This club is famous for… being one short of a century
Clubs are often very pleased with themselves if they can offer 36 holes for golfers to tackle. But, at one Devon complex, they scoff at such a ‘paltry’ offering.
For at Manor House you’re going to need a few changes of clothes, and a number of days, if you are going to get round every hole at the Okehampton venue.
The Manor House Hotel and the Ashbury Hotel, to give it the full Sunday name, are the only sport, craft and spa hotels in the United Kingdom.
There’s all sorts to get stuck into, including bowls, tennis, even enamelling. The 600 acres of countryside, with views across Dartmoor and across towards Exmoor, come straight out of the pages of a novel.
But it’s the 99 holes that should have every golfer licking their chops at the prospect of getting a few rounds in.
They comprise of four different 18-hole courses – Kigbeare, Pines, Beeches and Oakwood – and there is also the Willows short course that runs over just short of 2,000 yards.
The Ashbury course, which sees combinations of the Pines front and back to add a further two 18-hole options, simply adds to the choice and the layouts themselves offer a huge amount of variety.
The Pines does what it says on the tin, with its tree-lined fairways demanding great accuracy.
But mature trees, hedges and ponds are integrated throughout all the courses at Manor House and will leave you eager to get round again and again. You might need to book another week, though.
This club is famous for… being Alister MacKenzie’s first design
This club is famous for… its infestation of bunkers
This club is famous for… the Stableford scoring system
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.
