Wentworth: what would be the ‘average’ golf course at the home of the BMW PGA Championship

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The West Course at Wentworth is the DP World Tour’s dream course.

Winners of the BMW PGA Championship, the circuit’s premier event, always remember how they walked the fairways as children, chasing their favorite golfer, vying for a glove, a ball or an autograph.

In a sense, it’s the Augusta National of Europe because we know it inside out through the television coverage every year.

But will that familiarity help me when I take it on this summer at a tournament media day?! Let’s find out.

It is the front nine

The first tee. The clubhouse sits behind it, the green is far to the left, the first fairway stretches into the distance, England cricketer Gladstone Small just passed by and said hello. It feels special, it feels luxurious, and it feels weird.

Because on the right there is no grandstand around the 18th green so there is a lot more space than I am used to.

But there is no time to think about that. A golf outing is pending and my playing partner just drove up, losing a parked car to let him hit the yardage issue.

I took the car for a quick spin, hit a decent drive and went down the middle and breathed a sigh of relief. I’m gone.

Of course, players have trouble with the first tee. Put it up in the valley or hit the bottom. It’s not a puzzle I have to worry about. The valley presents a different problem, because I don’t want to hit the gun and find myself under it. Fortunately, I miss the green, but not by much and walk away happy with the bogey.

Another hole awaits a par-3 second, hitting from the top of the fairway to the elevated green on the other side. I hit my one shot of the day to 12 feet and the birdie putt lipped out. I missed the third and got my comeuppance with a double bogey-6. The highlight is standing in the yard and looking at the green. I know, from experience, that the putt is big enough but from 150 yards it looks small, powerful and almost impossible to hit.

The par-5 fourth has always been one of my favorite holes. Downhill, right to left, it’s easy to visualize the sweeping drive and sweeping path. I also produce goods and brand to another level.

From the tee on the par-3 fifth green and it looks small. I tighten up and drag my putt into the bunker, clearing the green for a run but going uphill for bogey. A deep breath.

The sixth has an echo of the famous 17th because the shape of the land kicks the ball against the flow of the hole. Worried, I made double bogey despite one putt.

The seventh is about undulation change. The tee is set high, the fairway low, the green even higher. There is even a change of undulation in the rack with a big step in between. I steal the bogey and hit a hard putt.

Approaching the eighth requires striking boldly over the water and I think about it a lot before I get there. Triple bogey. The ninth sits parallel to the fairway and the hole puts me in double bogey. When I hit the green I wondered why I felt it was so long. The design fooled me. You are smart.

The back 9

Despite the dodgy finish on the back 9, I’m happy. I always loved watching this back nine. Now I’m excited to play it.

I start with an up-and-down par on the short 10th and enjoy the fun of the 11th. It turns a corner (another shape from right to left) and goes up to a heather-protected green. It’s beautiful and experimental. I card bogey.

A player’s shot on the par-5 12th feels like he’s trying to turn a rugby ball. It’s not the post you’re kicking, though, it’s the two big trees you’re hitting between. I found a good method, I use a good method and I make my estimate.

I enjoyed the 11th so much I wanted to play it again and the 13th isn’t a bad alternative because it’s not only the same, maybe a little better. Another smile on my face when a tricky bogey putt falls.

The par-3 14th includes. The green is at the top of the hill. It requires a strong mind and clean hitting. I’m a little nervous and I hit it. But a decent chip puts up a bogey.

15 always makes me think of Seve. As I walked towards where I was shot I felt as if I was walking down there with a great Spaniard. Or maybe Nick Faldo. Or Sandy Lyle. Or Woosie. The vibes are strong. I am also very familiar with the green on television. Hit the right side and let the slope feed it down the hole. The work is done. Bogey.

16 is probably the weakest hole after the back nine but still fun. We get into a discussion about the stars who lived at the Wentworth Estate: Bruce Forsyth, Jimmy Tarbuck, Ronnie Corbett, Russ Abbott. Apparently Ernie Els still lives there and Harry Kane recently bought the place he does. Distracted by my nonsense, I made another bogey.

The real dangers of the famous par-5 17th are not really apparent to a golfer of my caliber. The threat is the 280 yard drive position – out of bounds to the left and the bad camber nature that kicks balls to the right. My driving is good, but short of that accident. I hit the fairway wood around the dogleg, hit a fairway that took a bad kick, and made a bogey-6. I miss the old greenery. The new one looks smaller.

Continue until the end. We’ve got a prize up for grabs: near the pin in three. I keep looking at baubles like that, I think I’ll never win so don’t bother trying. My teammate is ambitious and competitive. You open the big drive and umms and ahhs about going green. We stop him. His blow cracks the tree and hurtles towards the canal. He doesn’t stop though. He takes aim with the 8 iron and hits a sensational shot to 4 feet to win the prize.

I’m not that good but I’m very happy with my own effort: middle of the fairway, iron missing the water, wedge to 20 feet, putt par. No grandstands, no galleries, but I can wave them around in my head.

The conclusion

The vision of dreams is powerful. Playing Wentworth is special. You are truly following in the footsteps of legends. It’s hard too. Shooting methods, in particular, are endless. He crosses the valleys and climbs the hills. You often feel like the goals are smaller than they actually are. It’s demanding but also fun.

The front 9 really got me and I played it for 12 overs but I rose to the challenge of the back 9 and went back to 6-overs. I didn’t play my 14 handicap but the golf after the turn is what I will remember.

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