1 Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin)
SIMPLY one of the finest courses in the country, let alone the county of Lincolnshire. Its fairways are firm, the greens smooth and quick and the bunkering ferocious. The Hotchkin, though not especially scenic, is also very good value, especially when combined with a game on the Bracken (see below).
Nearest town: Woodhall Spa
2 Seacroft
UNFASHIONABLE yet those who take the trouble to visit are in for a treat. It has all the classic elements of links golf, including an out-and-back routing that ensures one half always plays much longer than the other. Go here once and there is little doubt you will return.
Nearest town: Skegness
3 Belton Woods (Lakes)
THIS De Vere resort has two 18-hole courses but the Lakes is the one to prioritise. As you’d expect from the name, there is plenty of water to test your skills and judgement. When the greens are at their best in the summer a game here is a real treat.
Nearest town: Grantham
4 Forest Pines
WITH three loops of nine, all of them worthy, Forest Pines is an ideal venue for a day out – or better still an overnight trip staying on site at the hotel. The Forest and Pines nines are the strongest two at a venue that can be thought of as Lincolnshire’s answer to Woburn.
Nearest town: Scunthorpe
5 Woodhall Spa (Bracken)
DONALD STEEL added the Bracken (below) to the established Hotchkin at Woodhall Spa in the 1990s and created a layout that might border its famous sibling but is altogether different in character. This modern course deserves greater recognition – the routing is intelligent and the greens are a real challenge.
Nearest town: Woodhall Spa
The Forest and Pines nines are the strongest two at a venue that can be thought of as Lincolnshire’s answer to Woburn. 6 Lincoln
TORKSEY, as it is known to the locals, has been the site of this club for over 100 years, with half of it designed by Open legend JH Taylor. It is a mature parkland with an attractive clubhouse, so it’s a throughly pleasant day’s golf.
Nearest town: Lincoln
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7 North Shore
DESIGNED by James Braid, North Shore has a hotel on-site. Make a trip of it and you can combine playing here with nearby Seacroft. The course (below) is an unusual combination of seaside holes and parkland, so there is never a dull moment here.
Nearest town: Skegness
8 Kenwick Park
ON the outskirts of the attractive market town of Louth, it is a modern venue with outstanding facilities – including a hotel and spa. Now 20 years old, the course has matured nicely. With a fair amount of water, strategy is often crucial.
Nearest town: Louth
9 Elsham
LOCATED in a tranquil corner of the Lincolnshire Wolds is a club where Tony Jacklin played most of his immediate non-competitive post Open Championship victory golf.
This picturesque parkland is on the fringes of the Ancholme Valley.
Nearest town: Brigg
10 Market Rasen
CELEBRATING its centenary, Market Rasen, a town most famous for its racecourse, also has a fine course with lovely natural hazards, notably the River Rase. Nearest town: Market Rasen
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