Hayling

Hayling Island Golf Club (as it was originally known) was first founded in 1883, with Joe Lloyd – who would go on to win the US Open in 1897 – the man to design the first 9-hole layout.

The course was extended to 18 holes a few years later, with Tom Dunn redesigning Lloyd’s work to incorporate it into his design.

Harry Colt and J.H. Taylor, both world-renowned golf course architects, were brought in after the First World War, with Tom Simpson then adding his name to the list of men to have had a hand in the design of Hayling’s layout.

The club has been an England Golf championship venue for almost a century, with the English Ladies Closed and the English Senior Women’s Strokeplay Championships among the tournaments held at Hayling.

Occupying a piece of pure linksland, Hayling Island stands on a Site of Special Scientific Interest close to Portsmouth and looks over the Solent towards the Isle of Wight. A number of holes play along the coastline of England, across the southwest corner of Hayling Island. Hayling now measures over 6,500 yards from the back tees and is regarded as an excellent test, all the more so when a breeze comes in off the sea, which is more often than not.

The course beings with a par 3, to a pear-shaped green, one where the front of the putting surface is much narrower than the back. At 180 yards from the back tees, it requires your first shot of the round to be a solid one. The shortest of the three par 5s at Hayling follows, with the dog-leg right 2nd taking you around the sea wall for the first time. The 3rd tees off with the beach right behind it, and is the first of back-to-back par 4s of more than 400 yards in length. 4 sees you tee off to a fairway that is moves diagonally away from you to your left. Two fairway bunkers and two greenside bunkers are there to catch anything errant.

The 5th is the second par 3 on the card, and played to a uniquely narrow green. The hardest hole on the course follows, with the 6th relying on a good drive and a second shot over the cutting. If it is into the wind it is best to play it as a three-shotter. The cutting was excavated before the course was built for an intended railway line to take people to the beach. The line was never completed and the cutting with its meandering burn will catch the wayward approach shot. A large green awaits so make sure you get your club selection right.

The 7th is exactly 500 yards from the backs, and the tee shot is played to a fairway that pinches in at the landing zone. For the longer hitters, there is a chance of making it in two, especially as there is just the one greenside bunker to contend with. The fairway on the 8th is split in two, which means that driver might not be the best play. The green sits below the fairway, so take that into account with your second. The front nine comes to a close with a challenging dogleg that requires a drive out of the dunes onto a plain. Cutting the corner requires a long, high drive over the holm oaks. A large bunker on the corner catches many an ambitious drive. The 9th plays away from the sea towards Langstone harbour and to the right of the fairway is the most extensive patch of the purple bell heather on the course. The approach shot is to a long narrow green – better long than short.

Hayling’s second nine begins with a driveable par 4 at just 270 yards. Just a single bunker is in play, but that is around 60 yards short of the green so most will take this on. Set in the dune with the spectacular backdrop of the Solent and Isle of Wight, the 11th hole was named after a large sand bank. Depending on the wind this short hole calls for anything from a wood to a short iron with the hole protected by deep bunkers. A great short hole where nothing less than a well-struck shot is required to reach the putting surface.

12 and 13 see you play along the coastline once more, with the former being the longest par 4 on the course at 460 yards from the tips. If you find the fairway, the green might be within reach, but there is plenty of sand and heather around. The 13th is much shorter and like the 3rd, it feels like you are teeing off from the beach itself. It is another fairway that pinches in the further you get down it, so there is a line to be drawn between distance and accuracy. You turn inland for the longest hole on the course, the 536-yard par 5 14th. It plays as a double dog-leg left, and is a true three-shotter for the majority of players.

That takes you into the closing stretch at Hayling, with the tough 15th offering up three fairway bunkers and three greenside bunkers, along with 425 yards in length and the fact that you have to tee off over the same burn you played over back at the 6th. 16 is the last of the par 3s, and it has a huge green which takes the distance anywhere from 160 to 200 yards in length. 17 and 18 play with an inland water hazard on their left, with the penultimate hole on the course coming in at more than 450 yards off the tee. A big drive is needed if you are to find the green in regulation, but anything pulled slightly left will be in trouble. The same can be said of the final hole, but driver is not necessarily the play, with the 18th playing around 380 yards. The final green is guarded by three bunkers and the boundary line of the property at the back.

Michael Verity: Very good, interestingly designed holes on mainly flat land. Excellent bunkering

Peter Rudd: A really testing links that has recently seen a big improvement to its condition

Dan Murphy: It always surprises me how a links that is relatively flat on arrival turns into something altogether tumultuous at the far end

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Where is Hayling Golf Club located? 

Hayling Golf Club is situated on the southern coastline of the United Kingdom. The course sits on Hayling Island, which is separated from the mainland of England by Sweare Deep. Hayling Golf Club is at the southwestern tip of Hayling Island, and looks out over the English Channel, with the Isle of Wight in view to the southwest. The city of Portsmouth is within a half hour drive from Hayling, with London around 80 miles to the northeast.

Due to its location, there is no train service on Hayling Island. For train travellers looking to play at Hayling Golf Club, the closest stop is Havant, which sees trains run east-west, through to Southampton and Portsmouth in the west, and to Brighton and London in the east. Southampton Airport is around 25 miles from Hayling, while both London Gatwick and London Heathrow – the two busiest airports in the south of the country, are within 70 miles to the northeast.

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: England venues nearby? 

There are plenty of venues on the NCG Top 100s: England list that call the South Coast home. Parkstone, Stoneham, Broadstone and Ferndown's Old Course are all within a 90-minute drive to the west of Hayling. There are also several courses to the north, and inland from the South Coast, that are also within reach.

The likes of West Sussex (Pulborough), Liphook, Blackmoor, Hindhead, and Hankley Common are all within an hour’s drive north from Hayling.

What golf facilities does Hayling Golf Club offer? 

Along with the championship standard 18-hole golf course, Hayling Golf Club also has some cracking practice facilities for members and guests to use. There is a driving range between the 1st hole and the beach, along with a short game area and a putting green, both of which are next to the clubhouse.

What are the green fees at Hayling Golf Club? 

The price of a green fee at Hayling changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.

For more information on current green fees at Hayling Golf Club, visit their website here (opens in a new tab).

Visit Hayling’s website here (opens in a new tab).

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