# Ramside Hall Cathedral Course Review



## Scotty Cameron (Jan 1, 2015)

OK, so 4 of us went to play on the new Cathedral Course at Ramside yesterday (New Years Eve) and I thought I would let everyone know what it was like. Winter green fees are in operation and its Â£80 per 4 ball.

The course has just been opened a few month as of writing and to be truthful it shows. There is still a lot of work going on and that can be seen all around you, bridges being finished off, new tarmac paths and so on. The course is a par 72 and plays 7176 off the Blues, 6877 off the Whites, 6558 off the yellows and for the girlies reading this it 5687 with a par of 73. Yes, this course is pretty long. Walking from the Clubhouse/Pro shop is about 8-10 minutes to the first tee, so make sure you are not late for your tee time, I knew this and we set off well in advance of our time slot.

First hole is a nice and easy par 5 of 495 yards off the tees of the day which were yellows, there was no white or blue tees played out. The tee boxes are long and nice and flat which will give the green staff plenty of scope for the marker placements. The course is an undulating one with narrow fairways and a lot of fairway bunkers which are well positioned to catch you out. Most holes had at least two or more fairway bunkers on either side, the second bunker was always on the opposite side of the first and a few yards further back which made it really hard not miss either if you had a wayward shot.

As well as the fairways being undulating the greens are even more so, there wasn't a flat green on the course and the pin positions could end up in some really nasty positions, there is loads of reading to be done on these greens even if you land your approach 3 foot from the pin.

Water comes into play on about 7 or 8 holes and there is a beck runs along the 12-13th holes which is part of the so called Amen Corner section of the course. All of the ponds were frozen over when we played and there was lots, I mean lots of balls just sitting on the ice, I can see these being full in the summer from players that hit wayward shots.

There is 4 par 3's. 4 par 5's and the rest are par 4's ranging from 295-444 yards off the yellows. From the Blues there are 4 par 4's over 450 yards so you can see its set up for the big boys to play. Most of the tee shots are to blind fairways, you have to aim for the markers in the middle, we found it pretty hard going as it was the first time any of us had played the course, after two or three rounds you will remember where the traps, hazards and green are positioned, we just played blind golf really. There is a lot of doglegs as well which makes it harder to see the greens and greenside bunkers, some of the green are well elevated and we were just hitting and hoping we were somewhere near.

The greens are really nice, with some cracking contours in them and I would really enjoy playing them in the summer when they would be a bit more bedded in, I would definitely say they are USPGA specced. The fairways still need a lot of bedding in, most were hollow tined and were a bit rough, but they can only get better as the year goes on. Not many trees around and its pretty exposed to the wind so will be a hard slog if there is a 15 + mph wind blowing, the courses protection are the strategically placed bunkers and undulating, sloping fairways.

On the whole I enjoyed myself even though I lost 3 balls (all on the par 3's) and it was a cold day. The walks between some of the greens to the next tee box are quite long and it is a bit hilly as well, especially around Amen Corner. Will definitely be going back late summer as the course should play a lot better after the grass is bedded in.


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## Lord Tyrion (May 20, 2015)

I posted this on a lounge thread my mistake, went through search and posted so was not aware of the section it was in. However it makes sense to put it here.

Played it yesterday, hail and all. Greens  were large, slow but immaculate and true. Fairways were equally perfect.  However beyond the fairways the ground was a mixture of bare, clumps of  grass, clover and thick whispy grass. Go into there and good luck in  finding your ball. Too much time was wasted looking for balls that were  barely off line. If the course is busy it is going to take a long time  to get round if they keep it the same. Get stuck with your ball lying  against a clump and again it was not good. Some of the holes were very  good but 13 was hateful and 14 not much better. On some holes the  fairways were no more than 10yds wide in their entirety making it very  tough indeed we are amateurs, not professionals. 

As has already been stated the course is long, the walk between holes  can be lengthy, where the next tee is is often unclear, there are too  many blind shots and it is hilly. I slept very well the night after  playing. This is a course where choosing to play off the yellows is not a  wimpy option, in fact I would recommend it for most people.

So, what did I think? This is a very tough course and at times it is  unfair. Saying that it is a test, a challenge and that is no bad thing.  If you are tempted then leave it until next year. Let the additional  grassy areas grow through so that not just the greens and fairways are  in good condition. It just is not ready yet in comparison to the other  courses in the area. This is a good challenge for good golfers but a  nightmare for societies and HH. For me, I would choose to play the  Prince Bishops course rather than this one. That is well established, a  good test but is more forgiving than the Cathedral. 

Ramside itself is undergoing redevelopment but the clubhouse is very  nice, the locker rooms are like a gentlemans club and the whole visit is  very pleasant.


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## patsiebusbridge (May 22, 2015)

I've played the course twice this year and whilst the first round had frozen lakes (thankfully, as i miss hit my tee shot on the first par 3, it bounced off the ice and ended up just short of the green!) the second round was marred by the first 3 or 4 holes being completely invisible due to pea soup fog. 

Interesting to tee off on the dog leg 1st when you can't see the group in front...

Anyway, it's going to be some course - but probably in a couple of years to be honest. There's plenty of interesting features to the course and it IS testing. It will be much, much better once the trees have matured.

I would comment that on my last round back in April, the fairways were pretty ropey and patchy. 

When reviewers class the course as "undulating" or "hilly", you'd better believe it. Between holes 11 and 12 (the start of "Amen Corner") there is a large tarmac path down to the 12th tee. Trust me, in frosty / wet weather and with a trolley, it's a bit nerve wracking as it must drop down some 40 - 50 yards in height. 

Also, don't forget from 14 to 15 you've got to go back up the hill...

The whole redevelopment of the course(s) is phenomenal and the facilities in general are top notch. The food in the clubhouse is most noteworthy.

Just a tip though - make sure you don't go to the 1st tee at the Prince Bishops and find out you are playing the Cathedral. It's a bit of a hike!


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## Lord Tyrion (May 22, 2015)

I'd forgotten about the tarmac path. We ended up walking to the side of it, it was safer. It will be lethal at times.


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## JT77 (May 24, 2015)

I was a member at ramside for a few years and always liked it. Good facilities and great staff. Really enjoyed 1-18 super course and greens were always spot on. Still have friends there hoping to get out on the new track this year, but maybe wait till next. Was told it will be very good in year or two when it beds in.


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## Marshy77 (Jun 14, 2017)

Thought I'd stick a review in here rather than a new review as we played both courses this weekend. 

Of the 2 courses this was the runner up. Course was in very good condtion, loads of work done on the course and apart from the bunkers it was in great shape. Bit of a walk to the first tee as mentioned but we were warned by the older gent in the clubhouse who was very helpful indeed, nice guy and gave us some good advice on the course.

Overall the feeling was that it still felt very new and far too many blind tee shots with marker posts not really helping from the tee. Few poor holes like the 13th, 14th and the 17th whilst looking a decent hole felt like it was a bit wrong. The holes on the top, maybe 8 and 9 were ok and felt like a stop gap before crossing over. Pin positions were so tough as like people have said the massive greens are very undulated which made simple putts very tricky on some greens. 

The course is very exposed and the wind was really blowing. Some of us are members on a moorland course and used to the wind but this worse as bad as we've played in up there which made it even tougher. The higher handicappers like myself got really beat up by the course and didn't enjoy it fully. 

Overall I wouldn't rush back to play it and not just because I played poorly I think there are better courses/hotel courses about.

The clubhouse is great, ok driving range, very pleasant staff in the golf part and clubhouse side. Prices are hotel prices, the food is really nice in the clubhouse and very reasonable. 

Will review the Bishop course too.


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## Deijavoo (Jun 14, 2017)

I played both courses a few weekends ago and thoroughly enjoyed them. 

I did however find that the distance between some holes was ridiculous, and it was generally a bit tougher than my skills will allow. That said I got easily my longest ever drive here due to an un-characteristic straight shot, wind behind me and the most ridiculous bounce. Every fairway was very hard.


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## Marshy77 (Jun 15, 2017)

Deijavoo said:



			I played both courses a few weekends ago and thoroughly enjoyed them. 

I did however find that the distance between some holes was ridiculous, and it was generally a bit tougher than my skills will allow. That said I got easily my longest ever drive here due to an un-characteristic straight shot, wind behind me and the most ridiculous bounce. Every fairway was very hard.
		
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Was the long drive on the 16th? Downwind about 340 yards long, pond to the left? Even though I was playing horrendous I manage to get away a decent drive on that hole to leave about 80 yards. I bet my ball bounced and rolled about 80 yards!!


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## Deijavoo (Jun 15, 2017)

It was the 3rd I think. Tee up in the sky and aim over the tree. We measured up where it finished and it was 305! Had a little wedge onto the green.

That is not a brag at all, total fluke and a very lucky bounce. No idea on the carry.


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## Marshy77 (Jun 15, 2017)

Deijavoo said:



			It was the 3rd I think. Tee up in the sky and aim over the tree. We measured up where it finished and it was 305! Had a little wedge onto the green.

That is not a brag at all, total fluke and a very lucky bounce. No idea on the carry.
		
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Oh yes, wedge over the pond to the rollercoaster of a green. My drive on the 16th was total fluke too, hit it ok and it just bounced down.


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