Enville is an attractive village not far from Stourbridge. The club is about 1.5 miles north of the village in glorious Staffordshire countryside and both courses are a pleasant change of pace from the heavily industrial Black Country to the northeast. Two 18 hole courses were eventually completed and designated as such in 1983; both are approximately equal parts heathland and parkland. The evolution of the Highgate course is vague, but I believe it is an combination of work by A Padgham, A Wigglesworth and H Lewis over several decades. When the Lodge Course was developed some of F Pennink's work was included on the Highgate.
The Highgate Course is named after the nearby common. The course has been the site of Open Regional Qualifying and relatively high qualifying scores are a testament to its ability to test the best players. In the recent past, changes have been afoot at Enville. Two new greens have been built and a many other bunkers have been re-shaped.
The opening seven holes are a grand stretch of heathland golf measuring less than 2300 yards, however, one should not be deceived by this modest length as much long iron/fairway wood play is required on later holes. The course opens with a fabulous par 5 which requires precision approaching to hit the green in two. Forward bunkers and a green sloping away from play combine to make this short three-shotter a true par 5.
The second is a demanding long par three with a green sloping surprisingly left. The Highgate is punctuated with several blind/obscured drives....too many if being honest. The drivable par 4 third swings left around a bunker. The right bunker was removed with the idea of allowing heather to creep back toward the fairway. The green runs away from play and can be tricky when the course is keen. Behind the green is the 1st fairway. The intimidating 4th has a large bunker eating in from the right of an obscured narrow fairway. Tree removal on the left has made the tee shit less intimidating.
A nasty cross bunker awaits the aggressive player willing to take on the 240ish yard carry over the previous bunker.
A tight par 3, the fifth was re-worked a few years ago. Gone is the forward cross bunker; replaced by a simple bunker which should be a more prominent feature with a higher nose. Some foliage to the rear has been cleared out as well.
To this point the golfer has been engaged in a game of cat and mouse with length not an issue. The 6th alters this formula with a brutal, but great par 4 of 449 yards.
The second is all uphill and ever so difficult. The bunkers must be flirted with to get home in two.
This is one of the greens which had the bunkering and shaping altered, however, the front to back tilt remains.
The opening stretch is completed by a seemingly breather hole of 323 yards. Like all good short par 4s there has to be some sort of sting in the tail and the narrow target of the green provides this bite.
We now play nine holes in a more parkland setting with trees being the major obstacle to good scoring. I believe 8-13 are Pennink holes from the early 70s. Donald Steel may well have been the lead architect for this project. The 8th is another blind drive, but within reach of the tee is funky mounding which replaced a blind creek. This is better than the creek, but still a bit dubious.
Each nine is book-ended with a par 5. All the three-shotters are very different and only the 9th requires some hitting. At 596 yards and through an alley of trees this hole can fairly be called a beast. Only two very accurate and long shots to the corner of a dogleg will leave an opportunity to approach the green. I am definitely not keen on this design concept. Another three-shotter, the 10th features a blind creek in the driving zone. Again, one of the hardest aspects of this hole is its obscured nature. It is difficult to pick a line and commit to it. One can lay-up and still reach the green, but the odds are the approach will be coming in flat and not hold the green or find the very well placed bunker short of the green. This is a most unusual par 5 and I applaud its originality.
The holes among these trees are much improved for tree removal in recent years. The fairways aren't wider, but the corridors are less congested. It isstill easy to be just off fairways with absolutely no shot at the green; which is fine for a few holes, but not for long stretches at a time. The 11th was formally quite a short, tight par 4. It has been extended about 60 yards with a new green near the boundary line. A swale fronts the green which has more movement than the older version.
The double dogleg 12th is a case in point about trees. The corridor is about 50 yards wide and the hole turns right then left at the landing zone. To top it off the fairway cants left. Its a great shame it isn't easier to approach this great green site.
The 13th turns back on #12. A very accurate drive is required for this long par 4. Down the right is the remains of an old pond whose clay base was punctured when fire fighters used the water on a call. Consequently, the pond drained. I can imagine this being a marvelous hole if trees down the right were cleared to the would be pond, leaving an upper and lower fairway. While still among the trees, the short 14th is a fine hole. Very little of the putting surface can be seen and there is a hidden bunker mid-green to the right.
The fifteenth is the beneficiary of a new green complex which is far more interesting than its predecessor. The drive used to be largely blind until the tee was moved further right. With the landing canting well right, we have another dogleg against the grain. Below is the approach. One the holes with mounding created, but for some reason trees are in these areas, thus reducing the visual impact of the work.
We now break back into more open ground, though not quite onto heathland. I am not sure why the water isn't better utilized for this short hole. However, there is a gradual slope rising from the water to the green which can easily repel shots which come in too high.
To reach the 17th we must cross over the Lodge's 18th and 2nd holes. The heathland look is immediately discernable once stepping on the tee of the penultimate hole.
The dogleg on the par 5 final hole is severe, but a well placed drive leaves an opportunity to reach the green in two; although it may be wiser to forego the aggressive play due to a new bunkering scheme tightly guarding the green.
There are many fine holes and compelling shots on the Highgate, especially on the heathland holes. However, I can't help thinking what gem is waiting to be discovered if the club ever decided to really get after the trees and then consider new bunkers. That said, I am in the minority of not enjoying the six hole stretch between 8 and 13 - most folks like this sort of golf. I admit they aren't bad holes and nothing that wider fairway corridors couldn't fix. Good news though, thousands of trees were have been removed over the past 10 years and there are long term plans to continue tree removal. The trees and too many blind/obscured shots with trouble lurking are enough to limit my appreciation for Highgate, but one won't be disappointed should an invite land in the email box. 2024
Lodge Tour
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