The five courses I’m going to play when lockdown is over
Golf courses to play after lockdown: Formby Ladies
You might be starting to see a pattern here. If I’m picking up the clubs again after so many months, I’m not going to be trekking round 7,500 yards of rough-cluttered pain. I want to have fun.
Few courses fit the bill better than Formby Ladies – and not just because I tied my lowest ever score here (76) on the first round of my club’s weekend away when I was captain.
I can leave the driver – easily my worst club – in the car and everything is reachable with a well-placed tee shot and good approach.
But don’t think you can just roll this place over. The fairways are tight, the greens are tiny, and you’ll need to have every part of your game working well to score here.
It’s been described by one of NCG’s Top 100 panellists as “Muirfield scaled down into a bite-sized, manageable, entertaining links.” What more invitation do you need?
- Related: Top 100 Fun Golf Courses in GB&I
- Related: Top 100 Golf Courses in England
What’s the final destination on Steve’s post-lockdown road trip? Find out by turning the page…
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.
