Brancepeth Castle

Brancepeth Castle Golf Club is located near the famous, and historic cathedral city of Durham, in the pleasant, leafy village of Brancepeth. The club was founded in 1924, and Harry Colt, one of the world’s finest architects, designed the course on the estate's former deer park.

Brancepeth Castle is a lovely parkland course, set in historic surroundings. The castle dates back to Anglo-Saxon days, unfortunately the club did not have the finances to buy it when it came to market in the early 1980s, and so it has been the castellated home of the Dobson family ever since. St Brandon’s Parish Church, dating back to Norman times, is located near the 18th green. Sadly, the church was devastated by fire in 1998 but has since been restored.

The rolling fairways of Brancepeth are immaculately maintained. The course measures 6,300 yards, so it’s not overly long by today’s standards, but the lowly par of 70, provides a stern test for many leading amateurs. Brancepeth has played host to the final of the English County Championships, the Ladies British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship and the English Ladies Amateur Championship.

There is a great deal of variation to the holes, and the famous deep ravine, cutting through the course on eight of the holes makes for exciting – and at times terrifying – golf. The suspended walkways, crossing the ravine, are a challenge in their own right. Especially if you are acrophobic!

“There is one monumental hole; the 220-yard 9th,” commented Tom Doak in The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses, “playing from an elevated tee through a narrow gap in the trees and across the length of a deep ravine, to a small plateau green clinging to the opposite hillside. Yet I’ve heard others cite the par-3 10th as their favorite.”

The 202-yard 10th, going back across the ravine with the castle at your back, is equally as difficult as the “garden hole” 9th. But don’t take our word for it; you should experience Brancepeth’s fascinations and occasional consternations for yourself.