Downshire Golf Course ReviewDownshire Golf Course Review
Putt-putt-putting on the Golf Course
Downshire is a very spacious - but, peculiarly very hidden- golf complex sandwiched between Bracknell and Wokingham. On October the 24th, the Xpresionz group spent their afternoon at Downshire Golf Club to review its facilities. We were given a session on the driving range and a tour of the area by Paul Stanwick, the manager of the complex.
The driving range is the first port-of-call for wannabe golfers. This one is one of the few such golf complexes in the country provided with hi-tech power-tees. By placing your set of balls in a well in the floor, each ball is electronically ‘fed’ to you ready to hit. £2.95 gets you a token that, when put in the vendor, gets you 50 balls. Alternatively, an £11 ‘digicard’ will get you five baskets of 60 balls.
The pitch-and-putt doesn’t require a good level of competency. At 70-80yards, this 9-hole course is used to teach you how to break into real golf.
The complex is used for training by the county’s girls team and the English Golf Union use it for selecting candidates for the national team.
Downshire has a Par 73 championship golf course, a perfect challenge for even the most experienced golfer. Downshire currently employs two pros to tutor and offer advice, a third will be joining them from April 2008. Downshire’s Golf Shop has everything and anything you may need. It is well stocked with all the latest equipment and accessories, with friendly and helpful staff. And best of all, there are great offers available on everything, from equipment to clothing.
Downshire is open every day of the year, except Christmas, from 8am to 10pm and 6am to 10pm in the Summer.
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‘I found the staff very helpful and professional, especially in helping me learn how to swing a club. I had a great time and would recommend it to anyone’.
Josie
‘This session has given me great interest in golf and the desire to start trying to play more often. To me, Downshire appeared to have everything a golfer needs’.
David
'The club house was nice, and the Pro shop looked excellent. We then went on the driving range. I like golf a lot, so I enjoyed this. Paul gave me just a few tips, and from then I was hitting dead straight. Compared to the other golf clubs I've been to, the standards of Downshire, in my opinion, were much greater. After whacking sixty balls as hard as we could, we were shown the 9-hole pitch-and-putt. This was like a smaller version of the 18-hole course and were for beginners. After that I was quite chuffed when Paul said I was good enough to play on the 18-hole course. Finally we finished off by having a drink and a bite to eat in the golf house. I thought it was an excellent golf course'.
Cameron
'We only had a go on the driving range…I've never seen so many golf balls in one place! Downshire is quite a big place that I never knew actually existed, because it's at the end of a minor road off Nine Mile Ride. It just seems hidden away. The complex has clearly expanded over recent years. The place has everything now…there is a bar area for the older ones, as well as a seemingly well-stocked shop and the driving range and pitch-and-putt. The course itself covers a wide area. It seems like a great place, all in all, it's just a pity we didn't get to taste more of it when we were there'.
Sam