Football away days and golf

[sjw]

Thinking this football season to try and do a few more away days, and turn them into weekends away, watching the football on the Saturday and then playing a local course on the Sunday. So, I thought I'd ask here to get some good recommendations of courses in the areas I might be visiting.

I'm an Ipswich fan, travelling from Cambridgeshire, and we're in the Championship this coming season, so here are the teams we'll be facing. Would love to hear your thoughts on what courses would be good to play near:​

Birmingham
Blackburn
Bristol
Cardiff
Coventry
Huddersfield
Hull
Leeds
Leicester
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich
Plymouth
Preston
QPR
Rotherham
Sheffield Wednesday
Southampton
Stoke
Sunderland
Swansea
Watford
West Brom

My handicap is probably around 18-25, somewhere in that range, so nowhere too crazily difficult, please! Also, I don't really want to be paying upwards of three figures for a round.

Of course, this all depends on whether I can actually get tickets for the football in the first place... Cheers!

EDIT: And, obviously, which courses I visit will depend on the season schedule too. Probably won't be doing much golfing on courses I don't know on a freezing cold, wet January Sunday!

 

[Bdill93]

Thinking this football season to try and do a few more away days, and turn them into weekends away, watching the football on the Saturday and then playing a local course on the Sunday. So, I thought I'd ask here to get some good recommendations of courses in the areas I might be visiting.

I'm an Ipswich fan, and we're in the Championship this coming season, so here are the teams we'll be facing. Would love to hear your thoughts on what courses would be good to play near:

Birmingham
Blackburn
Bristol
Cardiff
Coventry
Huddersfield
Hull
Leeds
Leicester
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich
Plymouth
Preston
QPR
Rotherham
Sheffield Wednesday
Southampton
Stoke
Sunderland
Swansea
Watford
West Brom

My handicap is probably around 18-25, somewhere in that range, so nowhere too crazily difficult, please! Also, I don't really want to be paying upwards of three figures for a round.

Of course, this all depends on whether I can actually get tickets for the football in the first place... Cheers!

West Brom/ B'ham - Try Lickey Hills (and give me a shout if you do) Its council run still and its not one of the best courses you'll ever play by any margin - but close to the motorway (less than 5 mins from J4 M5) and some of the holes are class. Some amazing views of all over Birmingham too on a clear day. Approx £20-25 a round.

Bromsgrove golf centre is another - decent track at a decent price - again nothing spectacular but it wont cost you more than £50.

Or if you really want to - come play with me in Worcester (slight detour) but still only 40 mins drive max from my course to the Baggies ground.

 

[Backache]

I don't know but in my experience sunday morning golf particularly in areas with a population are not easy to book. I would be looking ay municipal courses or pay and play booked well in advance.

 

[Fabia999]

I'm guessing you'll be driving up to Sunderland and boro and you'll pass loads of good courses on the way, admittedly, most of them in Yorkshire. Sharpley is just off the A19 before Sunderland which is a nice course.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Ipswich fan??! Right, that's you on the ignore list.... ;-) At least I suppose the golf might cheer you up a bit of repeated drubbings Saturday after Saturday.

Anyway.... on to the serious bit, will you be travelling from Ipswich / Suffolk? I'm just thinking of logistics as presumably you wouldn't want to turn some of the more local games into overnighters, so would be looking more at those that are further away? Plymouth stands out, so many great golf courses between Suffolk and Devon, even if you don't play something in Plymouth.

 

[sjw]

Ipswich fan??! Right, that's you on the ignore list.... ;-) At least I suppose the golf might cheer you up a bit of repeated drubbings Saturday after Saturday.

Anyway.... on to the serious bit, will you be travelling from Ipswich / Suffolk? I'm just thinking of logistics as presumably you wouldn't want to turn some of the more local games into overnighters, so would be looking more at those that are further away? Plymouth stands out, so many great golf courses between Suffolk and Devon, even if you don't play something in Plymouth.

Yep, should have mentioned... travelling from Cambridgeshire. Will add to the OP.

 

[babylonsinger]

Sunday morning is generally restricted to members comps around here (I live a similar distance to Cardiff and Swansea). For Swansea most people will recommend the Swansea bay area (Pennard, Clyne etc) or playing the M4 corridor back towards Cardiff but these will be tight to look your price range from my experience.

Have a look at Neath or Glynneath for Swansea. Failing that the pay and play at Earlswood above Jersey Marine is a good test for £18 on a Sunday (be prepared to queue though)

Cardiff has plenty of resort venues nearby (Vale, Cottrell Park and Celtic Manor all close by). For better value try looking outside the city. Creigiau, Radyr, Pontypridd and Morlais Castle all decent options depending how far out of the way you are willing to travel.

 

[Orikoru]

Near Watford, West Herts is a decent track - although they've put their prices up since I went last year! If you don't want to pay that much, Aldenham is decent, or there's my place Grim's Dyke which is in great nick, but on the shorter side in terms of overall yardage.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I'm guessing you'll be driving up to Sunderland and boro and you'll pass loads of good courses on the way, admittedly, most of them in Yorkshire. Sharpley is just off the A19 before Sunderland which is a nice course.

Sunderland - South Shields GC (built on limestone and so playable all year)
Middlesbrough - Middlesbrough GC (Brass Castle)

I get your N.Yorks point but if the idea is to have some sort of link between the golf and football, I may be looking too deeply into this , then it would be nice to play courses near to each club.

 

[Canary Kid]

No comment!

 

[Neilds]

Round Bristol you will be spoilt for choice - Bristol and Clifton GC and Long Ashton are both about a mile from Bristol City's ground so you may be able to get a round before the match if you travel across on Friday (or come early for an evening kick off). Failing that, Kendleshire, Players, Castle Combe are all good places and loads of others towards the cheaper end of the scale (but still decent)

 

[Mel Smooth]

Huddersfield - Huddersfield Golf Club - if it’s in the wetter months this will be the driest course in the area.
Leeds, take your pick from the North Leeds courses, Moortown, Sand Moor, Alwoodley etc,
Rotherham - Rotherham GC, beautiful course.
Sheffield, Hillsborough is supposed to be a superb course.

And welcome to the Championship.

 

[r0wly86]

Plymouth

China Fleet, nice course usually quite cheap good views, just outside Plymouth
St Mellion - Nicklaus Course just a fantastic course, though a bit pricer, about 20 minutes from Plymout, the Kernow a decent club course
Tavistock - a real moorland golf course of which there are not many examples, so if you want something a bit different, probably 30 mins from Plymouth

 

[timd77]

West Brom/ B'ham - Try Lickey Hills (and give me a shout if you do) Its council run still and its not one of the best courses you'll ever play by any margin - but close to the motorway (less than 5 mins from J4 M5) and some of the holes are class. Some amazing views of all over Birmingham too on a clear day. Approx £20-25 a round.

Bromsgrove golf centre is another - decent track at a decent price - again nothing spectacular but it wont cost you more than £50.

Or if you really want to - come play with me in Worcester (slight detour) but still only 40 mins drive max from my course to the Baggies ground.

Yep, or the west mids if you wanted to play somewhere on the way back to cambs.

 

[sjw]

I get your N.Yorks point but if the idea is to have some sort of link between the golf and football, I may be looking too deeply into this , then it would be nice to play courses near to each club.

There doesn't have to be a link between the golf and the football, although I guess it would be good if there was. Sheff Wed and Hillsborough is obviously a great combination. It's more just an excuse to get out and play some different courses - I probably wouldn't go a distance to play a new course on my own; likewise, driving hours just for a football match to drive back again doesn't scream fun... it would be different travelling _from_ Ipswich as I could go with mates.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!

 

[sunshine]

I’m a QPR fan. If you walk around the White City estate with golf clubs you’ll either get robbed or arrested.

If you head out along the A40 or Uxbridge Road you’ll pass by Sudbury, Ealing, West Middlesex, to name a few. None of them are special but all of them have their own appeal and are nice enough. If you don’t have much time, Perivale is a 9 hole municipal.

 

[sunshine]

I’m a fan of the football/golf combo too, done it many times. Favourite trips so far:

5. Newcastle v Leicester and Slaley Hall (to be honest the Saturday night out in Newcastle was the highlight)
4. Hibs/Hearts and Gullane (best golf, worst football)
3. Cardiff and Celtic Manor (quite intimidating)
2. Betis v Chelsea and Real Sevilla (even better because Chelsea lost)
1. Barcelona v Valencia and PGA Catalunya (can’t beat this)

 

[Jigger]

I’d come back asking ahead of each fixture as it could be weather dependant. For example, sharpley has been quoted up here but you wouldn’t want to play if at the back end of a dry summer As there be no grass on some of the see boxes. The course around her can be very seasonal.

 

[3offTheTee]

This almost covers the whole of England and S Wales. You have quite rightly identified waiting until the fixtures are out. Are you going on your own or with a friend and when you say your handicap is 18/25. Do you have an official handicap?

The reason I ask is if there were 2 there may be some 4BBB on Golf Empire and Individual if on your own. Sure there will be some to avoid, eg Millwall, QPR and some too close to home.

Good luck on your travels.

 

[sjw]

First game is Sunderland... No idea if I'll be able to get a ticket, but what are we saying? South Shields GC?