Tr avel report SHROPSHIRE

left-to-right dog leg, with the rows of trees that would become a feature of so many of this course’s holes lining the fairway on each side. Said fairway was, predictably, slightly waterlogged and heavily sprinkled with fallen leaves (it would have been a miracle had it not been, given the conditions), but the state of the greens was absolutely remarkable in the circumstances. Despite appearing wet and similarly covered in leaves, they were firm, true and astonishingly fast given the amount of water around.

As we made our way through the course, it became apparent the first hole wasn’t a one-off. Searching for balls amid a layer of sodden leaves was a relatively regular occurrence, as was clearing sycamore seeds and more leaves from the line of each putt, but the roll of the ball, once that had been done, was admirably consistent.

The signature hole at Telford is the 8th, and it serves as a microcosm of the course as a whole. Not imposingly long, it requires you to thread an accurate tee shot along the right of a left-to-right dog leg, opening up a second shot to a sloping green guarded well by an attractive lake. (For the record, I hit a great drive, then dumped my second in the pond. C’est la vie.)

The rest of the round was similarly topsy-turvy for me. With five holes to go, I was down by four. By the time we reached the 18th hole in the shadow of the hotel, I had a putt to win. I missed.

So Sean and I headed for a post-round pint all-square. Back in the warm, there was time for a visit to that award-winning spa before dinner. It was a nice place for a soak after dragging ourselves round the course, but it seems its strength is its spa treatments, which we didn’t have.

Aside from that, there’s a large pool, sauna and steam room, but not the jacuzzi that my aching limbs were crying out for. Bad weather failed to dampen the delights of the quality course at Telford. Below, the hotel and grounds, and (above) the pool

As well as golf and spa breaks, the hotel’s other major line seems to be in hosting events, with a multitude of function rooms, ideal for meetings, conferences, or (as was the case during our visit), weddings.

Having a pre-meal drink in the bar as guests arrived for the evening festivities felt slightly like we were crashing the party, so it was a relief to be seated for our evening meal. The menu was fairly standard restaurant fare, but presented elegantly and cooked well, with service to match.

From there, it was back to our spacious and comfortable room for Match of the Day and an early night, with the prospect of hitting the course again early the following morning.

I lost 5&4, but I don’t need to bore you with that…