This club is famous for… once having a par 4 and a 1/2
Does anyone know how this would have worked?
Maybe all those stunning views of the Lake District had gone to the heads of a few of the chiefs at Windermere back in 1920.
The course had a par of 72, but you might have needed some fine arithmetic skills to work out your handicap on individual holes.
That’s because the 1st had a par of 4 and a ½. Yes, you read that right. 4 and a 1/2.
And it wasn’t the only one to employ an odd scoring system.
The 8th was a par of 3 and a ½, while there were also two 3 and a ½ holes on the second nine.
Play through and add it all up at the end, I suppose.
Today, Windermere is known for being one of Britain’s most scenic clubs.
It is often referred to as a ‘miniature Gleneagles’ and you won’t be disappointed if you pitch up for a round.
You won’t find a single bunker on the course but there are plenty of other ways to tot up a snowman.
Crags and boulders abound in the middle of fairways.
If they don’t send your ball careering off in an entirely different direction, the nearby foliage will claim any errant shots.
Windermere celebrate their 125th birthday this year and, for the first 18 months of their existence, were only a 9-hole course.
It soon became 18 but, unusually, the course returned to 9-hole status during the Second World War.
The steward, professional and greenkeeper all joined up to fight for King and country.
Windermere didn’t have enough staff to maintain the course.
Now it is flourishing and, if you like your golf quirky and unusual, it’s a course you simply must visit.
This club is famous for… a par-6 hole and a totem pole
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
