Played by NCG: Headingley
Where is Headingley?
Six miles north of Leeds city centre
Reason for going
An early round on a beautiful summer morning. What more reason do you need?
What to expect
A quality heathland track which routes you through some lovely north Leeds countryside. Great variety of holes, plenty of raised tees offering picturesque vistas.
Very well kept. Has a nice, quaint feel about the club – a bit of a hidden gem due to other courses in the area being a bit more famous. Headingley doesn’t get the credit it deserves.
My best bit
The start is great with a gentle par-4 downhill towards a green protected by a brook. Then there’s a couple of really good testers.
The middle holes are fairly average which is probably why Headingley isn’t held in higher regard but the closing stretch is fantastic.
The 16th is a short but challenging par-4, the 17th is one of the best par-3s in the area and 18 requires a drive over a revenue before an approach over or around some trees back to the classic clubhouse.
Watch out for
Check your yardages as there are some posts which look like 150-yard markers when actually they are only 100. No one wants to see a thinned 8-iron smashing into said clubhouse.
When I go back..
I’ll consider hitting something other than driver off the 1st.
Particularly when teeing off at 7am, you’re asking a lot of yourself to produce a great swing first up.
A half-decent hybrid or fairway wood can get you within range for your approach. I’ll also club up on 17. Because it’s downhill you can be tempted to take a club less but it’s hard to know what the wind is doing.
Get a number to the pin and then just hit to that. Don’t end up short in the bunker like I did.
