Played by NCG: Wheatley

Reason for a Wheatley Golf Club review

I moved to South Yorkshire in early 2017, so I’ve been working my way through all the county’s golf courses since.

Where is Wheatley Golf Club?

Wheatley is on the outskirts of Doncaster, in Armthorpe, near the M18.

What to expect

Like most urban golf courses, Wheatley is very tight and compact. Indeed, all the par 5s are reachable in two for mid-handicappers like me.

It’s relatively short – just shy of 6,400 yards off the white tees – as it winds its way through the trees in two loops of nine.

The best word I can think of to describe Wheatley is pleasant. Everything, from the tees to the fairways, the rough to the greens, is very neat and tidy and well-kept. The facilities are also excellent, with an art deco clubhouse that looks a little bit like Royal Birkdale’s – but with a water tower instead of a clock…

Favourite hole

There are several really enjoyable holes, but my favourite is the par-4 13th, which is a lot of fun. A blind tee shot into a fairway that sweeps down, then up, then round to the right and down the hill again.

My best bit

The 7th is a straight-as-an-arrow par 5, of which you can see the whole hole from the raised tee.

My second shot found the rough to the right of the green, with nothing but sand between the ball and the hole. A risky flop shot later – honestly, I reckon I pull off 1 in 10 – and I was left with a tap-in for a particularly pleasing birdie.

What to look for

There can’t be many golf courses where six holes in a row without a par 4 – holes 3 to 8 are either a par 3 or par 5. They’re all great, too.

On the putting green, one of the members told me the par-3 6th – pictured at the top of this page being expertly tackled by my playing partner – is “the most difficult stroke-index 18 in the world”. Hyperbole? Of course. But it is a tricky green that slopes from right to left and is well protected by sand at the front and a steep run off at the back.

When I go back…

I will keep the driver in the bag and pull the 3-wood instead. You don’t need the big dog here nearly as much as you think you do when standing on the tee.

For more information, visit Wheatley Golf Club’s website.

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