Clitheroe - Lancashire - England
Whalley Road,
Clitheroe,
Lancashire,
BB7 1PP,
England
+44 (0) 1200 422292
2 miles S of Clitheroe
Welcome, contact in advance
Steve Alcock
Paul McEvoy
Immortalised by the famous artist L.S. Lowry, the Lancashire town of Clitheroe is situated close to the beautiful Forest of Bowland. To the north lies Skipton, the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales. Beware of Pendle Hill, especially during Halloween; the Pendle witches come from here.
The Clitheroe Golf Club was originally founded in 1891 and, in those days, golf was played on farmland at Horrocksford. A much better parcel of land was found in the heart of the Ribble Valley at Barrow Gardens and, in 1932, James Braid was commissioned to fashion a new 18-hole course. Slowly but surely the new Clitheroe came of age and, in 1937, the American Ryder Cup Captain Walter Hagen played here in an exhibition match.
Peter commented on our article as follows: “Re: ‘Clitheroe is no championship test’ comment – In the 2010 British Open Championship Regional Qualifying event now held at Clitheroe, only one of the professionals and scratch or better amateurs broke par on a pleasant June day.” |
Measuring 6,504 yards from the tips, against a par of 71, Clitheroe is no championship test, but it does represent a strategic challenge for golfers of all levels. Accuracy from the tee is all-important because there are trees aplenty waiting to stymie anything hit slightly off line. The course itself is routed in the same fashion as Muirfield. The outward nine holes run clockwise around the edge of the course and the inward nine run anti-clockwise, sitting inside the outward nine. This cunning routing configuration ensures that when the weather rolls in from Pendle Hill the wind hits you from all directions.
Undeniably, Clitheroe is one of the best inland courses in Lancashire and there are some fine holes to be played here. Arguably the best, and considered the signature hole, is the memorable par three 17th. Despite measuring a mere 150 yards from the back tees, this hole is no pushover. The sloping green is viciously protected by a stream, which runs across the front of the green and to the left. Additionally, numerous bunkers lie in wait. A par here will feel like a birdie.
Combine a game at nearby Pleasington with a round at Clitheroe and you will have played two cracking inland courses.
Reviews for Clitheroe
On the hottest day of the year I chose to play Clitheroe Golf Club at midday, having last played here some 30 years ago.
First of all I must mention the welcome and friendliness on one’s arrival. Nothing seemed to much. Other clubs take note.
Clitheroe is such a pleasant course to play. Strategically it wasn’t a driver off every tee. Moving the ball in both directions is essential. The course is manicured to perfection. The greens run fairly and fast yet are happy to accept well struck shots. The par 3s stand out, and of course the 17th is fantastic.
I missed a few fairways, mostly due to the ball running so far. Yet it’s nice to be punished without having to spend time looking for the ball.
All in all I highly recommend a game at Clitheroe. I’ll play Pleasington before the summer is out and see if we can’t figure out which one holds the title for the area? If it’s down to condition then I reckon Clitheroe will give as good an account as anywhere.
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Played in an Open competition today and pleased I did despite not scoring as well as I’d have liked.
I was really impressed with the professionalism and friendliness of the team which greeted us on arrival. I thought the Golf Reception worked excellently, and the Starters Hut is also a great asset and sets a high standard. The club members should be very pleased with both the facilities and the staff & volunteers as the first impressions were up there with the best.
Having never played here before, I found the course to be in very good condition and the greens ran true at a good speed that encouraged you to make putts….the pin positions were set to be challenging though, the greens have plenty of breaks, and are quite small with plenty of risk around them….so it’s a course that places a premium on accuracy and ball position.
The course is fairy tightly packed, with tree lined fairways and brooks, so you have to think and not just reach for the Driver all the time. There are quite a few blind / semi-blind tee shots as the course bends around its grounds where it pays to have bought a course planner, but I enjoyed the challenge of shaping shots and selecting the right club.
The bunkers were all very consistent (I found quite a few!) and presented a very fair challenge.
Overall it was a very pleasant day…it didn’t feel a slog as it’s not overly long and I think on a good day every hole can offer up a birdie chance, but there’s also a real risk of a bogey on many.
Final mention to the girl in the half way hut, the bar staff, and the members we saw who were all very friendly and made us feel very welcome.
If I was a local I’d be very happy to be a member here, and I definitely would look forward to playing again…hopefully shooting a better score! Some lovely views and nice to see the ecology focus around the place.
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Played the course many times the most recent a matter of months ago, always found it in great condition, love the tree lines holes, although have to advise local knowledge is required on a few more quirky holes. Typical James Braid design, risk and reward holes, blind tee and approach shots and smaller greens. Set in the wonderful and scenic Ribble Valley in East Lancashire a worthwhile venue if you ever find yourself in the area.
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The county of Lancashire is well-known for its coastal stretch of classic links golf courses. However, once you head inland it is very much more a case of quantity and not real quality.
Clitheroe is an exception to this rule and must vie for the title of best inland course in the Red Rose county.
Clitheroe is a course that will test every part of your game and this is done through a variety of holes. There are three of four really demanding par fours that must be negotiated successfully if you are to score well here.
The majority of these come in a batch of holes from the seventh through to the 12th. Seven is a very good long par four with a taxing two-tiered green whilst the 11th and 12th are also both long two-shotters with sloping greens. The eighth is a 200+ yard par three and whilst the ninth and 10th are not particularly long they have greens which are tricky to find and hold…
Clitheroe is fairly generous from the tee but ensuring you leave your ball below the flag on many of the greens is essential. The course is a regular regional qualifying venue for The Open Championship so expect a true test.
Ed is the founder of Golf Empire – click the link to read his full review.
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Lancashire may be best known for its outstanding links courses but drive just a few miles inland and the red rose county boasts a handful of good quality parkland layouts, Clitheroe being one of the better ones. We played immediately following an autumnal downpour which left the fairways a little soggy in places but the course lacked nothing in terms of presentation and the well protected greens were in excellent condition throughout. The tree lined terrain is predominantly flat but a number of holes have been cleverly routed to make good use of two ditches that run through the course. The difficult 3rd and attractive short 17th both make excellent use of this feature and are two of the best holes on the course. Others that stick in the memory include the much improved 5th, another good par-3 requiring a well struck iron to clear the re-designed pond and the tricky 11th which demands an accurate downhill shot to a sloping green complete with narrow entrance. Anything long here falls away sharply from the back of the green leaving a difficult recovery. The finishing holes are very good indeed. The dogleg 16th may only be a relatively short par-4 but the approach to a narrow green sat between a large bunker and the aforementioned ditch deserves respect. The par-5 finishing hole offers a reasonable birdie chance if you can hit the required draw from the tee. We received a friendly welcome from the members and the pro, who's shop is literally packed to the rafters with the latest equipment. Brian W
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