PGA Features

Seve was a master with a wedge but is he proving to be as inspirational as a course designer? PGA.info despatched 20-handicapper Matthew Millard to plot his way round Seve's first course, The Shire at Barnet near London. Here's the verdict.

Having been told I was heading to The Shire for an assignment I immediately began to worry about encounters with angry orks, funny little creatures looking for their 'precious' and hobbits. Well at least I'd fit in with my hairy feet.

Then I snapped back to reality and searched the web for Seve Ballesteros' first course in this country and I have to say it looked amazing. This was short-lived however as I saw the card of the course and the smile was soon wiped off my face as I set eyes on what was a daunting prospect for a mid-handicapper like myself.

And preparations hardly went according to plan as a visit to the driving range resulted in the head of my seven-iron flying further than my ball which in turn brought about a total loss in confidence in my antiquated clubs. Luckily my father was on holiday so I made a quick pit stop at the parents' house to steal/borrow his clubs and I was on my way.

I was impressed with the course on screen but it was nothing compared to when I drove through the entrance on the day and arrived at what looked more like a luxury Scandinavian retreat than a golf course on the outskirts of Barnet.

I'm a great believer in first impressions and I was impressed. The clubhouse is very Mediterranean looking and has taken parts from all over the world. There are two bars (both built in Budapest), Spanish porcelain floors, American black walnut wood, a retail area built in Poland and furniture from Britain, Spain and Italy. One thing that was definitely made in England though was the bacon roll which was absolutely fantastic. Luckily I had 18 holes to work off the breakfast, but if for some reason golf doesn't tickle your fancy there's a gym and executive fitness suite within the clubhouse to work up a sweat.

How did I get Seve to agree to design the course? Simple - I phoned him up.

The land where The Shire sits will be familiar to many golfers in the area who used to play the flat Bridgedown course, but owners Tony and Anne Menai Davis snapped it up after Tony was turned down for membership from a club having had a promising football career ended through injury.

"How did I get Seve to agree to design the course?" he asked. "Simple - I phoned him up."

Construction started in July 2001 and the landscape was totally transformed with one million cubic tonnes of earth being brought in from the building sites at Wembley and the Emirates Stadium. Over 12,000 trees were planted, around 1,500 gorse bushes were brought in and slate was acquired from the Ffestiniog mines in Wales to give the many creeks and lakes a bit of character.

The course itself is very cleverly designed by Señor Ballesteros with an equal sprinkling of par threes, fours and fives, with six of each. It also has three distinctive characteristics - parkland, links and US/stadium.

It is completed with a spectacular 18th hole - a 419 yard par four with an S-shaped lake surrounding the green - it has to be seen to be believed.

After a quick warm up on the range it was off to the first tee with my boss's words still ringing in my ears: "If you shoot over 100 don't come back."

The course doesn't ease you in either with a tricky par three to start complete with island green. I set out on most courses with the theory that a bogey is good enough for me and things started well enough with three straight bogeys followed by a par at the long, but spectacular, par three fourth - a 183 yarder over the water.

Then Seve got the better of me. Some thick strategically placed bushes posed problems as did ditches running across fairways. The par three seventh is known as the 'Sawgrass' hole by members. A stunning 123 yard hole to an undulating green. Steer clear of the water and try to get your second tee shot off the ground - I found it difficult going the long way.

A shocking three-hole run saw me make the turn on 51, leaving me with nine holes to save my job. Consistently inconsistent is the best way I can describe the way I was playing, but there was nothing conflicting about the course - just like he did so many times around the greens in his playing days Seve had got this spot on.

It was the sheer beauty and attention to detail that kept me going for another dodgy three-hole period on the back nine. Things were not going my way highlighted when a simple chip out of the long rough hit a staked tree and ended up back in the heavy stuff.

The closing four holes are the most spectacular I've played in Blighty, starting with a picturesque par three over a shallow creek, which is followed by an up hill par four requiring a drive over water. The longest hole on the course follows in the shape of the 558-yard par five 16th where I somehow managed to secure my second par of the day.

But it is the final two holes on The Shire which really take the breath away. The 17th is a 178-yard par three which requires an arrow straight tee shot otherwise you'll be swimming with the fishes or scything through trees to find your ball.

The 18th is simply stunning. It starts with a normal looking tee shot onto a large fairway (or the rough on the right if you're me), but it's the second (or the third in my case) that really requires some thought. As mentioned earlier the green is surrounded by an S-shaped lake leaving water both in front and behind the landing zone. The S is said to stand for Seve or for Shire, but I could certainly think of a few other words that went through my head as I faced 163-yards to the green.

Somehow the six-iron worked and thanks to a nice kick off the bank on the left side of the green my ball was safely on the dance floor, two putts for a bogey and a sigh of relief to finish well.

My final score - 101, which I was not happy about and the text message from the boss was very Sir Alan Sugar-like, simply reading: "You're fired."

Better crack on with clearing my desk.

For more details visit theshirelondon.com
Special thanks to The Shire and Hiseman Partners