Bamburgh Castle Golf Club

“I imagine that the golfer’s eye must be more often taken off the ball at Bamburgh than on any other course,” wrote Bernard Darwin in his 1920s book Golf on the LNER, “the view is so compellingly beautiful that we really have to look at it, no matter how critical the shot. First of all of course there is the Castle which is gorgeous beyond words, as it stands huge and menacing on the top of its sheer wall of rock, looking out to sea. Then in the middle distance are the Farne Islands and away to the left across a stretch of water and sandy headlands we see another castle, small by comparison, but looking very splendid, perched on its stony pedestal, Holy Island, Lindisfarne. Altogether there may be prettier golf courses, but I really don’t think that I have ever seen them, and I have seen a good many by this time.”

There are many scenic golf courses around England’s long coastline but there are none more glorious than Bamburgh Castle. Its elevated cliff top site provides a natural platform from which to drink in the 360-degree views and also the topography provides for some truly memorable holes. We think Bamburgh Castle has a unique opening series of holes, at least we can’t think of any course that starts with two back-to-back par threes followed by two par fives.

According to the R&A Golfer’s Handbook, George Rochester originally fashioned Bamburgh Castle. The course opened for play in 1904 and was apparently later revised, but the vast majority of this 5,621-yard par 68 layout remains as it was back in the times of Bernard Darwin all those years ago… including the warm welcome in the old pavilion-styled clubhouse.