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Latest review, County Durham
Seaton Carew Golf Club
Founded in 1874, reshaped by Alister MacKenzie, and played among the dunes at the mouth of the Tees with a nuclear power station on the skyline. The best golf course I have played.
9.0Overall
Recent reviews
Newest first
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County Durham
Brancepeth Castle Golf Club
A Harry Colt original from 1924, laid out in a deer park, cut in half by a ravine, and played in the shadow of a medieval castle. One of the least shouted-about great courses in the North of England.
8.6 out of 10 -
Northumberland
Bellingham Golf Club
Founded in 1893, doubled to eighteen holes in 1996 by a club secretary who designed the new nine himself, and set in the North Tyne valley between Hadrian’s Wall and the Scottish border. The best value round in the North East.
7.7 out of 10 -
County Durham
Wynyard Golf Club
Martin Hawtree’s Wellington Course hosted the Seve Trophy in 2005 and still plays like a championship venue. Thirty years on, is it the best inland test in the North East?
7.9 out of 10 -
Northumberland, Two courses
Slaley Hall
Two championship courses on a thousand acres of Northumbrian forest and moorland. The Hunting has hosted Montgomerie, Westwood and Goosen. The Priestman has the views. Which one should you actually play?
8.0Hunting7.3Priestman
The card at Bellingham is a trap, and a very polite one.
The Rankings
North East courses, best first
| No. | Course | County | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seaton Carew, MicklemAlister MacKenzie, 1925 | County Durham | 9.0 |
| 2 | Brancepeth CastleHarry Colt, 1924, Reviewer is a member | County Durham | 8.6 |
| 3 | Slaley Hall, HuntingDave Thomas, 1989 | Northumberland | 8.0 |
| 4 | Wynyard, Wellington CourseMartin Hawtree, 1996 | County Durham | 7.9 |
| 5 | BellinghamFounded 1893, eighteen holes 1996 | Northumberland | 7.7 |
How every course is scored
Six categories, weighted
40%
Design and layout
Routing, variety and the quality of the holes. The one thing a club cannot put right with money.
15%
Conditioning
Greens, fairways, tees, bunkers and how the course drains, scored for the month it was played.
15%
Green complexes
Shaping and contour around the greens, and how fairly a miss is punished.
10%
Welcome and service
The pro shop, the starter, and how a visitor is actually treated.
10%
Clubhouse and food
Whether you want to stay for an hour afterwards.
10%
Value for money
What you pay, measured against what you get.
The policy
The overall score is calculated from the six categories, never adjusted by hand, so any number on this site can be checked. Green fees are paid in full unless a review says otherwise. No club pays for a review or a score, and where I am a member of the club, it is declared at the top of the review and on the rankings.
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