Courses in Durham

Mastercracker

Mastercracker

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May 16, 2014
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I'm heading up to Durham area for a few days next week and I'm going to take the clubs. Not sure on where to play between Brancepeth Castle, Ramside Hall or Barnard Castle. Anybody played any of these and got any recomendations?
 
Brancepeth is in a lovely setting & a very pleasant course. A bit up & down with a couple of ravines to play over. Bit wet if there's been rain. Ramside, typical resort course. Nice layout, lots of water & some good holes. Greens weren' t too good last time I played there. If it's been very wet, come to South Shields, never closed, never waterlogged and a nice layout. Cheap too!
 
Durham City is another nice course, Ramside is ok but not really worth the full price green fee.

Hartlepool, Seaton Carew and Cleveland are all good links courses.
 
I'll big up Brancepeth as well. The 9th & 10th are 2 of the best par 3s in the region!!

I've played Sharpley quite a lot and is a fairly easy track tee to green, but the greens are so tricky and fast they border on being unfair. The 8th is a prime example - had more 4 putts than anything else on there and I'm not too bad with the short stick.

A little further south, but still in the grand county of Durham you have Wynyard (hosted the Seve Trophy) and the mighty Rockliffe (host of the Euro Seniors event which they nicked from Slaley) both highly thought and highly recommended though you will be shelling out a bit more for those.
 
Davey247 said:
I'll big up Brancepeth as well. The 9th & 10th are 2 of the best par 3s in the region!!

I've played Sharpley quite a lot and is a fairly easy track tee to green, but the greens are so tricky and fast they border on being unfair. The 8th is a prime example - had more 4 putts than anything else on there and I'm not too bad with the short stick.

A little further south, but still in the grand county of Durham you have Wynyard (hosted the Seve Trophy) and the mighty Rockliffe (host of the Euro Seniors event which they nicked from Slaley) both highly thought and highly recommended though you will be shelling out a bit more for those.
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I'd agree with the comment about Sharpley, nice course, quite short and always dry but some of the greens and pin placements are too severe at times with it being more luck than skill getting your ball close or in the hole.
 
bozza said:
I'd agree with the comment about Sharpley, nice course, quite short and always dry but some of the greens and pin placements are too severe at times with it being more luck than skill getting your ball close or in the hole.
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Should really plug our place as well....
 
I would if they could get the rough sorted out!

Looks like it's been cut with a blind man with a pair of blunt scissors.

But apart from that we have a good course :)
 
Davey247 said:
Aye, its a bit silly at the moment. Should be a campaign to have a '1st cut' put in, even if its just 6 feet or something.
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I've heard it's been mentioned but that it's too time consuming to do.

Also heard the greenkeepers hours have changed and they are struggling to get the work done in time.

It's a shame the rough is pretty bad as the rest of the course is in good condition.
 
bozza said:
I've heard it's been mentioned but that it's too time consuming to do.

Also heard the greenkeepers hours have changed and they are struggling to get the work done in time.

It's a shame the rough is pretty bad as the rest of the course is in good condition.
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This maybe why the rough is daft then if club cutting hours
 
Well that was a disaster. Went to Brancepeth Castle yesterday and had to walk off after 9 holes. Played the first 2 at a good pace and was then held up from the 3rd onwards. Snailed along to the 8th, played that and then found 4 ( yes, Four) groups waiting on the 9th tee. In total it took 2.5 hours to play 9 holes, and considering the back 9 is longer and I'd played 2 holes at a normal pace, I was looking at a 5 hour plus round. Had a table booked for dinner that was in serious danger of being missed so once I realised the 10th tee was close to the clubhouse I bailed.


Frustrating to say the least and such a shame as it seemed a nice mature track. There's simply no excuse for that pace though. There wasn't even a comp on.
 
Mastercracker said:
Well that was a disaster. Went to Brancepeth Castle yesterday and had to walk off after 9 holes. Played the first 2 at a good pace and was then held up from the 3rd onwards. Snailed along to the 8th, played that and then found 4 ( yes, Four) groups waiting on the 9th tee. In total it took 2.5 hours to play 9 holes, and considering the back 9 is longer and I'd played 2 holes at a normal pace, I was looking at a 5 hour plus round. Had a table booked for dinner that was in serious danger of being missed so once I realised the 10th tee was close to the clubhouse I bailed.


Frustrating to say the least and such a shame as it seemed a nice mature track. There's simply no excuse for that pace though. There wasn't even a comp on.
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Was it during the week or a weekend you played? Not that it should really matter as that is seriously slow.

I'd have had a word in the pro shop after.
 
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