Carden Park (Cheshire)

The 1,000-acre Carden Park estate was established by the Lech family in the early 17th century, when the grounds were landscaped and stocked with deer. There was a setback when the timber framed main Hall was destroyed by fire in 1912 but the property recovered when the building was rebuilt.

Carden Park’s fortunes took a turn for the better in the 1990s when businessman Steve Morgan – who was chairman of the Redrow housebuilding firm at the time – got involved in the enterprise, investing heavily in new hotel facilities and creating two contrasting resort-style 18-hole golf courses, the Nicklaus and Cheshire.

After a 14-year management contract with the De Vere Group, the resort became a fully independent hotel in 2014 and this transition was subsequently supported by a refurbishment of all the hotel amenities and a total renovation of the bunkers on the Cheshire layout.

The holes on the Cheshire are laid out on the east side of the estate, routed through wooded fells behind the clubhouse, and the course builds to a scenic finish on the downhill par four 18th, with its tee position on top of sandstone cliffs overlooking the resort and the Welsh hills beyond.