Centenary Year Captain Bob Harvey
plays Corhampton with Club Professional
John Harris.  Reg Betts reports...


  B.H.: I was very fond of the old two nines but the 18 has turned out to be an extremely interesting and competitive course. No-one burns up Corhampton. It will be tremendous when the extension is ready for play and we have a championship length course.

FIRST. 398 yards Par 4. J.H. : We are playing into a stiff breeze which makes club selection important. Although the first looks straightforward many drives drift off to the right, as we say towards Droxford. The well-guarded green makes it a tough starter.
SECOND. 390 yards Par 4. Another good driving hole, observed J.H. as his tee shot ran well over the ridge. With the wind at their backs both players hit the green with eight irons.
THIRD. 124 yards Par 3. Shortest hole on the course but so easy to run off the raised green and find real trouble. J.H. lofted an eight iron onto the green B.H. preferred a little chip and run.
FOURTH. 380 yards Par 4. Dogleg left with sand well placed to trap the drive. Despite the stiff cross wind J.H.'s second shot -a five iron -found the green. B.H. : in these conditions the average golfer -and that's me -needs a drive and a five wood to get there.
FlFTH. 440 yards Par 4. A well-placed fairway bunker and the smallest green on the course makes this hole a stiff test. J.H. : It's stroke one and so it should be. The green is not an easy target to hit.
SIXTH. 342 yards Par 4. From the tee the green is obscured and you need to place your drive carefully to find the gap between the trees. Then it is all down hill with plenty of sand to catch the wayward approach. B.H. : You need to play your pitch to come in to the right of the pin.
SEVENTH. 196 yards Par 3. The local custom, is to play left and allow the ball to break onto the green but J.H. went straight at the pin with a four iron. Anything short kicks right to be followed by a tricky pitch onto a raised two-tier putting surface which is hard to read.
EIGHTH. 414 yards Par 4. This hole runs parallel with the Corhampton -Bishop's Waltham road. B.H. commented: The boundary hedge and trees have matured magnificently since they were planted 16 years ago. The sloping fairway is typical of the problems posed by a number of Corhampton holes. Hit your drive left of centre to take advantage of the slope and hit the green from the right.
NINTH. 169 yards Par 3. Probably the toughest of the short holes -uphill to a green guarded by deep bunkers on the left and a yew on the right. J.H. : You have to hit a very accurate golf shot to stop on the green. It is better to be a touch too far than to be too short. Many are intimidated by the thick trees on the right and land in trouble.
TENTH. 505 yards Par 5. Remember we are playing from the championship tees you leave the tee. Another spanking driving hole causing problems for the shot which runs left towards the trees. B.H. : What lovely fairways. The downland turf is so easy on the feet and it's so nice to see cowslips in bloom. But back to the golf. The big yew guarding the green makes the approach far from easy and bunkers to the left and right of the green await the slightest deviation. Longest hole on the course and an excellent one.
ELEVENTH. 158 yards Par 3. Straightforward for a well-struck six or seven iron but beware of cross winds over the green.
TWELFTH. 415 yards Par 4. J.H. : This hole requires a good solid drive. The slighest slice sees the ball gathering pace across the tenth fairway towards the trees. B.H. added: If you are unlucky you can find yourself blocked out by the small clumps of trees situated on either side of the fairway. We all agreed that the tree-fringed green was a lovely sight.
THIRTEENTH. 320 yards Par 4. This hole looks fairly simple but the infamous yew tree protruding onto the right hand side of the fairway has ruined more cards than any other tree on the course. B.H. proved the point, his ball shot under the yew and he was fortunate to be able to chip out. A lot of players take this hole too lightly, he said.
FOURTEENTH. 484 yards Par 5. Attempting a big drive many veer off line to the left. B.H. : The average golfer needs two woods before chipping onto a green which is well guarded by sand.
FIFTEENTH. 174 yards Par 3. The bunker across the front of the green traps many shots and trouble awaits all but the really accurate shot. The sloping green takes thoughtful reading. An interesting short hole - where B.H. achieved his hole in one!
SIXTEENTH. 401 yards Par 4. Dogleg left to right, the "valley" is rated one of the best 18 holes in Hampshire. J.H.:You can be very pleased to stop on the green with your second shot -and if you make it over the valley your problems are not over. This is Corhampton's most difficult green because it breaks three ways.
SEVENTEENTH. 355 yards Par 4. This intimidating hole requires a confident, accurate drive. More balls end up in the trouble on the right of the fairway than any other hole and it takes a lot of skill to stop near the pin.
EIGHTEENTH. 423 yards Par 4. A fine finishing hole, with out of bounds on the right hand practice area. J.H. drilled a great drive with a touch of draw leaving his ball ideally placed for his five iron which finished just short of the expansive green, overlooked by the clubhouse. J.H.: The second shot is deceptive and many people underclub. With bunkers to the left and right you need a precision shot to stand a chance of finishing with a birdie put.