully tranquil location in the Nottinghamshire countryside, it is a heathland course with smooth fairways lined by tall pine trees.

The first hole is a gentle start with a downhill par 4 bending to the slight before leading onto another downhill hole with a par 3 this time before starting to wind through and over the hills. The course is a stunning collection of heathland holes, with generous, well-manicured fairways and greens that were in top shape considering the time of year. At 5,700 meters it is not the longest course and provides ample birdie opportunities but many of the greens are nestled behind the waiting bunkers.

Playing in December, I was expecting the course to be in pretty average condition but it was actually still pretty firm on the fairways! Needless to say the course was also very empty so we were able to play quite a quick round to get us through the low temperatures.