Prestbury: A Colt masterpiece in the Cheshire countryside
Why we would rather be playing this Harry Colt masterpiece in the Cheshire countryside
Boasting an outstanding layout, Prestbury Golf Club makes the most of the dramatic changes in elevation afforded by the hilly terrain. The nature of the site coupled with the sandy subsoil means that the course drains exceptionally well.
For those prepared to invest, they’ll uncover one of England’s finest inland courses – an undulating journey through the Cheshire countryside and Harry Colt’s mind.
History
Prestbury was founded by in February 1920 and Harry Colt was appointed to design the course. Nine holes were open for play on Easter Saturday the following year.
The official opening of the Club and the 18 hole course was three years later in April 1924.
The Club’s centenary in 2020 was sadly somewhat scuppered by the global pandemic, although Prestbury are aiming officially celebrate in 2024 which ties in nicely with the Club’s official opening date.
In recent years the Club enlisted the services of Mackenzie & Ebert who carried out an 18 hole review of the course who made recommendations for future improvements – mainly focussing on the trademark Harry Colt-style bunkering that the course boasts.
What makes Prestbury Golf Club special?
For people who are interested in golf course architecture, Prestbury is a course that is stands much the same as Harry Colt designed it.
Over the years the course has been well managed and it is routed cleverly. The back nine holes running around the front nine in a horse shoe like fashion, with the 6th green, along with holes 7 and 8, being the open ended part of the shoe.
Where does it rank?
161st in GB&I, 70th in England
Where is it?
Prestbury Golf Club is located in the village of Prestbury, on the outskirts of Macclesfield, about a 40 minute drive south of Manchester. The A537 (east-west) and A523 (north-south) run within two miles of the golf club.
Get in touch with Prestbury Golf Club
For more information about the club and course, visit their website or call them on 01625 828241.
You can play Prestbury on the NCG Top 100s Tour this year!
- Register now to play in our 2024 Prestbury event on August 22nd here.
Now have your say
Have you ever had the pleasure of playing at Prestbury Golf Club? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
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.
