Rockliffe Hall: The hardest course in England

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Why we’d rather be playing this incredible delight in the northeast of England

Rockliffe Hall| Source: Rockliffe Hall

One of the newest, longest and toughest courses in the United Kingdom – Rockliffe Hall is a gem in the northeast of the country.

The course has been around for less than two decades, but it has already garnered plenty of attention. At a touch under 7,900 yards from the tips, it is one of the longest tracks you will find in the country.

It also has the accolade of being the hardest golf course in England, so don’t be expecting to shoot a low round if you do take the trip there!

History

The original plans for Rockliffe Hall date back 250 years to 1774. There is plenty of history surrounding the venue, including famous faces, film sets and much more…

However, it wasn’t until well into the 21st Century that the championship golf course was constructed. Following the change of ownership, with Middlesbrough FC buying the venue, the golf course was built and opened in 2009.

The European Legends Tour held tournaments at the venue in 2013 and 2014.

What makes Rockliffe Hall special?

Quite simply put, it is the hardest course in England.

If you want a challenge, then this is the place for you! At 7,879 yards from the gold tees, the Course Rating is a whopping 79.3 – 7.3 strokes harder than the par of 72.

With three par 5s of more than 600 yards, and three par 3s of more than 200 yards, if you’re looking for length on a golf course, you’ve come to the right place.

There are plenty of other special features at Rockliffe Hall Golf Club, with the par 3 5th offering up a glorious island green to attack.

Where does it rank?

25th in GB&I Resorts

Where is it?

Rockliffe Hall is in the northeast of England, on the banks of the River Tees, between Croft-on-Tees and Hurworth-on-Tees.

Darlington is just five miles north, while Middlesbrough is 18 miles east. Middlesbrough FC’s training ground is right next door to Rockliffe Hall. Teesside International Airport is only ten miles from Rockliffe Hall.

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Get in touch with Rockliffe Hall

Rockliffe Hall

For more information about the venue and course, visit their website or call them on 01325 729999.

You can play Rockliffe Hall on the NCG Top 100s Tour this year!

  • Register now to play in our 2024 Rockliffe Hall event on July 9th here.

Now have your say

Have you ever had the pleasure of playing or staying at Rockliffe Hall? 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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