Country Membership. Help me decide

[Pickapocket]

First post in a while, finally got round to sorting the password out.

Question for NW based golfers, looking for some insider knowledge.

I'm based in Leicestershire and am a member at Charnwood Forest but have roots and family in Wigan (Ashton in Makerfield to be exact) I've got a job and a dynamic that allows me to get up and see the folks every couple of weeks so am going to bite the bullet and go for a Country Membership up there. Thoughts and considerations are...

Locality to parents house. I will be leveraging them to look after my son so can't be away all day.
Ability to play in some club comps
Quality of course and year round playability
Practice facilities

As it stands Ive narrowed it down to 3...

Haydock Park:
Very local and seems like a very tidy well conditioned place
Bolton Golf Club:
Premier course in Bolton? Its a bit further away but does look the part. Practice facilites look spot on. Strangely is the cheapest of all the options which I find odd.
Bolton Old Links:
Clear year round option. Not sure about practice facilities. Do like the course but its the most similar to where I already play and again a bit further away.

Any thoughts on these clubs to help me make a decision, whichever I go for I'll be getting a great deal but need it to be as informed a choice as possible.

 

[Fish]

30mins to West Lancs & 36mins to formby, I know where I'd be heading

 

[louise_a]

Absolutely I agree with Fish, seems a no brainer, head for the coast.

As fro the ones you have mentions, both Bolton courses are pretty decent tracks, Haydock is shockingly wet in winter. I do quite like Ashton in Makerfield.

If you want inland course, Warrington is a good one and also drains well so is pretty good in winter.

 

[richart]

I assume you will not be telling any of the clubs your nickname ?

 

[Junior]

Formby don't do country membership. They only offer this category to members who have moved away.

Depending on your travel situation, S&A, Fairhaven, Preston and St Annes Old Links would be near the top of my list.

Of those you mention , I prefer Bolton Old Links to Bolton Golf Club. I'd also strongly consider Pleasington which is in the vicinity your talking about and a bargain at £347.

 

[Qwerty]

Ormskirk is worth a look. Not sure about getting in there though.
Not too far away from Ashton, Drains well, No mats in winter, V Good Facilities and a very good course.
I believe its difficult getting in as a regular member but no idea about Country etc.

I don't know if you've made the journey but to get from
Ashton in Makerfield to the Bolton courses is a serious pain,
Your either cutting through Wigan which is hard work or taking a big detour round The M6 & M61 or A580 (East lancs rd).
Not a Journey I'd like to make Regular.
Pleasington would be much easier to get to, pretty much all Motorway, Also better than the Bolton Courses.

 

[Pickapocket]

Hmm the coastal option is just that bit too far away, similarly Pleasington/Preston. The vision is that i should be able to nip out at first light and get 9 in and still get back in time for breakfast, Wigan side of Bolton is about the boundary for me.

I guess I gravitate to the courses on that side of Wigan as I grew up playing junior golf in the Bolton leagues.

Any members of Haydock here? Just to get a handle on how wet it does get. From what I've seen on their Twitter the course doesn't look that wet.

 

[Karl102]

I have played Ashton in Makerfield and Haydock a fair bit. Haydock is shorter, but both are a good test. I would prefer AIM to Haydock, but like Louise said, it does get wet, it's not closed, but it does restrict some holes.... both nice enough tracks if you don't want to head out to the coast...

 

[clubchamp98]

Hmm the coastal option is just that bit too far away, similarly Pleasington/Preston. The vision is that i should be able to nip out at first light and get 9 in and still get back in time for breakfast, Wigan side of Bolton is about the boundary for me.

I guess I gravitate to the courses on that side of Wigan as I grew up playing junior golf in the Bolton leagues.

Any members of Haydock here? Just to get a handle on how wet it does get. From what I've seen on their Twitter the course doesn't look that wet.

Grange Park in St. Helens best course in the area its why I went there .
Ticks all boxes.
check the website.

 

[IanM]

Back in the 90s the folk I used to work with did an annual trip to Southport coast...
One year we were looking for a n other on the way up.... someone else from the area suggested Ormskirk.

I got loads of stick for booking it as no one had heard of it (all Southerners)

....blimey wrong! It was excellent. Best course no one had heard of! No recent experience, but it was really good

 

[clubchamp98]

Back in the 90s the folk I used to work with did an annual trip to Southport coast...
One year we were looking for a n other on the way up.... someone else from the area suggested Ormskirk.

I got loads of stick for booking it as no one had heard of it (all Southerners)

....blimey wrong! It was excellent. Best course no one had heard of! No recent experience, but it was really good

Ormskirk is not what it used to be played it a lot ,it's wet in the summer and was shocking this winter.

 

[Liverbirdie]

Grange Park in St. Helens best course in the area its why I went there .
Ticks all boxes.
check the website.

Ahhhhh, so thats where you are - we had all narrowed it down to Childwall.

Nice track Grange, played a few opens there in tough conditions.

I played Haydock once and it was soaking wet, AIM is interesting.

Deffo Old links over Bolton.