Chigwell Golf Club, Essex (England) – Golf course review
Key course information:
18 holes.
Par 71 (yellow tees).
133 slope rating (yellow tees).
Top 100 golf courses ranking:
England = N/A.
Essex = 6th.
Chigwell Golf Club is a great parkland golf course and well worth ticking off the list if you haven’t already played there. Nestled in amongst some impressive and expensive looking houses that create the outline of the course, sits a really good challenge for all golfers (now reflected in the slope rating, which is one of the highest in the county).
Despite a lot of the holes not being overly long, it’s still a challenging test, due to the precision that is required. On a lot of the holes, if you miss the fairway, you can find yourself struggling to recover. Although the greens look great and are very inviting, the majority represent quite small targets.
It’s a bit of a brutal start, opening up on the first hole with a very long par 4, measuring 455 yards from the yellow tees. The second hole is equally tough, a 181 yard, par 3 (yellow tees), playing into a small green. With the green surrounded by bunkers, there isn’t really a good miss on the second hole, so unless you find the putting surface with your tee shot, you’ll be struggling to make par. The fourth hole is stroke index 1, so getting to the fifth tee relatively unscathed, is usually the first challenge.
My favourite hole is the 15th. It’s a long, par 4, measuring 449 yards off the yellow tees (stroke index 2). It looks and feels like a proper golf hole. It’s a challenging tee shot, as going too far left or right and you won’t have a second shot. Even finding the fairway from the tee, leaves you with a tough second shot, to get anywhere near the green. The two-tiered, elevated green looks great and incredibly inviting from the brow of the hill, when walking down the fairway.
Chigwell Golf Club have invested a lot of money into the course in recent years and they are now starting to reap the rewards. The course is maintained to a very good standard, especially the putting surfaces. The greens and fairways look great all year round, thanks to the recent installation of an irrigation system, plus the renovation and re-shaping of all the bunkers has only further enhanced the aesthetics of the golf course.
Between the green on hole 9 and the tee box on hole 10, you’ll find the halfway hut. It serves a range of hot and cold food, drinks and snacks and is a popular spot for the members (the vast majority will stop here to refuel). Given the popularity of the halfway hut amongst the local membership, it is common for them to ‘play for breakfast’, with the last player to find the bunker after 9 holes, having to pay for the food and drinks in the hut. For any of you that are competitive and like a side bet to make things more interesting, why not introduce this rule on your next visit to Chigwell.
As well as investing money into the course, Chigwell have also invested off the course, with a very modern, welcoming, bar and restaurant area, as well as a new chipping green practice facility that has recently opened. The bar has Sky Sports and BT Sports, so shows all the live football, which is worth knowing when booking your weekend tee-times.
What facilities do they have at Chigwell Golf Club?
18 hole, parkland golf course.
Grass driving range (albeit quite small, so can only hit short irons).
Practice putting green.
Chipping green (new – introduced in October ’22).
Trolley hire (electric and push).
Buggy hire.
Halfway hut.
Large modern bar and restaurant (including outside terrace for use in the summer). The bar has Sky Sports and BT Sport.
How much are the green fees at Chigwell Golf Club for visitors?
Chigwell Golf Club does welcome visiting golfers and the green fees vary subject to the day of week and time of day. The current green fee rates at Chigwell Golf Club are as follows…
| Green Fee Type | Mon - Thurs | Friday | Sat / Sun & Bank Hols |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Visitor |
£45 (after 11:00) |
£55 (after 11:00) |
£55 (after 12:30) |
|
Member Guest |
£30 |
£35 |
£35 |
|
County Card, Junior & Emergency Services |
£35 (after 11:00) |
£40 (after 11:00) |
£40 (after 12:30) |
How much are the green fees and packages at Chigwell Golf Club for golf societies?
The golf society days at Chigwell Golf Club start from £50 per person and the club can cater for groups of 12 people or more. There are a number of different packages available (midweek only), with the most popular option shown below.
| Society Green Fee Type | Mon - Thurs | Friday | Sat / Sun & Bank Hols |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Breakfast rolls, 18 holes & light lunch |
£58 pp |
£63 pp |
N/A |
How much is the buggy and trolley hire at Chigwell Golf Club?
Chigwell Golf Club offer buggy hire and both electric and push trolley hire to visitors and golf societies. It is worth noting that the club currently only own 6 buggies, so if this is important to you, it is worth booking in advance to avoid disappointment. The current buggy and trolley hire rates at Chigwell Golf Club are as follows…
| Hire Type | Cost |
|---|---|
|
Buggy - 18 Holes |
£30 |
|
Buggy - 9 Holes & Twilight |
£15 |
|
Electric Trolley |
£10 |
|
Push Trolley |
£5 |
How do I book a visitor tee time at Chigwell Golf Club?
There are two ways to book a standard green fee for visiting golfers at Chigwell Golf Club:
Phone the pro shop on 0208 500 2384 or the office on 0208 500 2059.
How do I book a society day at Chigwell Golf Club?
When making an enquiry about a potential golf society day at Chigwell Golf Club or to book a specific package, the best bet is to contact the club directly by emailing info@chigwellgolfclub.co.uk.
Where is Chigwell Golf Club?
Chigwell Golf Club is located in Essex, England. It’s a good location in terms of accessibility, only 6.5 miles from the M25 and 5 miles from the M11. For those using public transport, the closest underground station (Chigwell, on the central line) is only a 7-minute walk.
Postcode for sat-nav:
IG7 5BH.
Full address:
156 High Rd, Chigwell IG7 5BH. England.
Key contact details for Chigwell Golf Club
Chigwell Golf Club website.
Chigwell Golf Club phone: 0208 500 2059.
Chigwell Golf Club Instagram.
Chigwell Golf Club on social media
For more information and insight about the visiting golfers experience at Chigwell Golf Club, check out our recent social media posts below, from when we visited the club.
Click here for ParUp Golf’s, course review post of Chigwell Golf Club on Instagram.
Click here for ParUp Golf’s, course review reel of Chigwell Golf Club on Instagram.
Using the ParUp Golf app at Chigwell Golf Club
If you are planning a trip to Chigwell Golf Club as a visitor or part of a society, don’t forget to download the ParUp Golf app to help with scheduling the event and powering the digital scoring and live leaderboards. The app will also help if you want to play Chigwell Golf Club, but don’t yet have anyone to play with and aren’t a member of a society. The latest version of the app can be downloaded on both iPhone and Android mobile devices.
All prices quoted and information shared were correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Date played (for course review): Sun 30th January, 2022.
If you enjoyed reading this golf course review and would like to see our reviews of other courses we recommend for golf groups and golf societies, you can check out the main list by clicking here or alternatively click here for golf course reviews specifically for those top courses in England.
About the ParUp Golf app
ParUp Golf is the ultimate free golf app for society golfing. Find and join a local golf society or golf group near you. Alternatively, you can also just use the platform to host and facilitate your existing golf society events, whilst enjoying a range of features including a digital golf scorecard and live leaderboards. Check out the full range of features on the ParUp Golf app by clicking here. The latest version of the app can be downloaded on both iPhone and Android mobile devices.
We have lots of new features coming very soon to the app, but are also constantly looking to improve the current offering, so if you have any feedback or suggestions, we’d love to hear from you – please email us at info@parup.golf