Lindrick - Yorkshire - England

With more than 200 golf courses across Yorkshire Lindrink sits very close to the tip of the iceberg when it comes to discussing the best of golf in the White Rose County.

It’s one of several fine courses that support the undisputed top trio of Alwoodley, Ganton and Moortown.

Originally named ‘The Sheffield & District Golf Club’ (look out for the old tee markers) Lindrick certainly compares comfortably alongside the likes of second tier bedfellows such as Huddersfield, Pannal, Fulford, Halifax, Sand Moor, Cleveland and Hallamshire.

The main advantage that Lindrick has over the majority of other venues in this part of the world is the exceptionally firm and fast ground conditions that it boasts. It was brilliant to see so much roll on the ball in the early season and I suspect that the members enjoy good quality golf for 12 months of the year on this lovely parcel of heath and moorland turf that stretches out across Lindrick Common.

As you might expect there is an abundance of gorse, which was in full bloom during my most recent visit in April 2017, and this certainly adds to the challenge along with the tufty rough lining several of the fairways. The silver birches that flank many of the fairways frame the holes beautifully whilst the property is also a location of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) which recognises the course as containing some unusual and rare examples of the UK's flora and fauna.

Lindrick often finds itself hosting the County Amateur Championship and is undeniably a very fine test of golf, especially at the elite amateur level. Due to the firmness you are continually asked to work the ball, whether it be from the tee or into the greens; very rarely does the ball end up close to where it lands.

Although the fairway bunkering from the tee is a little bit hit and miss the approach and greenside traps are extremely impressive and often act as the main defence for a hole. And whilst the penalty for missing on the wrong side is not as severe as some courses of similar ilk there are certainly a few ‘no-go’ areas. The greens fit particularly well with their surrounds and the contouring of the putting surfaces is absolutely superb; from 100 yards and in Lindrick is a true delight and undoubtedly its strongest feature.

I wouldn't class Lindrick as one of my personal favourite courses but overall there are many more positives than negatives and located mid-way between the M1 and A1 it’s a very accessible venue and one I would suggest you seek out.

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

Played in April 2016 as part of a short golf trip. Received a friendly welcome in both the pro shop and the bar, which always makes a difference for the visiting golfer. Very pleasant and picturesque course in good condition, not overly long by today’s standards but still a good test for any golfer as evidenced by Danny Willet being a member. Not in the UK’s top-100 according to this website but would be fairly well up the list in most golfers 2nd 100 I would have thought. Throw in the Ryder Cup heritage and Lindrick is well worth a visit.

What a fantastic golf place, from the moment you drive in thru the electric gates you see the glorious clubhouse and beautiful 18th hole back up the hill. You get a buzz straight away and understand that you've just entered a special little place. The new driving range and chipping facility is one of the best you'll find in England.. You can see why the likes of Danny Willett and Lee Westwood practice here.

From the moment you step on the elevated 1st tee overlooking a sea of bright yellow gorse, it gives you goosebumps. Onto the golf course, firm/fast and in immaculate condition for this time of year. Only 6600 par 71 off the backs so not overly long. The wind plays a factor on this course, with the fast and firm greens meaning tough pin positions were created just over bunkers. Very links style, play for position on plenty of the Par 4s.

Must admit the 4th Par 5 is a cracking hole.. Until you get to the green (not a fan of these blind approaches), this is the same as Alwoodley's 17th which is another controversial hole.

However there are some beautiful holes on what is a very very good layout, my personal favourite being the 12th, even though I triple bogied it.

This home typifies Lindrick, short right fairway where position is key off the tee. Approach is played from an elevated fairway where you feel as though you are in the middle of an ampitheatre with the towering gorse bushes lining all the way down the fairway and around the green. Visually a stunning hole.

Holes 14 and 15 are very bland and are the only negative and what is a special little golf course. You then finish on the brutal yet fantastic Par 3 18th, 200 yards uphill into the breeze into a tiny elevated green surrounded by numerous pot bunkers with the famous clubhouse framing the back of the green at the top of the hill.

From a personal point of view Ganton just about edges it for layout simply because Lindrick has a couple of weak holes, but based on condition Lindrick is way ahead but both are special places to play. A joy to be able to tick another bucket list course off, hope everyone gets to enjoy Lindrick as it's a memorable experience!

As a member of a golf club in the North Leeds area and a visitor of the brilliant Moortown and Alwoodley courses nearby on numerous occasions, I'd been hoping to play at Lindrick for some time and I finally got my opportunity with my family of four on the 10th April. We stopped off here on the way back from a trip to the Brabazon course at The Belfry which we thought was good fun, and we knew to expect a stark contrast in course design and type.

We arrived half an hour before our tee time and spent some time chatting to a senior member who immediately made us feel very welcome and chatted to us about the course. The young pro in the shop was very pleasant and made sure we had everything we needed before our round. He was chatty and informative and this kind of thing helped to make our experience all the more enjoyable.

Our tee time came and we took our place on the 1st tee which was immaculately conditioned, as were all of the tees for the rest of the 17 holes.The first is a relatively wide and simple par 4- I hit a drive and then a high PW which landed pin high but ended up 15 feet past the flag. This would make me rethink my course strategy for the rest of the round-with the greens being firm and links like in style it was tough to stop the ball when landing on the green (a running approach was perhaps the better play for most of the holes.)

The greens were also unbelievably true and smooth to putt on (among the best I've putted upon I would say).The course has a huge amount of gorse lining each fairway and this makes many of the holes seem tight and places a premium on accurate driving; in particular on the blind 5th hole, and the 8th and 12th holes.

The 4th is a delightfully quirky hole and deserves a mention - from the tee it appears as though it is a relatively straightaway par 5; a drive that doglegs from left to right is followed by a second shot which needs to be laid up in the correct spot or hit with supreme accuracy to a tiny green you cannot see anything of. When you approach the green the ginormous flag comes in to view and you realise the green sits 30 foot below the level of the fairway underneath a rock face. Certainly a hole where you need to know where you are going!

The rest of the holes meander through trees, strategically placed bunkers and huge expanses of gorse bushes which all make the course visually pleasing and tough. Although the course is relatively short, you need to make sure you bring your best game off the tee and a good touch around the greens too as it is tough to stop the ball near the flags!

The 18th being a par 3 is an interesting piece of course design but it is a strong hole and only adds to the peculiarity and fun nature of the course. At around 165 yards uphill with the green sitting right below the grand clubhouse, it looks fantastic. We played it in to a slight breeze and even a sweetly struck 6 iron could not make the green; it plays longer than it looks and an up and down is by no means a guarantee here, with several bunkers and a green that slopes relatively severely from back to front.

The rest of the par 3's are also a fantastic mix of holes I might add- the short links-like 6th which is played over tall grass, scrubland and gorse to a small green guarded by deep bunkers being a particular highlight.Overall the course is a delightful, off the wall mix of heathland and moorland holes which at £55 each, seemed good value for money considering the sheer quality of the course.

The only negative thought I had about the course whilst playing is the close proximity of the main road nearby, which can be heard from almost all parts of the course. However the routing of the course outweighs this criticism and when you are constantly taking in aesthetically pleasing course design, this 'criticism' is soon forgotten about.

This is a course which can definitely rival other heathland courses in England for spots higher in the England and GB/I course rankings. It probably isn't as tough as those courses above it in the list such as Ganton and Moortown, but with its springy turf, fast greens and running fairways, it is well worth a visit.

Having just completed the personal challenge of playing all fourteen Open courses, a visit to all fourteen European Ryder Cup venues is next on my golfing agenda – and following my game at Lindrick a couple of days ago, it’s nine down,five to go before that particular quest is fulfilled.

Unlike all the modern 18-hole layouts that now host the Ryder Cup since the Belfry was first included in the rota, you’ll find hardly a hint of corporate golf at this place because Lindrick is unashamedly an old-fashioned, “proper” golf club, where the club’s century-old golf course matches the traditional values found in its lovely old clubhouse.

That’s not to say the committee at Lindrick has failed to move with the times because over a million pounds has been spent in recent years constructing a couple of tunnels under the busy main road that separates holes 12 to 17 from the rest of the layout.

Golfers also have the use of an extensive driving range, short game area and a couple of other practice facilities within a sizeable 190-acre property. Lindrick’s main drawback as a championship venue is its lack of length (with back tees only extending to a relatively modest 6,606 yards) but as a regular member’s course - where overall yardage is never that important - it’s an absolute delight; a mix of heathland and moorland holes - that only reveal themselves upon arrival at the next tee - with wide, tree-lined, springy-turfed fairways leading to greens that were stimping at a very impressive 11 when I played.

The short par five 4th is one of the quirkiest holes that you’ll ever come across, one that that would never be built today. Playing towards a sunken green that sits in a hollow beside the river Ryton, it’s a fun hole that will divide opinion on its architectural merits but I thought it was a terrific hole which had me chuckling, much as I’m sure golfers do when playing their blind tee shot for the first time at “The Dell” in Lahinch.

On the back nine, the new 12th (built in 1990 for health and safety reasons due to the road) is a tight, short par four that fits seamlessly into the new course routing and it’s immediately followed by one of the strongest holes on the course, a lovely left doglegged, uphill part four that’s ranked stroke index 1 on the scorecard.

Very interestingly, the round concludes with a long par three which plays to a seriously elevated green that’s surrounded by half a dozen deep bunkers. Slightly unconventional it may be, but this hole fits the lie of the land perfectly and I’m sure it’s been either a card wrecker for many a good medal score or a heart breaker when settling a tight matchplay game (as my playing partner and guide for the round Graham Mann will no doubt testify, missing his par putt to half our match).

Lindrick currently lurks just outside the current Top 50 for England in the course rankings for this website but, if a few improvements were made to a couple of holes (such as the par five 16th), then it really has the potential to make its mark in the GB&I Top 100.

Well worth a visit.

Jim McCann

Played recently on a perfect Summers evening - this is probably my fourth visit over the years and it's a place I always look forward to visiting.When you arrive, the clubhouse and locker rooms have a very 'traditional' feel about them, but its all very comfortable and all the memebers we met were extremely friendly.

A quick visit to the sizable practice facility before we started - only downside was having to hit off mats, before you make your way to the first. A 400 yard par 4 to start with reasonably generous fairways but it still needs a couple of decent shots if you want to get up and running with a par.

The next hole of note is the 4th which in my opinion is the worst hole on the course - plays about 450 yards off the yellows but it's a par 5. The problem lies with the green which is set in a deep bowl, with a steep rough covered bank just short and a brook over the back. In my opinion it's very difficult to get on it two unless you have hit a tee shot approaching 300 yards or unless you run it down the bank and get lucky.

This is followed by the 5th - a strong par 4 with a blind tee shot up the hill - criticism here is that they have grown the rough in on the right at driving distance - so unless you play here regularly, it's easy to lose a ball as one of our group did. There follows a nice mix of par 3's and 4's before you cross the A57 to the 12th.

From here, you encounter what we thought were the best run of holes - 13th ( SI1 par 4) and 14th a long straight away par 5 being the stand out ones.You finally cross the road to 18 which is a par 3 playing around 200 yards - good luck if you need a par or better to complete a good round, because if you miss what is a very narrow green you will struggle.

Overall conditioning of the course was excellent - green surfaces very good but a little on the slow side ahead of major competitions they have coming up. Fairways in the main were reasonably generous, but if you do get off line the rough was extremely penal - we found very few balls in the rough.Overall a really good place to play with a very reasonable green fee for a Top 100 course.