NCG’s Yorkshire Golf Guide

The county is home to nearly 200 courses – from championship venues to great-value gems waiting to be discovered – we take a look at what it has to offer with our Yorkshire Golf Guide.

Deer, squirrels, rabbits and a variety of birds can be regularly spotted at gorgeous Pike Hills, located just outside of York.

The course is built around Askham Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, meaning you will found yourself immersed in wonderful wilderness.

The course offers a strong mix of long and short holes, meaning good course management is essential to a good score. You will also find a consistently great playing surface thanks to the course’s excellent drainage

Call 01904 700797 or visit the Pike Hills website for more information.

Robert Trent Jones Sr’s only UK course is a superb layout of 27 holes in the undulating countryside of north Leeds. The three loops of nine are distinctive and can be played in any order you desire.

Expect big, contoured greens, water hazards and wickedly placed bunkers. This is a stern test with lightning-fast greens – and it is hugely satisfying to tackle. The par-3 17th, played over water to a raised green, is the feature hole.

Call 01132 661154 or visit the Moor Allerton website for more information.

With eight par 4s over 400 yards (five from the yellow tees), expect tough scoring and a rigorous test when you tee it up at Kirkbymoorside. But also expect glorious views of the Yorkshire Wolds and Hambleton Hill thanks to the club’s location in the foothills of the North York Moors.

Make sure you get your phone primed for the scene from the 13th tee, which is considered to be one of the best in the county. The club also boasts a fine clubhouse, ideal for relaxing with a post-round beverage.

Call 01751 431525 or visit the Kirbymoorside website for more information.

Headingley

With two influential courses designers – Dr Alister MacKenzie and Harry Colt – helping to shape the varied and dramatic terrain, you know you are in for a treat when you tee it up at Headingley.

The oldest club in Leeds is set on the edge of the beautiful suburb of Adel, just five miles from the city centre. Henry Cotton was said to be so impressed by the par-3 17th that he described it as one of the best short holes he had ever played.

The challenging Wike Ridge course and 12-hole The Oaks, along with a welcoming clubhouse, a Leadbetter Golf Academy, driving range and footgolf, make the modern Leeds Golf Centre a one-stop swing shop.

The 2nd on the Wike Ridge is worth going to experience alone – weighing in at 629 yards – and the 6th, with a green guarded by two separate ponds, is also a highlight. Millions have been spent transforming this complex over the last decade and the venue is reaping the rewards.

Call 01132 886000 or visit the Leeds Golf Centre website for more information.

Bingley St Ives

Dr Alister MacKenzie’s influence can be seen throughout at Bingley St Ives thanks to tiered greens and a natural feel. It’s this quality that attracted some of the game’s greats – Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino – to grace the turf at Bingley St Ives.

Those who tee it up here are often left wowed by the mix of parkland, woodland and moorland terrain as well as the views along the Aire Valley, Bronte Country moorlands and imposing Rombalds Moor.

Call 01274 562436 or visit the Bingley St Ives website for more information

Found in 200 acres of East Yorkshire countryside, Cottingham Parks, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in August, is an easy-walking, picturesque course. It makes exceptional use of the natural landscape, which is further enhanced by several man-made water features. But Cottingham Parks is more than just a golf club.

There is also a riding school, salon and state-of the art gym. It also offers a comfy base for your round in the form of two and three-bedroom lodges.

Call 01482 842394 or visit the Cottingham Parks website for more information.

Part of Cottingham Parks, Skidby Lakes offers a different yet equally challenging test to that of its neighbouring Parks course. Opened by Sir Ian Botham in 1999, the course was redesigned in 2016 and now has a better flow and more variety thanks to the introduction of dogleg holes.

Although only a par 68 and 5,619 yards, the small and tricky greens can quickly see your score building. Like the Parks course, the Lakes has benefited from extensive landscaping and a planting programme of more than 3,000 trees.

Call 01482 844003 or visit the Cottingham Parks website for more information.

Pontefract was first established in 1904 as a 9-hole course on land belonging to a local park. In the early 1920s, the course was laid out on adjoining land and then extended to 18 holes based on a layout drawn by Dr Alister MacKenzie. A gently undulating parkland course, there are several standout holes throughout the round. Look out for the par-4 16th, dubbed by the club as the course’s ‘sting in the tail’.

Call 01977 792241 or visit the Pontefract website for more information

Get your camera at the ready for the sensational views from the cliff-tops of Flamborough Head. During a round, the North Sea forms a spectacular backdrop as the layout follows the contours of the headland.

Take a breath at the 5th and check out the distinctive Old Beacon lighthouse, built in the 17th century. When you aren’t distracted by the views, the course, dubbed the ‘friendliest club on the coast’, provides a tough but enjoyable test.

Call 01262 850333 or visit the Flamborough Head website for more informaiton.

Designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie, Cleckheaton is true challenge for golfers of all abilities with its long, narrow greens, big bunkers and undulating layout. Often cited as the course’s feature hole, the par-3 5th boasts an elevated tee over a brook to a tight green. The par-4 16th is another standout hole. The risk-and- reward hole leaves players with the conundrum of whether to go for the green from the tee and carry the ravine, or play safe and lay up. It’s great theatre, especially when the wind is blowing.

Call 01274 851266 or visit the Cleckheaton website for more information.

Dr Alister MacKenzie’s handiwork once again crops up at Garforth, a gorgeous parkland layout found to the east of Leeds city centre. The Cock and Carr Becks flow through the gently undulating course, creating a natural threat to posting a strong score.

The club takes great pride in its final four holes, calling the stretch “possibly the finest four holes in the North of England”. And with holes like the 15th, an uphill 444-yard par 4 with the Carr Beck guarding the green, it’s hard to argue with that claim.

Call 01132 863308 or visit the Garforth website for more information.

Found just south of York city centre, The Oaks is a gorgeous parkland layout built in harmony with its natural woodland setting near to the Derwent Ings, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. With greens built to USGA specifications and a length of more than 6,800 yards from the white tees, you will certainly be tested at The Oaks. However, several wide fairways will allow you to open your shoulders from the tee.

Call 01757 288577 or visit The Oaks website for more information.

Found to the south of Sheffield and on the edge of the Peak District, Dore and Totley is home to a mature parkland course boasting 23 holes.

The course is relatively flat but its subtle features ensure that golfers of all levels need to be on top of their game in order to score well. Renowned coach Pete Cowen, who has coached big-name stars including Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood, was a former professional at the club.

Call 0114 236 8972 or visit the Dore & Totley website for more information.