The Golf Lover's Guide to England

By Michael Whitehead

“Details the author’s selection of thirty-three premier English Golf Clubs. It is comprehensive, useful, well illustrated and an up-to-date reference book.” —West Sussex Golf Club

Every golf course around the world has one thing in common—they are all unique. Golf provides a different experience wherever you go. No two courses are ever the same and each has their own captivating story to tell.

Blessed with a rich and varied landscape, England has a prolific collection of coastal links and inland courses created by some of golf’s most cherished craftsmen; Sunningdale (Park Jr. & Colt), Walton Heath (Fowler), St Enodoc (Braid), Alwoodley and Moortown (MacKenzie) to name just a few.

This guide offers a golfer everything they would require to enjoy a great round of golf at the best courses England has to offer. All the information you need is right here—par scores, yardage, green-fee price indicators, booking procedure, history of each club and how best to play the course.

England is where golf’s greatest artists have gifted us moments to treasure for eternity. A young Ballesteros lifting the claret jug at Royal Lytham & St Annes, Bobby Jones storming to victory at Hoylake on his way to the grand slam, and who can ever forget Nicklaus and Jacklin bringing their titanic Ryder Cup battle to a close with a famous handshake at Royal Birkdale.

Sharing a border with its spiritual home, England is undoubtedly golf’s exquisite front garden.

“What really makes the book come alive is the amount of research Michael has clearly put in. Only the most ardent golf historian wouldn’t find out something new.” —UKGolfGuy.com

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jan 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9781526756343

Book preview

THE NORTH

SILLOTH ON SOLWAY GOLF CLUB

The Club House,

Station Road, Silloth,

Wigton, Cumbria,

CA7 4BL

www.sillothgolfclub.co.uk

Phone: + 44 (0) 1697 331304

Email: [e-mail]

General course information –

Par: 72 (Blue/White/Yellow) / 75 (Red)

S.S.S: 73 (Blue) / 72 (White) / 70 (Yellow) / 75 (Red)

Slope rating: 136 (Blue) / 133 (White) / 132 (Yellow) / 131 (Red)

Length: 5,806yds–6,641yds

Longest hole: Par-5 5th, 499yds– 559yds / Par-5 17th, 464yds (Red)

Shortest hole: Par-3 9th, 110yds–142yds

Type: Links

Handicap Certificate: Not required

Green fees:

(Low season)

 per round (weekdays & weekends)

(Shoulder season)

 per round (weekdays)

 per round (weekends)

(High season)

 per round (weekdays & weekends)

Caddies: Not available

Equipment hire:

Clubs, buggies and trolleys all available via the pro shop [phone].

How do I book a round of golf?

Silloth on Solway welcomes visitors at all times during the week to play the links course. Tee-times are available after 9.30 am midweek, 10.30 am Saturdays and after 11.30 am on Sundays.

There are three ways to book a round of golf at Silloth on Solway Golf Club:

Online:

www.sillothgolfclub.co.uk/Visitors/Bookateetime

Phone:

[phone]

Email:

[e-mail]

Price Guide: up to £49      £50 – £99       £100 – £149       £150 – £200       over £200

HISTORY

In 1910, at just 19 years of age, Cecilia Leitch (more commonly known as Cecil) accepted an invitation to play a 72-hole match against two-time Men’s Open champion, Harold Hilton, to be held at Walton Heath and Sunningdale. Hilton, seen as the golfing superstar of his day, was expected to win handily. However, young Cecil would shock her illustrious opponent – and a partisan crowd – winning 2&1.

Cecil would go on to claim victory in no less than twelve national tournaments, including four British Ladies Amateur Championships, and is now rightly regarded as one of the pioneers of women’s golf.

Her playing style was in sharp contrast to other female golfers at the time, hitting the ball hard, straight and long. It was a style that served her well and one learnt the hard way from a tender age among the blustery surroundings of her local links course at Silloth on Solway Golf Club.

Formed in 1892 by the North British Railway Company as part of a wider expansion of Silloth to help promote the town as a popular tourist location, the original course was laid out by Davie Grant who learnt his trade across the border at North Berwick. Grant’s design, at just over 4,500yds, was described as ‘sporting’, which was a Victorian term for rough and hazardous.

Steep slopes either side of a narrow green at the 4th hole (The Mill). Any approach shot must be handled with care. Silloth On Solway Golf Club

In 1898 another East Lothian golfing resident, Willie Park Jr., would apply his expertise to bring the course into the modern era. Park’s changes added over a thousand yards to the overall length and introduced a number of blind and semi-blind tee shots still in evidence today.

In 1915 Dr Alister MacKenzie was asked to cast his architectural eye over the course. However, the doctor’s full design proposals would not find universal agreement among the club committee, with only his changes to the third green and fourth tee gaining their approval. Both of these MacKenzie alterations remain to this day.

PLAYING THE COURSE

When you reach the 5th tee of this fascinating links course just forget about golf for a few seconds and take a good look around you. Here is where you find answers aplenty to the one nagging question that comes up time and time again about Silloth, isolated as it is away from England’s golfing hotspots; is it worth the trip?

On a clear day, you’ll see the Isle of Man on the horizon about sixty miles out in the middle of the Irish Sea. On your left sit two of the highest mountains in England – Scafell Pike (the highest) and Skiddaw carved along the northwest tip of England’s Lake District. Across the Solway Firth lies the aweinspiring landscape of Dumfries and Galloway.

There are many, many reasons why this particular golf journey will always be worth it and the panorama that greets you here is most definitely one of them. At Silloth on Solway, Mother Nature definitely keeps her side of the bargain.

Thanks to the efforts of Messrs Grant, Park Jr. and Dr MacKenzie, the course doesn’t let you down either. Full of character and intrigue from start to finish, it grabs hold of you on the first hole and refuses to let go until you make your last putt.

The course is a fairly traditional out and back layout usually playing into the wind on the front-9 and behind on the back-9. Only the 4th and 13th holes face the opposite direction both going out and coming back.

All the fun at the 1st hole begins with your approach, which is blind towards a sunken saucer-shaped green set into the sand dunes. Aim left with your drive for the best line over the plateau for your second shot. The opening hole is the perfect pre-cursor of how to score well on many of the longer holes at Silloth where the best policy is to land short and run up to the putting surface.

There are a few exceptions to this, particularly at the dogleg left, par-4, 3rd where the green is elevated so anything too short will simply roll back down the hill. The best line from the tee is along the left leaving you with a pitch up the slope. A putt from the back needs a steady hand towards the pin.

Your tee-shot on the par-4 4th is blind over a high ridge of sand dunes toward a bottleneck fairway. Trouble awaits behind the green with steep slopes left and right so either a high pitch or a bump and run approach needs to be right up the middle.

The 9th is only a short par-3 but often played into a stiff breeze with a green surrounded by pot bunkers. Silloth On Solway Golf Club

When you’ve finished admiring the stunning panorama at the 5th tee (take your time) you need to reach for the driver and aim your tee-shot right down the centre of the fairway. All the trouble here runs along the right so keep your approach toward the green along the left.

The 9th is a terrific short par-3 and is the signature hole on the front-9 offering another glimpse of the surroundings that will take your breath away. If the wind’s blowing, choose your club wisely, nothing other than right at the centre will do. A par here is one you’ll remember long after your round has finished.

The back-9 begins with a fabulous risk/reward dogleg left par-4 at the 10th. Big hitters can take on the corner to try and reach the green. Otherwise aim just beyond the two bunkers on the left of the fairway to leave a short pitch.

The 10th hole is called ‘Blooming Heath’. The green is well guarded by bunkers left and right. Silloth On Solway Golf Club

13 SIGNATURE HOLE : PAR-5 13TH, 439YDS–511YDS, ‘HOGS BACK’.

A short par-5 with no bunkers, this hole is an absolute enigma to all who play it, which is why so many see it as their favourite on a course with many worthy contenders.

Your tee-shot needs to be right down the middle towards the large elevated ridge. From this point, the shape of the fairway (hence the hole’s name) can wreak havoc with your approach, deflecting what can look like the perfect shot off into deep heather and gorse on either side.

The 16th is the last par-3 which, due to its length and clever design, offers a tough choice between going straight for the elevated green or landing short and running up to the putting surface with your second shot. Bunkers left and right front wait for anything not on line.

The tee box at the par-5 17th sits in front of a wide valley the members like to call ‘Duffers’, ready to catch hold of any tired tee-shots – this is one place at Silloth where you’re unlikely to appreciate the view so, if any motivation were needed, make sure your drive is straight and true.

The 18th is named after the late Viscount (William) Whitelaw, a long-standing member at Silloth and former president of the club until his death in 1999. The fairway is flanked with bunkers on the right and thick heather and gorse on the left. The long, narrow green has two bunkers at the front, so best to aim toward the back with your final approach.

18-hole courses nearby

 SEASCALE GOLF CLUB

A fine course with plenty of character, approximately one hour’s drive south, down the coast road from Silloth. Formed in 1893, the links course at Seascale was originally created as a joint effort between Willie Campbell and George Lowe.

Website: www.seascalegolfclub.co.uk

Email: [e-mail]

Telephone: [phone]

Par: 71 / 74 (Red)

Length: 5,621yds–6,450yds

Type: Links

Fees:

 per round / day rate

 CARLISLE GOLF CLUB

Surrounded by mature parkland, this beautiful inland layout is regarded as one of the finest of its kind in the north of England. Founded in 1908, the course is regarded as a tough test for both low and high handicappers.

Website: carlislegolfclub.org

Email: [e-mail]

Telephone: [phone]

Par: 71 / 73 (Red)

Length: 5,562yds–6,249yds

Type: Parkland

Fees:

 per round (weekday)

 per round (weekend) / day rate

Lake District

 ULVERSTON GOLF CLUB

Lovely parkland course offering terrific views over Morecambe Bay and the Lake District. Originally created by Alex Herd (Champion Golfer of the Year, 1902) and redesigned by Harry Colt in the 1920s. (Limited availability for visitors on Tuesdays and Saturdays).

Website: www.ulverstongolf.co.uk

Email: [e-mail]

Telephone: [phone]

Par: 71 / 74 (Red)

Length: 5,648yds–6,264yds

Type: Parkland

Fees:

per round (weekday)

per round (weekend)

 WINDERMERE GOLF CLUB

Set on high ground in the heart of the Lake District. The par-3 8th at Windermere provides unobstructed views across the incredible, surrounding landscape and is the signature hole on the course.

Website: www.windermeregolfclub.co.uk

Email: [e-mail]

Telephone: [phone]

Par: 67 / 70 (Red)

Length: 4,548yds-5,122yds

Type: Parkland

Fees:

per round

View from the 8th green at Windermere Golf Club. Windermere Golf Club.

Yorkshire

GANTON GOLF CLUB

Ganton,

Nr Scarborough,

North Yorkshire,

YO12 4PA

www.gantongolfclub.com

Phone: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

General course information –

Par: 71,72 (Blue) / 73 (White) / 72 (Yellow) / 76 (Red)

S.S.S: 75 (Blue) / 74 (White) / 72 (Yellow) / 77 (Red)

Slope rating: 138 (Blue/White) / 133 (Yellow) / 145 (Red)

Length: 6,063yds–7,016yds

Longest hole: Par-5 13th, 468yds–565yds

Shortest hole: Par-3 5th, 150yds–159yds (Par-3 10th, 132 yds, red tees)

Type: Inland Links

Handicap Certificate: Required (maximum handicap is 28 for men and 36 for ladies)

Green fees:

(Low season)

 per round / per day (Weekday / Weekends & Bank Holidays)

(Shoulder season)

 per round /   per day (Weekday)

 per round / per day (Weekend & Bank Holidays)

(High season)

per round / per day (Weekday)

per round / per day (Weekend & Bank Holidays)

Twilight rate:

per round (after 4 pm)

Caddies: A limited number available. (Booking in advance via caddiemaster [phone]).

Equipment hire:

Buggies available on medical grounds (personal buggies not allowed). Clubs and trolleys can be hired from the pro shop in advance on [phone].

How do I book a round of golf?

Ganton welcomes visitors to apply for a tee-time during the week. There are no tee-times available on Saturday mornings.

There are three ways to book a round of golf at Ganton Golf Club:

Online:

www.gantongolfclub.com/Visitors/Greenfees

Phone:

[phone]

Email:

[e-mail] / [e-mail]

Price Guide: up to £49      £50 – £99       £100 – £149       £150 – £200       over £200

HISTORY

Originally formed as The Scarborough Golf Club in 1891 by a group of gentlemen who both lived locally or chose to holiday in the fashionable spa town. The family of Sir Charles Legard Bart, one of the founding members, owned the Ganton estate, ten miles inland from Scarborough. Sir Charles recommended a patch of land adjacent to Ganton Village as a suitable site for a golf course. Sixteen years later, the name was changed to Ganton Golf Club.

The development of golf courses at this time coincided with the expansion of the railway around Great Britain and Ganton was no exception. Many members travelled to the course by train, where they were met by their caddies who would then accompany them on the short walk between Ganton Station and the clubhouse. At the end of each day, 10 minutes before the last train was due, a bell would ring both inside and outside the clubhouse, prompting members to make their way back to the station for their journey