Manchester Golf Club

Golf first began in Manchester in 1818 when a few enthusiastic golfers played on Kersal Moor. Eight Scotsmen founded a new golf club in 1882 which was originally called Manchester St Andrews to avoid any confusion with the Old Manchester Golf Club which folded in the latter stages of the 19th century. Having now dropped its St Andrews suffix, in 1912 the Manchester Golf Club moved out of town to its current location at Hopwood to play on a course that Harry Colt designed and laid out on sandy, undulating ground.

The Manchester Golf Club was first nominated for inclusion on the Top 100 website as a gem by Peter in January 2007. Since then, the Manchester Golf Club has attained a well-deserved Lancashire Best In County ranking position. Peter’s original nomination comments are as follows: “Having played many golf courses in the UK and abroad I still feel Manchester Golf Club is as good as any with a very strong last four holes. Built on 248 acres of moorland/parkland, it is certainly worth a mention.”

Considering the club’s relative close proximity to the city, the first striking aspect of Manchester is the scale of the golf course which is routed in a grand style across the open moorland landscape. The second aspect is the ever-present wind that whips across the course trying its best to create havoc with your scorecard. Strategy is the watchword here at Manchester and thoughtful club selection will reap rewards on this rather hilly layout.

Measuring a respectable 6,650 yards from the blue tips, Manchester is a stern test that will challenge every facet of your game. The Lancashire Amateur Championship returned to Hopwood in 2011 cementing the club’s reputation as one on the finest inland courses in northern England. John Carroll won the four-round strokeplay event by one shot from Manchester's Gareth Clarke. The aforementioned two players were the only golfers to card two sub par rounds during the entire competition and nobody broke par cumulatively for the four rounds.