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Delamere Forest: Forest by name, heathland by nature

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Why we would rather be playing this Herbert Fowler heathland in the northwest…

Delamere Forest

The name of the course might lead you astray somewhat, as Delamere Forest is actually one of the best heathland courses in the north of England.

Originally designed in the early 20th Century by the great Herbert Fowler, a recent six-year programme from the former half of Mackenzie & Ebert has brought the course back towards Fowler’s original design.

Delamere Forest is one of Cheshire’s finest golfing venues, with the layout running through heathland and tree-lined fairways, all while being within an hour from both Liverpool and Manchester.

History

1910 saw the opening of the golf course at Delamere Forest, and it was Herbert Fowler – of The Berkshire and Walton Heath fame – that designed the original layout.

James Braid, Sandy Herd, Ted Ray and James Arundel were the men to open the course with an inauguration match that same year. Braid was the victor, with a score of 77.

The course has continued to host some of the best golfers in the world. In 1967, it staged qualifying for the Open that was being held at nearby Royal Liverpool.

What makes Delamere Forest Golf Club special?

Despite having ‘Forest’ in its title, trees play a mere support role at this natural heathland course.

Fowler’s design regularly calls on players to undertake blind drives and carry long distances, especially on the challenging opening five holes.

If you are seeking that perfect picture for Instagram then make sure you have your phone to hand on the higher parts of the course.

Delamere Forest

Where does it rank?

54th in England, 1st in Manchester

Where is it?

Delamere Forest Golf Club is located in the heart of Cheshire, south of both Liverpool and Manchester. The centre of both cities are within an hour from Delamere. The forest itself is just to the northwest of the venue, with the A54 and A556 both running around a mile south of the club.

Get in touch with Delamere Forest

For more information about the club and course, visit its website or call them on 01606 883800.

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You can play at Delamere Forest on the NCG Top 100s Tour this year!

  • Book your spot to play at Delamere Forest on the NCG Top 100s Tour on September 2nd here.
  • You can also play at Macdonald Portal, Caldy and Fairhaven in our Cheshire, Wirral and Fylde Coast Swing – check that out here.

Now have your say

Have you ever had the pleasure of playing at Delamere Forest? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!

About the author

Matt Coles
Matt Coles

Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…

Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.

He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.

Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…

Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.

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