It’s the week of the Cheltenham Festival and also the Players Championship. What more could you ask for?
Disciples of horse racing and golf are descending upon Prestbury Park and TPC Sawgrass this week, two cathedrals of their respective sports that should host much drama and excitement.
Horse racing and golf cross over more than people think. As horse racing courses are placed on huge pieces of grassy land, it provides the chance to build golf courses on said huge pieces of grassy land.
Fans of both sports might be able to name quite a few of these courses that sit in Great Britain and Ireland. I’m sure you’ve visited many of these golf courses too. Let’s visit some below.
ALSO: What are the best golf courses in North West England?
Golf courses at horse racecourses
Aintree
Aintree Golf Centre is planted in the middle of the Grand National racecourse. For the regular races during the April Aintree meeting that don’t extend to the four-mile slog, that portion of the race track is on the other side of the road.
But for example, on the 3rd hole of this nine-hole track, it runs parallel to a strip of the racecourse where you can occasionally see the fences and if you’re wayward off the tee on this hole, and the 9th hole, you can lose your ball on the track.
Aintree is an extremely affordable facility with a driving range and practice area and horse racing fans will relish driving over the Melling Road to the golf course.
Sandown
Sandown Racecourse has the Eclipse course inside it, named after the Coral Eclipse race that gets held at the venue each year. There is also the Masters par 3 course which is suited to families, juniors and less-experienced golfers.
The nine-hole course is 2871 yards and is a good length for a quick knock for an hour and a half. There are three par 5s and three par 3s, one being 202 yards long and it has out-of-bounds running down the side of the hole.
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It might not rival some of the very best golf courses in Surrey, a hotspot for world-class golf venues, but it is certainly unique. There is a driving range, a short game course and the Dominic Toms Golf Academy which helps any level of golfer develop.
Leopardstown
Leopardstown Golf Centre is located in the heart of Leopardstown Racecourse in Dublin. The centre was the benefactor of a recent €6 million investment by Horse Racing Ireland which resulted in a state-of-the-art facility to meet the needs of every golfer.
There is a 75-bay floodlit driving range with two levels to cater for golf tuition too. The centre has been a staple of the Irish golfing scene since the 1960s, created in conjunction with John Jacobs.
Tuition is provided by Impact Golf at Leopardstown where John Langan, Noel Fox and Hazel Kavanagh have taught since 2018. It really is a dream venue for those who both enjoy whacking balls and whacking bets.
ALSO: What are the best golf courses in Edinburgh?
Musselburgh
Musselburgh is arguably the most famous and the most ingrained golf/horse racing crossover in the history of golf. The Old Golf Course is the original Open Championship venue which hosted the event six times between 1874 and 1889.
Golf seems to have been played there for the first time in 1672, however Mary, Queen of Scots allegedly played there in 1567. If you look at a map of this legendary nine-hole golf course now, the 2nd hole, 3rd hole and 4th hole pretty much run alongside the racecourse.
In figures that will please every golfer, you can join Musselburgh for £265 as an adult, £175 as a senior golfer and £53 if you are not yet 18.
Doncaster
Doncaster Town Moor Golf Club is set in the heart of Doncaster Racecourse, host to flat racing in the summer and jumps racing in the winter. To the right of the 2nd hole, 3rd hole, 9th hole and to the left of the 6th hole, there is out of bounds on the race track.
Less than a mile from Doncaster Town Centre, compliments have rained down on this South Yorkshire venue for the quality of its greens and and general ability to remain open all year around.
Doncaster hosts the Lincoln Handicap in racing which many see as the season-opener of the flat racing calendar, as well as the St Leger which is one of the most prestigious and heritage-filled races in the sport.
Great Yarmouth and Caister
Great Yarmouth and Caister is one of the easternmost golf courses in England that dates back to the early 1880s. When the racecourse relocated, the golf course had to be revised and now, the horse racing track comes into play in several holes.
It starts and ends in the racecourse and it is a very unique set-up. It was a 13-hole layout to begin with but it was extended to 18 holes in 1883 by Tom Dunn of North Berwick.
Great Yarmouth and Caister has hosted the Great Yarmouth Challenge and the Blackheath Medal, as well as the Women’s British Amateur.
Ludlow
Ludlow Golf Club is inside the racetrack and it is one of the oldest golf clubs in Shropshire. It was founded in 1889 and it was remodelled in 1922. The course is 6,277 yards long
The highlights of this 18-hole layout include the short par-4 5th hole, the dogleg 8th hole and back-to-back par 3s on the 13th and 14th. Any golf course that has been touched by James Braid is always worth visiting.
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In terms of racing, the course originally hosted flat racing but is now a regular feature of the National Hunt scene with fences and hurdles.
Kelso
Kelso Golf Club is another 18-hole course inspired by James Braid. It was opened as a nine-hole course in 1913 but it was extended in 1980. It is a parkland-style course set within the Kelso race track and it is fairly flat.
The golf course is just over 6,000 yards and a highlight of the course is The Stank – a paved ditch which you can see on many holes. The par-3 15th hole is one of the better short holes in the area of the Scottish Borders.
Ben Sayers designed the original layout but it was redesigned by Braid. The club prides itself on having a welcoming, comfortable clubhouse and dining area.
Newcastle
High Gosforth Park is next to Newcastle Racecourse and Northumberland Golf Club is within the racecourse. The 18-hole Parklands layout is 6060 yards long and can test every level of golfer. The floodlit range features 28 bays, 10 of which have TopTracer technology.
There is also an 18-hole mini-golf course which provides an alternative experience for beginners and families. You only pay £20 for a green fee in the week at High Gosforth Park.
The racecourse hosts big race days such as the Fighting Fifth and the Eider chase in the jumps sphere, and the Northumberland Plate on the flat.
Gowran Park
Gowran Park in Kilkenny, Ireland hosts huge race days but also many golfers all year round. Horses have run around the track since 1914 and the golf course is only a recent development, opened in 2001.
The 18-hole course was the first project in Ireland of the Jeff Howes Golf Design team. Features of the golf course are tree-lined fairways, water hazards and satisfying bunkering and putting surfaces.
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The par-4 4th hole is called Azalea, based on the 13th hole at Augusta National. This hole is preceded by the exciting par-5 12th which is a double dogleg.
NOW READ: What are the best golf courses in England?
NOW READ: What are the best golf courses in Scotland?
NOW READ: What are the best golf courses in Ireland?
Have you played any of these golf courses at horse tracks? Can you name any more golf courses at horse racecourses? Tell us on X!
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