I played my first round of the year at Willingers Golf Club in Northfield and now have played back-to-back rounds there to finish the year (although the forecast does look nice next week).

The changes to the clubhouse have turned out very nice. It’s not quite Legends Club nice (also owned by the same people), but it is an improvement on the old setup.

We’ve always wanted to play the tips at the end of the year and we did for both rounds. Playing to 6,809 yards with a rating of 74.4 and a slope of 150, these tees present a totally different playing experience from the whites (5,936 yards) and the blues (6,310 yards).

The most striking differences in my opinion are the first, ninth, twelfth and fifteenth holes. Each of these gives a very different perspective off the tee and makes precise driver shots even more important. Very fun.