This private golf club in Highgate is open to the general public during weekdays, at a relatively…read moremodest green fee of £35. The main advantage of this course is that getting there takes at most a half an hour drive from central London. It is probably the only 18 hole course so close to the centre. I have to say however, I was unimpressed with the course design. Most holes are short par 3 and par 4, which is understandable given the location. But most fairways are relatively straight and without much water hazards to make the game interesting. The elevation is particularly strange, at times making you climb up the considerably steep hills, which gets very uncomfortable with all the clubs you carry. Nevertheless, although this isn't the most exciting course, it's generally fine for practice, especially given the very convenient location. I wouldn't become a regular at this club, but when in no time to drive further out and reluctant to suffer through either morning or evening traffic, I come here once in a while.

Don't be put off by the car park or grubby, dated buildings as you enter the drive because once you…read moreget through to where the action is, there's actually a really nice view to be had and the chance for some good golfing fun. I've only used the driving range, but if the number of people out on the proper course are anything to go by, it seems to be a very popular place for a round of golf. The driving range is split over two levels (always opt for the top one as long as it's not raining, it's much less enclosed) and faces out onto acres of greenery. There's no annoying netting here, there's over a 250 yard distance on which to try your best swing, so plenty of space for the novice and the pro. As I mentioned before, the facilities aren't the best. But there is a bar and well-stocked shop etc. It's £5 for 100 balls on the driving range. The best thing is that it's only a short drive from the big smoke and you really do feel like you're in the countryside, which, on a sunny day, is priceless.

I am a member at this course, play every weekend, it Is a public course so anyone can play there…read more There is also a driving range and putting green for practice. The course is very nice course and is kept in good condition throughout the year. The people around the course are very friendly. Also there is a big room which hosts alot os different events I.e weddings, dance classes, which is handy if you are looking for that. All in all a very nice place to spend some of the weekend doing what you enjoy.

I have flirted with golf for many years and would probably play more if I had more time. The thing…read moreis that unless you are a golf nut, there simply isn't enough time to allow you to play 18 holes of golf at the weekend. Solution - Dukes Meadow. A 9 hole pitch and putt type of a golf course with the longest hole probably 200 yards. Now I am sure there will be a lot of people who say it isn't worth playing a course like this (the Golf nuts predominately) but I disagree for two reasons. Not all of us are golf nuts and secondly this must be good practice for the short game. They have a fully stocked shop, a driving range and you can also get lessons from a PGA pro. So if you want a knock about, a lesson or to practice those 9 irons into the green then Dukes Meadow on Chiswick Bridge is the place for you.

Bucket of balls is pricey (£5 or £45 for a ticket of 10 tokens) but the range is well kept. Mat's…read moreare replaced regularly as are tees of which there is a good choice in each bay. There must be a hundred bays but evenings are packed so expect to wait. The pros there are great and well worth a visit to hone your skills. I use Bruce who I highly recommend although I'm still rubbish at golf so there's something wrong there. There is a lovely and challenging par three course over the other side. It's £15 a pop but I consider that decent value considering how the course is laid out and kept. It's really very good. Tight greens, lots of traps and lots of water. And it's very picturesque. And where Duke's Meadow have really upped their game is in the cafe where you can now get decent drinks and very good grub ranging from burgers to chicken caesar salad and nice home made cakes. A far cry from where it used to be. It says in the prelim that it's not suitable for kids. I couldn't disagree more and there are loads of kids there. I bring my own and he loves the range, the putting green and the muffins! you can sit outside in the sun and watch people teeing off on the first and losing their balls straight away and it's all rather lovely. A little haven in the middle of London. Pricey but worth it.

Beautiful golf course near central London. Very well kept and manicured greens. Pleasure to play…read more Friendly staff and members. After golf we had a snack at the bar. There was a good selection of food including Beer battered haddock, burgers, Japanese style Chicken curry, udon, and much more.

Great course Super staff…read moreCustomer friendly

This review is just for the squash courts at Finsbury Leisure Centre - judging by the number of…read morepeople constantly playing 5 and 6-a-side football, that's popular as well, but I've just played squash here. Finsbury has four well-maintained squash courts. There is a terrific online booking site that allows you to make reservations up to 7 days in advance. Hours are extensive during the week, and weekends aren't bad though the first court times on Sat and Sun are 10 am (wish it was earlier.) Pricing is a little different from normal gym, though pretty reasonable - I think it was £50 for year-long membership, and then it's £7 per each 40 minute court time. I'm not sure about the rest of the gym, but if you're looking for a place to play squash this is a terrific option.

Just like the reviewer below, I don't use all the facilities at Finsbury - I am reviewing the…read morecentre for my experience with the swimming membership. First of all - if you are only a regular yet not every day swimmer, don't get discouraged by the messy website trying to offer you the cca 20gbp/month swimming monthly contract. It's a bit tucked away and harder to find, but there is a better way to do this. One swimming pass for a non-member is £4.90, but there is an option to purchase only a swimming membership (it cost me £20 or £25, I can't recall now, and for the love of god can't find it on the website), and from there on, I can pay as I go for swimming for only £2.50 each time (for an entire year). The pool is nice and clean, and reasonably warm. It operated on the standard way of one larger lane for slower swimming, and two smaller lanes for medium and fast swimming. I like that the pool never seems to get too busy, even during the office lunch hours. The changing areas are always kept clean as well. There are decent sized lockers (you will need a £1 coin, or you can purchase a locker token at the front desk). There are about four showers in the common showering area, and two showers closed booths for those who need privacy. Hair dryers are also provided. The staff are helpful and lovely, but if you are looking for some product that is not that frequent (e.g. my pay and play swimming membership), it might take them a while to figure out. It took me more than half an hour to sign up, as nobody knew my membership still existed. So that's where one of the stars comes off for me. The other star comes off because the facilities are quite basic - but I still think that for the price, they offer great value. If you fancy a swim in the City, try this centre out.

The Cobham Bowling Club is located near the recreation ground in Cobham, Surrey. It has all year…read moreround bowling Lawn in the summer and Short Mat in the Winter. When I first considered playing bowls I was offered a very warm welcome. As a complete novice I was offered free tuition and I am now a fully integrated member of the club even playing in some friendly matches. I wanted a new hobby and do not regret joining. The members are very friendly and I enjoy the game. I would fully recommend to anyone interested in a more sedate sport to consider taking up Bowling and if you live in the vicinity of the club it is a good place to start as a beginner. Some members in fact live up to 10 mile away so that must say something positive about this club. One nice point was I was not put under pressure to join.

A friendly Bowling club in Cobham Surrey which is suitable to both experienced players and absolute…read morebeginners . The latter are very welcome and free tuition is given. Friendly matches are arranged against other local clubs and there are also matches in the league for the more proficient players. Roll up games twice a week where you can practice with other members. In the winter there is short mat bowls in the club house so it is an all the year round game. There is a bar and regular social events. The club is always looking for new members and if you live in or near the area why not give Norman (01932 864863) or Elizabeth (01932 864863) to arrange a time and day to come down to give it a try. All you will need it a pair of flat shoes other equipment will supplied.no pressure to join so enjoy the opportunity to see if Bowls is a game for you. That is exactly what I did a couple of years ago and I have not regretted my decision. I have made new friends and am enjoying a different sport

I kinda wish this were my council community center…read more Friendly staff, and they didn't charge me a deposit to rent a badminton racket when I realised I had shown up with no cash. Lockers are unlocked by a token you get from the front desk, and this frees a key-wristband that you can keep with you while you sweat off some of that Sunday roast. Clean locker room, massive facilities for football, gymnastics, badminton, etc, I'll definitely be back! Close to buses and the Tube as well.

Treetops is one of the best soft play places I've see. I'm fortunate to live nearby. My child…read moreloves it. The prices are reasonable for the soft play and the snack bar as well. The only negatives are that they don't always enforce the no camera rule and it can sometimes get really crowded. Still five stars however.

Having walked passed the gates to York Hall I was pleased to have a good reason to enter through…read morethe boxing entrance tonight - my first ever Book Slam, and what an amazing experience it was. Not quite sure where they hide the swimming pool mentioned by so many other reviewers as the main space is dedicated to boxing. Tonight's event made the most of it with a number of boxing-related performances. Once we found a seat at this sold out event, we joined the food queue. Big disappointment as they had stopped serving and we missed out on jerk chicken and lamb stew. Unfortunately, the promise of taking orders for the interval turned out to be an empty one ... Joined the drinks queue instead and enjoyed a liquid dinner of cheap wine - from tiny bottles - they had run out of full sized ones ... classy drinkers these book reading folk! Somehow this slight sense of chaos went well with the surroundings which reminded us of better times long gone. It was a magical evening alround.

I got to York Hall to swim, having found that it's run by the same people as manage Ironmonger Row…read moreBaths so I'm automatically a member of both centres as well as loads of others, which is awesome. Compared to shiny new refurbished Ironmonger, York Hall is a bit grotty. The changing rooms look fairly dirty (bring flip flops!) and your 20p for the locker is not returned. Also it's 20p for a hairdryer! I also didn't really like that there were fairly old boys getting changed in there with their mums. I'm not particularly precious about that kind of stuff in general, but it made me feel a bit uncomfortable. The pool itself is huge and the medium lane is 3 lane widths which means you have an overtaking lane. I thought this would make my swim a lot easier than at Ironmonger where there's a lot of traffic but you tend to get people randomly floating about which messes the whole thing up. I don't understand why (a) they don't figure out they should just go to the giant designated slow lane and (b) why the staff don't say anything. Stressful. Overall though it's a very good pool and as it's super convenient to me I'll keep going. The whole historic/boxing side is really cool, too!