As the home to some of the best inland courses in the north of England, why is Yorkshire so underrated as a county when it comes to golf?
The county was the birthplace of one of the greatest golf course designers in history, with Dr Alister MacKenzie being born in Leeds in the 19th Century Prior to the First World War, he had already designed the two courses that most will know in the city.
He then had a hand in two more, with Leeds able to boast about four fantastic venues, all of which sit within a couple of miles from each other to the north of the city.
Throw in venues in Sheffield, York and towards the coast in Scarborough, and you have a great variety of layouts, from championship tests to true parkland courses.
Read on to try and work out why Yorkshire is so underrated, considering the quality of golf that the county has to offer…
RELATED – NCG Top 100s: Yorkshire
Why should make the trip to Yorkshire to play golf?
If you piece together the administrations of North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and East Yorkshire – all of which are their own regions as such – then you get the biggest county in England.
Yorkshire has a range of cities, including Sheffield, Bradford and Leeds, all of which have their own golfing identities and charms. It is the latter though, that has arguably the best quartet of courses, all of which were either designed or altered by the great Dr Alister MacKenzie.
Alwoodley is one of Yorkshire’s golfing greats – and the birthplace of MacKenzie’s design career. He was also one of the founding members of the club, along with being the club’s captain shortly prior to the First World War. To this day, it remains a tough heathland course, but if you can keep it on the fairway, then it is also a course that can yield birdie opportunities.
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Two years later, MacKenzie was the brainchild behind Moortown. His second design would arguably become the more famous of the two, as it would host the first ever Ryder Cup to be held on British soil. That came in 1929, two decades after the course opened.
MacKenzie also made alterations at Headingley before the start of the First World War, at a club which can lay claim to being the oldest golfing venue in the city of Leeds.
The other venue in the quartet is Sand Moor, which sits less than half a mile from both Moortown and Alwoodley. MacKenzie was the designer of this layout, which opened in 1922, and offers stunning views of the Eccup Reservoir and beyond.
Move away from Leeds, and you’ll find even more stunning inland golf courses. Travel east and you’ll find Fulford – a course with one of the richest tournament histories in the region.
The venue, which is just outside the city of York, played host to the European Tour for two decades, and has an honours’ board with the likes of Greg Norman, Sam Torrance and Sandy Lyle, to name a few.
Keep going down the A64, and you’ll eventually come to Ganton, which sits in the middle of nowhere. Despite being ten miles inland from the coast and the town of Scarborough, the course has links qualities with gorse bushes and tight, springy turf to play off. It is the highest-ranked of all the Yorkshire venues on the NCG Top 100s: England list.
The city of Sheffield also boasts two of the finest inland layouts in the north of England, with one of those having also hosted the Ryder Cup…
Lindrick played host to the competition in 1957, the last time that Team GB&I were victorious before the famous change to include players from Continental Europe as well.
A few miles to the west sits Hallamshire, the gateway between Sheffield and the Peak District. The home of Matt Fitzpatrick, it was at Hallamshire where the 2022 US Open champion learnt the game of golf!
Book your space to play in Yorkshire on the NCG Top 100s Tour!
The NCG Top 100s Tour will visit Yorkshire on two separate occasions in 2026, starting with a week that includes visits to Lindrick and Hallamshire in April. We then return to the county in July, with events at Moortown, Sand Moor, Headingley, Alwoodley and Fulford!
South Yorkshire & Nottingham Swing
- Book your spot to play at Lindrick on the NCG Top 100s Tour on April 23rd, 2026 here.
- Book your spot to play at Hallamshire on the NCG Top 100s Tour on April 24th, 2026 here.
Yorkshire Swing
- Book your spot to play at Moortown on the NCG Top 100s Tour on July 20th, 2026 here.
- Book your spot to play at Sand Moor on the NCG Top 100s Tour on July 21st, 2026 here.
- Book your spot to play at Headingley on the NCG Top 100s Tour on July 22nd, 2026 here.
- Book your spot to play at Alwoodley on the NCG Top 100s Tour on July 23rd, 2026 here.
- Book your spot to play at Fulford on the NCG Top 100s Tour on July 24th, 2026 here.
Now have your say…
Have you ever played golf in Yorkshire before? Would you agree with us that Yorkshire is arguably the most underrated county in the United Kingdom when it comes to golf? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
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