Harrogate - Yorkshire - England

A pleasant, mature course dating back to 1892 with design input from some of the great Golden Age designers.

A round at Harrogate is a very pleasant way to spend your day. It is relatively short by modern standards, laid out over relatively level land, with a good mix of holes; 5 par 3's, all over 170 yards off the tips, 2 relatively short par 5's, the rest par 4's including 4 par 4's to finish, inlcuding 3 over 400 yards and one of these reaching 454 yards. A tough finish to the round.

The par 3's are good but with 2 of them at over 210 yards, I would personally prefer a better mix with at least a couple shorter.

A gentle start to your round with a wide fairway on this short par 4, but position is key as the entrance to the green narrows with trees intruding from the left and bunkers to the right. But its a nice getaway.

The rounds stand out holes for me were the 7th, the 1st of the par 5's, which is beautifully framed by the trees, narrowing as you reach the green and protected for those trying to take it on in 2, by the brook about 80 yards or so back.

Also I really enjoyed the stretch at the start of the back 9 and the 15th, the 1st of the tough par 4 finish, beautifully framed and gently sweeping right to left.

The routing was enjoyable, the tree lined fairways a pleasure your way through and the bunkering impressed me.

Like reviewers before, I'd agree this course isn't easy simply because it is short; its challenging and tight, the par 3's seriously test your accuracy, but amongst the tough par 4's there are also some serious birdie chances on the shorter par 4's (holes 1, 4, 10 and 17) which helps keep the round interesting and one's hope to pull back one of the lost shots.

As soon as you pull into the car park and see how well the surrounds are maintained, the fabulous practice facilities and quaint clubhouse you quickly realise what a special place this is. Again the secretary manager was very gracious and hospitable when arranging the round for me, first class.

The course provides for continuous photo opportunities on every hole, which don't does the outstanding beauty of the course justice. The abundance of trees frame every hole, clever bunkering and sloping green complexes make for a stern examination. The layout consists of a great mix of long par 4s, a few driveable holes, par 3s long all over 175 yards, and a couple of great par 5s with my favourite hole was the 7th a par 5 with a blind tee shot leaving a fantastic approach to the green.

Pace of play was excellent despite being busy we managed to get around in under 3 hours playing at a gentle pace. Another course you definately need to play if in the North Yorkshire area.

I recently played at Harrogate Golf Club in the 36-hole Vardon Grip 36-hole open competition on an early September day with a tiny hint of autumn in the air.

The current course measures a little less than 6,198 yards and plays to a par of 69 but with an SSS of 70 it is no stroll in the park. It is played over relatively flat terrain and requires a great deal of accuracy and conservative play due to the tight, tree-lined nature of the holes. There are also plenty of fairway and greenside bunkers to avoid.

The round closes with four formidable two-shotters, three of which played directly into the wind on my visit.

There are no real stand-out holes at Harrogate but there is a nice consistency to the course and, although the narrowness of the fairways and the sloping greens ensure a stiff test, it isn’t going to beat you up.

It was also pleasing to have such short walks from green-to-tee and partly as a result of this our round took a little over 3 hours which is very good for this type of competition.

Ed is the founder of Golf Empire – click the link to read his full review.

Played Harrogate on June 20th 2014, taking advantage of their £25 twilight rate (great value)It's a lovely course, without any really amazing holes, but with 18 very good ones.There's an excellent mix of golf holes, ranging from drive able par 4's, to the 13th - a monster of a par 4 at 464yards. Every hole feels different, yet clearly all part of the same course. Wonderfully mature trees and tight, springy fairways make it a tough test, despite the 6,200 yard length.Would definitely go back. It's challenging, and full of character.

A traditional old parkland club. Very friendly with a course which is very well cared for with some very good holes starting with the 2nd but really on the back 9 with 11, 12 & 13. The day I played the greens were superb.The course is shorter on the front 9 with a few short par 4's. But the back nine starts to get you, with some fine long par 4's and 3's. One of my pet hates though, it seems they use those ride on bunker rakers. All they do is compact the sand and comb the top couple of mm's, which makes play very inconsistent.But really there is nothing to fault about this club and it was a pleasure to play. It is a good quality golf club designed for members to enjoy, with a very reasonable green fee rate.