This club is famous for… a par 3 over the North Sea

Steve Carroll

There’s nothing like hitting over a big wedge in the earth to get our golfing senses tinging. And this hole, at Seahouses, is quite spectacular

Holes that make you hit shots over, well, large holes are ten a penny. Aren’t they?

The 9th at Turnberry, the 6th at Pebble Beach, the 17th on the Castle course at St Andrews – all are rather fine examples of the art.

But even they might tip their hat to 124 yards of brilliance on a course that’s found on the Northumberland coast.

Seahouses is more known for being a tourist hotspot – a gateway to the likes of Bamburgh, Lindisfarne and a host of other treasures in this breathtaking part of the world.

But the golf club more than holds its own in the scenery stakes and the 15th is the pick of the lot.

Known as The Cove, make sure you’ve packed a few extra balls in the bag when you arrive on the tee. For if you reveal any nerves, and any tension in your swing, you’ll be reloading.

The hole is basically played over the rocks to a green that’s slick and tricky to hold. There’s nothing between you and the dancefloor other than the North Sea.

North East England

If you’re not confident of finding the putting surface, it’s obviously better to be right than short.

Even that, though, will leave you with a tricky up and down for par.

Now it is known to blow in this part of northern England from time-to-time.

So study the pictures and imagine what you’d do when faced with a breezy crosswind.

I think we all know what the answer is: Panic.

Seahouses was originally a nine-hole layout founded more than a century ago and lengthened into 18 holes in 1976.

Great par 3s are a feature and by the time that you get to grips with The Cove, you’ll have already encountered the equally impressive 10th.

Logan’s Loch, named after the former Northumberland and English Golf Union president George Logan, requires you to ensure your tee shot flies over a former quarry.

With these two tests to overcome, it’s hardly surprising the standard scratch of 68 is hard to beat. It appears the old adage is true: good things do come in small packages.

This club is famous for… the moat over the 18th

This club is famous for… being Alister MacKenzie’s first design

About the author

Steve Carroll

A journalist for more than 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’d like to tell you he floats around 10. The reality is more like 13.

Steve plays at Sandburn Hall, in York, and is a country member at Close House in Newcastle. He has served on various club committees during his time in the game, and is the current Rules Secretary at Sandburn.

Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NCTJ exams at Darlington College of Technology. He began his career working on weekly papers in Newcastle, before joining the York Press in 2001. After five years as a news reporter, he joined the sports desk – specialising in horse racing and snooker – and was Digital Sports Editor when he joined National Club Golfer in 2016.

What’s in Steve’s bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; Caley 01T irons 4-PW; TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedges, Odyssey 2Ball Microhinge putter.

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