Played by NCG: Close House (Colt)
Reason for a Close House (Colt) Golf Club review
I’m a country member at Close House and try to get up at least once a month. I’ve got a long history with the place, having often played the sister Filly course as a student when the estate was owned by Newcastle University.
Where is Close House Golf Club?
A ten-minute drive outside of Newcastle city centre, you’ll find Close House in the village of Heddon-on-the-Wall.
What to expect
Don’t expect to get the best of the Colt first time out. Designer Scott Macpherson has said it’s a course that doesn’t give its secrets away easily and those of us who’ve played it a few times have a definite advantage over first timers.
There are some places you just can’t go: you’ll find yourself buried in deep fescue or in a spot where it’s difficult to play an approach.
You’ve just got to be accurate – finding fairways and greens bring huge rewards. So it’s probably no surprise it’s so fondly regarded by attached professional Lee Westwood, one of the best drivers of a ball in the world.
Westwood’s had an increasing say in the shape of the course, having been heavily involved in work to ‘toughen’ the layout up for the arrival of the British Masters, which he is hosting.
Bring a trolley. You’ll definitely good a workout on some strenuous climbs as you go round. The second, seventh and 10th instantly spring to mind.
The latter’s a par-5 that basically is vertical for 500 yards. The rewards come at the summit, though. From the 11th and the 13th you’ll witness some wonderful views of the whole of the Tyne Valley.
Favourite hole
The par 3 14th is one of the most picturesque on the course. It’s the calm before the storm, too, with the stroke 1 15th – and its terrifyingly tight drive – just a couple of shots away.
Your tee shot shoots through trees enclosing either side and the back of the green, so it is difficult to accurately assess the wind. A new bunker has recently gone into the front right but all the danger comes if you are short.
The trap and a deep drop into some tangly stuff awaits anyone a little to the right.
It plays around 157 yards for the members and isn’t not the Colt’s hardest hole. But it might be the prettiest.
My best bit
This came on another par 3, the 9th. Now you may think a regulation three isn’t much of a reason to get the bunting out.
But if you play this hole off the blues, it comes in at 206 yards. It’s nearly all carry as well, over a large pond and a deep trap sitting right in front of the green.
I’m hitting a full hybrid into this and, even if I’m lucky enough to get it on target, it’s difficult to hold the mushroom shaped putting surface.
A run off area slopes dramatically off the right and the back. The green itself isn’t short of a contour or two. So when I found the centre of the dancefloor in regulation, and two-putted, I was ecstatic.
What to look for
It’s named the Colt for two reasons. The inspiration behind the design was the legendary course architect Harry Colt. The names of the two Close House layouts, though, also reflect a passion of owner Graham Wylie.
He’s a prodigious racehorse owner, some of his former equine heroes including the Cheltenham Festival winners Inglis Drever and Arcalis. As you make your way round the complex, look out for the ornate sculptures – including a spectacular driftwood horse statue behind the 18th green.
When I go back
I’ll be there for the duration of the British Masters. I’ll be interested to see how Europe’s best deal with a course that tests my game to the limit.
For more information, visit the Close House website.
Played by NCG: Close House (Filly)
Played by NCG: Hexham Golf Club
Played by NCG: Ramside Hall (Cathedral Course)
Click here for the full list of Played by NCG articles.
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.
