Letter of the Month

Thank you for the 100 Hidden Gems supplement with the May issue. I’ve already played a few of them and they have indeed put a broad smile on my face. I’ve also found delight in playing on courses where they would not qualify as a hidden gem in their entirety, but where you do stumble upon an individual hole that both thrills and entertains – holes that you feel would grace any course you have ever played.

For me, one such is the 6th at Gatton Manor in Surrey. All the more so because the true beauty of the design slowly reveals itself as you crest various slopes after a tricky blind drive. Suddenly, there in front of you is an approach that must carry an attractive dell with a stream meandering through it. Depending upon your drive and the wind, you might be taking anything from a 3-iron to a wedge towards a green that falls off to the stream on the left and is guarded on the safer right side by a bunker. Wonderful!