Sherwood Oaks is one of a number of clubs owned or operated by American Golf (UK). They are nothing to do with the golf discount company and most of their clubs are in the South East - although the company has or is making acquisitions in a number of Major UK cities. With the demise of so many clubs from the waves of expansion in the late 80 s and early 90 s, what can you expect from the UK s biggest operators of courses?

American Golf has taken over a few courses but Sherwood Oaks is a brand new venture - its actually just a year old and our review visit was to celebrate the opening of a second 18 at Sherwood, a ceremony wonderfully conducted by Ronan Rafferty on the 1st tee of the Waterloo and one well attended by the Press. All this for a new course - what was it like?

Firstly, the Summer weather for 2003 has not been all that conducive to growing grass, and canceling the Media day was an obvious option. American Golf had worked closely with the course builders throughout the project and were confident that tees and greens were well advanced. Their belief was justified as conditions were very good. The tees were wonderful, the greens well grassed and they will become outstanding - there was nothing wrong with them at one year old. Few course fairways have not been affected by this long hot Summer, even those with watering. These were perfectly playable for such poor growing conditions.

So to the layout of the Wellington, the slightly longer of the two courses. You have to slice the ball to make the first fairway, or play short of the trees. The second is another lay-up option or you can try to smash your tee shot over the little stream and maybe make the front of the green. Its then on to the third, easily the toughest hole on the course and one with plenty of dead ground in front of the green so your long iron needs to be well hit.

The fourth is a par three where when the pin is right, its a tough golf hole. Five asks you for a big hit to try for the green in two and if you lay back from the stream, this (and the fifth) are one of the tough greens to find the right place on. A good drive and a pitch will leave you with a birdie chance at the sixth.

The concept of a signature hole is modern golf language piffle, widely spread by some of the media who want to sazz up a course description, people who forget that golf is 18 holes, a journey every time a player pegs up on the first tee. No matter what standard a golfer is, a good course has tests and easier options (where you can take six if you are in any way complacent) in its 18 holes, so that no matter what, players come back and back. The seventh is beautiful architecture, risk and reward combined so well. Maybe the trees that run all the way down the right of the hole could be trimmed back - for anyone with a draw, the right half of the fairway is out of play. Hit a big power fade at the fairway bunker and you stand looking down to a green set slightly across the line of play, a lake to the left (all the way to the green) and with lay-up options not so easy. Hit a good drive and you will have to launch the ball towards the green for that birdie chance.

Eight comes back over the edge of the lake, and nine through eleven takes you back up and down to the highest point on the course where you can try for driving the 12th, a classic short par four with water and a devilish green. Its then up into the corner of the course with a gently bending right to left par four.

The 14th is an uphill par three and then you have one more par five, with all the difficulty for the drive. Sixteen turns left towards the clubhouse to the 17th, a long par three with water all over the place - not too close to the green though so its tough but playable. You then cross over the little lane to play back to the clubhouse with the 18th, a shorter positional par four.

Is it fun, for all standards of golfer? The answer is yes and as it matures, its sure to become one of the best condition new course in the region. Is it an architectural gem? The answer to this is no, but it probably wasn t designed to be. There are some good, some very good holes. Unaffordable loosing of tens of golf balls rapidly becomes a bore - £50+ for a green fee and with water lapping the greens, its not an evens chance that you won t complete a few holes .... that s not what Sherfield Oaks is all about, hence the lakes being set back from the greens and the streams narrow and shallow and the green fee much more affordable.

The first and the eighteenth don t really work for playability and you have to learn to enjoy greens like these with slopes everywhere. When the long bunker shot is the only bunker shot, the much more significant sectioning of greens is part of the modern architect s armoury. This combination makes definition harder to achieve and the beauty that older designed courses have isn t there as readily as it was.

The folly of pretentious clubhouses isn t part of what American Golf is all about. Sherfield can cope with large societies in what is a perfectly well equipped building for golf - the bars and hospitality areas look out onto the course and the locker rooms run off the Pro shop foyer area. Car parking is plentiful (and finished) and you have an excellent driving range just 50 yards away.

Worth a visit? Yes, and if you are a more casual golfer who can play the game (without getting the bug to make you play every day possible), it should be high on your list of places to play. The surrounding area has plenty for non-golfers to do ... so tick it off!