First off, a big thanks to 2Blue who pointed out the summer offer to play these two lovely courses and stay nearby. Without his post I would not have seen the offer and taken it up.
Okay, to anyone who does not know about these courses they are situated pretty much next door to each other to the north of Leeds. They are both designed by Alister Mackenzie, the great course designer who had a hand in designing parts of Augusta National. I've played 3-4 of his courses now and there is a theme to those I have played that these two followed again. Apologies to aficionados who disagree with my reading of this but based on my experiences:
You have to be able to hit a clean tee shot. He likes rough in front of the tee, an area to clear. No scuttling, no thins allowed
He likes fairway bunkers, in a line across the course. There will be a pathway through them but you need to find it, be short or very long.
He protects the greens. Boy does he do that. Bunkers surround them, lots of them, big uns.
He wants proper golfers on his courses. They are not for the faint hearted, not for occasional hackers.
So, bearing this in mind first up
Moortown
Moortown hosted the Ryder Cup in 1929. This is both good and bad. The course is fabulous, properly fabulous, but the club remained frozen in 1929, more later.
This is a tough course, a really tough course. Maybe worse because of the baked fairways, same for Alwoodley. You need decent carries off a number of tees, the tees are protected like no other course I have played. It was great though. Perfect greens, even in this weather. I am sure this must host various amateur comps, it is certainly up to it. I didn't play well here so that clouds my judgement a little but whilst this was great to play I don't think I could be a member here. It would beat me up too much. No shame in that I don't think but for a home course you need to be a serious player to play here.
Downsides. We were stuck behind a competition that was painfully slow. This didn't help us. We were held up on every shot on every hole, the golfers playing hitting the rough too often, too many provisionals, too much searching. It took some of the fun out of it, no question. We chatted to some other golfers, not playing the comp and they were beside themselves apologising. They were embarrassed. They reckoned it added around an hour to the round. Comps have priority though don't they, no matter how slow the players are. I don't get that but that is a discussion for another thread.
The Clubhouse remains in a 1929 timewarp. Some on this forum would love it, red leather chairs, dark wood at the bar, little rooms off big rooms, an air of superiority, a dress code that is enforced (don't you dare show an ankle at Moortown! I saw two old guys wearing rugby socks up to the knee, their preferred sock length. They looked ridiculous, even more so in 27°C heat. Why don't they just wear trousers asked my son? Why does it matter? I had no answer). It was a place where Peter Alliss would hold court and reel off stories to other similar aged golfers. I found it frumpy, uncomfortable. I wasn't sure which rooms we could go in, which we couldn't. Possibly all were open but the signs were from a bygone era and we just weren't sure. It was not a place to relax in. There was a more open bar but the air was the same.
All in all, great course but only play if you are in form. It was a good experience but I would not be rushing back
Alwoodley
I instantly liked Alwoodley more. Funky clubhouse, friendlier welcome, no sock police. You go past the pro shop and are faced with a perfectly groomed 1st tee, the 18th green in the background, all framed by the clubhouse terrace and clubhouse itself. I smiled instantly.
The course is tighter than Moortown, not quite as many bunkers but still enough. It is not quite as hard as Moortown, imo, but it is still a real test. Take plenty of balls with you. The greens had been lightly sanded, or fertilized, but they had no impact. They were wonderful. Hole after hole of total joy. Not a weak hole on the course, you have to think about every shot. I'm not good at remembering individual holes but I have a vague memory of 7 onwards having some real jaw droppers. After a while we stopped saying 'great hole'. I played better here but it is another course where being straight is paramount. No point blasting it here if you are off line. I imagine it is a real beast when the heathland grass is not burned back. As well as being able to afford the green fees this place could eat golf balls. Thankfully not too many for me but you could see the potential.
After the round we sat on the terrace and enjoyed the view of the 1st tee and 18th green. Food and drink were pleasant and fairly priced. The clubhouse had been revamped and rooms lightened and opened up. I spoke to the bar manager and he said this was deliberate. There were too many rooms that looked like members rooms, it was off putting to visitors he said. I smiled, hear that Moortown! It was smart, knew it was good but didn't lord it over you. I could relax there.
I really enjoyed Alwoodley and would play again like a shot. Once again, I don't know that I could be a member here, too tough for regular rounds, but to come back would be something I would really look forward to.
A few pictures for you, remember that visually it may not look as good due to my camera, perspectives and the grass looking like burnt straw. Don't blame the course for this.
This was my approach shot to a green. Spectacular shot, hitting down a steep hill to a protected green
The par 3 9th. See what I mean about having to clear rough from a tee shot
That Mackenzie fella knew a thing or two about course design and you could do a lot worse than play these two. Just pack plenty of balls, practise your tee shots and make sure you are not stuck behind any comps, incidentally it took us 3hrs 15 for a 2 ball around Alwoodley and we didn't rush, we did look for balls.
A true test of golf and a real pleasure. Highly recommended.
Okay, to anyone who does not know about these courses they are situated pretty much next door to each other to the north of Leeds. They are both designed by Alister Mackenzie, the great course designer who had a hand in designing parts of Augusta National. I've played 3-4 of his courses now and there is a theme to those I have played that these two followed again. Apologies to aficionados who disagree with my reading of this but based on my experiences:
You have to be able to hit a clean tee shot. He likes rough in front of the tee, an area to clear. No scuttling, no thins allowed
He likes fairway bunkers, in a line across the course. There will be a pathway through them but you need to find it, be short or very long.
He protects the greens. Boy does he do that. Bunkers surround them, lots of them, big uns.
He wants proper golfers on his courses. They are not for the faint hearted, not for occasional hackers.
So, bearing this in mind first up
Moortown
Moortown hosted the Ryder Cup in 1929. This is both good and bad. The course is fabulous, properly fabulous, but the club remained frozen in 1929, more later.
This is a tough course, a really tough course. Maybe worse because of the baked fairways, same for Alwoodley. You need decent carries off a number of tees, the tees are protected like no other course I have played. It was great though. Perfect greens, even in this weather. I am sure this must host various amateur comps, it is certainly up to it. I didn't play well here so that clouds my judgement a little but whilst this was great to play I don't think I could be a member here. It would beat me up too much. No shame in that I don't think but for a home course you need to be a serious player to play here.
Downsides. We were stuck behind a competition that was painfully slow. This didn't help us. We were held up on every shot on every hole, the golfers playing hitting the rough too often, too many provisionals, too much searching. It took some of the fun out of it, no question. We chatted to some other golfers, not playing the comp and they were beside themselves apologising. They were embarrassed. They reckoned it added around an hour to the round. Comps have priority though don't they, no matter how slow the players are. I don't get that but that is a discussion for another thread.
The Clubhouse remains in a 1929 timewarp. Some on this forum would love it, red leather chairs, dark wood at the bar, little rooms off big rooms, an air of superiority, a dress code that is enforced (don't you dare show an ankle at Moortown! I saw two old guys wearing rugby socks up to the knee, their preferred sock length. They looked ridiculous, even more so in 27°C heat. Why don't they just wear trousers asked my son? Why does it matter? I had no answer). It was a place where Peter Alliss would hold court and reel off stories to other similar aged golfers. I found it frumpy, uncomfortable. I wasn't sure which rooms we could go in, which we couldn't. Possibly all were open but the signs were from a bygone era and we just weren't sure. It was not a place to relax in. There was a more open bar but the air was the same.
All in all, great course but only play if you are in form. It was a good experience but I would not be rushing back
Alwoodley
I instantly liked Alwoodley more. Funky clubhouse, friendlier welcome, no sock police. You go past the pro shop and are faced with a perfectly groomed 1st tee, the 18th green in the background, all framed by the clubhouse terrace and clubhouse itself. I smiled instantly.
The course is tighter than Moortown, not quite as many bunkers but still enough. It is not quite as hard as Moortown, imo, but it is still a real test. Take plenty of balls with you. The greens had been lightly sanded, or fertilized, but they had no impact. They were wonderful. Hole after hole of total joy. Not a weak hole on the course, you have to think about every shot. I'm not good at remembering individual holes but I have a vague memory of 7 onwards having some real jaw droppers. After a while we stopped saying 'great hole'. I played better here but it is another course where being straight is paramount. No point blasting it here if you are off line. I imagine it is a real beast when the heathland grass is not burned back. As well as being able to afford the green fees this place could eat golf balls. Thankfully not too many for me but you could see the potential.
After the round we sat on the terrace and enjoyed the view of the 1st tee and 18th green. Food and drink were pleasant and fairly priced. The clubhouse had been revamped and rooms lightened and opened up. I spoke to the bar manager and he said this was deliberate. There were too many rooms that looked like members rooms, it was off putting to visitors he said. I smiled, hear that Moortown! It was smart, knew it was good but didn't lord it over you. I could relax there.
I really enjoyed Alwoodley and would play again like a shot. Once again, I don't know that I could be a member here, too tough for regular rounds, but to come back would be something I would really look forward to.
A few pictures for you, remember that visually it may not look as good due to my camera, perspectives and the grass looking like burnt straw. Don't blame the course for this.
This was my approach shot to a green. Spectacular shot, hitting down a steep hill to a protected green
The par 3 9th. See what I mean about having to clear rough from a tee shot
That Mackenzie fella knew a thing or two about course design and you could do a lot worse than play these two. Just pack plenty of balls, practise your tee shots and make sure you are not stuck behind any comps, incidentally it took us 3hrs 15 for a 2 ball around Alwoodley and we didn't rush, we did look for balls.
A true test of golf and a real pleasure. Highly recommended.
Last edited:
