Longer at 6735 yards, but perhaps less intimidating than the Old Course, at least while the trees are maturing, the Wandlebury presents more opportunities for using your fairway woods, although use of your Sand Wedge is unlikely to correspondingly diminish. The body of the course lies alongside the Wandlebury nature reserve looking over open down land to the east.

Wandlebury

The second has a range of bunkers well within driving range, while bunkers on both sides protect the front of the green.

Only the bunker on the right to penalise an early push mars the drive up the first Par 5.
The green has an indentation on the left that can catch the unwary.

A good drive is needed on the third to bring in range the green, which has bunkers on the right.

The fourth is another Par 5 with your drive hopefully passing the bunker on the left and leaving you with a possibility of reaching the green with your second shot (with a following wind).
Bunkers right and left of the green may encourage caution however.

The fifth is a Par 3, usually requires a lofted iron to clear the bunkers and then stop within a few feet.

The sixth requires a confident drive to clear bunkers on right and left leaving a short approach to the green that slopes upwards.

The prevailing wind makes the seventh a hard hole to par, as your second shot has to clear a series of deep bunkers starting in front and running alongside the right of the green.

The long Par 3 eighth requires a long downhill iron, sometimes even a wood, with a slice landing in a deep bunker right of the green.

The left side is not much easier as the green slopes left to right, so you might find the bunker anyway.

Your drive on the ninth, avoiding the bunker on the right, sets up an approach shot up the hill to the invisible green, with bunkers on either side.

Pausing briefly at the Half Way House for refreshment the tenth tee provides a wonderful vista over the countryside and the opportunity for an impressive drive between the fairway bunkers.

A medium iron should set up a comfortable Par 4 assuming the bunkers on each side are avoided.

Choice of club on the eleventh tee, especially with a following wind, needs thought as the doglegged fairway slopes into the bunker on the left and a series of bunkers on the right can catch a good, slightly right drive.

Bunkers front and sides protect the green that slopes up invitingly.

The Par 5 twelfth is a long hole into the wind with a bunker on the left just outside of drive range.

A comfortable second shot sets up a tricky approach with three bunkers protecting the front right side of the green.

The thirteenth is an uphill drive leaving a short iron over the bunkers to the green.

Judging the distance on the Par 3 fourteenth is not always easy with deviations punished by bunkers right and left and a large green to contend with.

The fifteenth is an almost right-angled dogleg with a good drive needed to be in sight of the green.If not you face a shot across trees to clear the corner and the possibility of never seeing your ball again if you err right. Erring left can also put you among trees and deep rough on the left of the fairway. Bunkers protect the left and right of the green.

If you think you’re heading for a good round when you get to the sixteenth, do not count your chickens on this medium length Par 3.

Your tee shot has to clear the front bunkers to reach the green while impenetrable thickets on both sides wait to claim a slice or a hook. Bunkers left and right rear complete the test.

By comparison the seventeenth has fewer terrors, but the two right side fairway bunkers can collect drives which seem to be going down the middle.

Again, bunkers left and right protect the green.

Reaching the eighteenth, you could be forgiven for checking the card again as it looks more like a Par 5, especially into the wind, but a good drive can bounce a long way down a dry fairway, leaving the possibility of finding the green with your second.If you’ve scored well on the last three holes you deserve a good result!