- Paul Graham-Fielding
Bulburry Woods - You can't see them for the trees
Updated: Mar 12, 2019
Not strictly in Bournemouth, closer to the adjoining town of Poole, Bulbury Woods is a fantastic course that is perfect for the golfing group. The 6000 yard par 71 course is as tight as it is tricky and the lush, tree-lined fairways, the unexpected bunkers and fantastic countryside matched with its in expensive price tag makes for a great day.
Bulbury Woods requires accuracy more than distance, if you couple that with its hard and fast greens you have the setting for an interesting round of golf. The hard and easy holes tend to come in batches, you get the calm before the golfing storm, then when you think the course is going to kick you again it chucks out a lovely little par three where you can get your confidence back.
There are some great looking holes on this course, Hole 5 is one, a tricky double dog leg downhill par 5, home to strategically placed bunkers that can easily catch out wayward tee shots. Hole 8 will really start to test your skills, a difficult dog leg left par 4 with severe slope from right to left running the length of the fairway. The 14th really enjoyable hole if you get it right, it’s not to challenging until to you get the green but with bunkers protecting the front and then water straight off the back your approach shot need to be perfect. Hit the putting surface or you’ll be in serious trouble.
Another tick in the box for Bulbury is the price, at £25 for a weekend round it’s great value for money for non-members and if you can pick up a green fee voucher you can play the full 18 for less than £20. The price doesn’t mean that the club is skimping in other areas though, the clubhouse does good food and good beer with plenty of space inside or outside. The staff here are great, it has a real “family run” atmosphere and if you’re not happy with anything during your day they really want to understand why.
If you’re in Dorset and you want to play a well maintained and challenging course without a hefty price tag then you won’t find many better courses than Bulbury Woods