Moor Allerton (Blackmoor & High) - Yorkshire - England

Just outside Leeds, in an area packed with good golf, and in the city which was also home of Alastair McKenzie, Moor Allerton is a 27 club built by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Built on a hilly piece of property, there is a lot of elevation which can sometimes mean it is a tiring walk. There are good holes and variety throughout. I enjoy the strategy on the short par 4s, especially the 4th & 6th. In general the greens here can be tricky, with different tiers and not many straight putts, which can make players really have to think there way round. Other stand out holes include the dogleg right 16th, which has my favourite shot on the course on it. Played from a slightly down hill like, players normally have a low iron/wedge into a back to front sloped green, while carrying a barranca. The barranca makes you think that short is not good, but in reality if you go past the hole you are also in a lot of trouble! In my opinion 1-18 are the best holes, but the 27th hole finisher is also memorable, a par 5 where players can choose to go for it in 2 but can put themselves in a lot of danger. A nice track all round, that rewards the thinking golfer.

I played the Blackmoor/High loops of 9 yesterday. This is a big course, parkland played through woodland, with all 27 holes starting out and returning to the Clubhouse, which sits imposingly overlooking the 19th tee, 27th green and 18th green. Both the 19th tee (where you tee off across the gully) and the 27th Green where your shot from the fairway to the green is shot over the same gully, give you an immediate feel of how tough this course is likely to be. A glance to the left and the approach to the 18th green across a narrow entrance to an upward green with water in front, reminds if you needed it, how hard the round you are about to embark on will be.

And it is tough. The land is very undulating and there are not many level lies on the 1st loop we played (19th-27th)

The greens are large and undulating, making where you land your ball so important. I found them however very true if you got your line right. The greens are flanked by some large bunker complexes, The fairways were cut tight and narrow. The rough, whilst only a few inches deep wrapped around your clubs and was very ‘sticky’. The tight fairways, given rain in the days preceding, meant that the 1st signs of Autumn/Winter golf were visible. Ball striking had to be clean otherwise your club would snag on the damp course.

Best holes on this loop? The 19th which you first tee off from is straightforward from the tee, but drift left or right and your second shot is made difficult by the dip before the green, narrow fairway and sticky rough. The par 3’s (holes 20 and 24) are similar, nothing too standout about them.

The 21st is a solid par 5 but certainly a good birdie chance, followed by a strong 22nd, where the tee shot needs to be played up the left hand side to create a better 2nd shot opportunity. Bunkers to the front right and steep banking to the right provide protection and a difficult shot if you play from the right. The 23rd is a dog left right and the 25th are nothing special in terms of design, but the green complex around the 26th is visually a great looking green. You then descend down a sweeping 27th where unless you are a big hitter, you will need to lay up and then hit a confident 3rd across to a large green complex back in front of the club house.

You will no doubt be tired even just after 9 holes, so make sure you get some added energy from the half way hut or pro shop before heading onto the 2nd loop.

The 10th is a good starting hole for this loop. Be brave and aim over the trees on the left as your tee shot will feed into the fairway leaving a straight shot to the green. It’s still a long way protected by bunkers front and right with a brook in the dip before the green. The 11th simply needs a good drive over the brow of the hill leaving a straight forward if uphill mid iron to the green. 12th, 13th and 14th are strong holes. It helps to have played before because on the 12th the fairway narrows very close ahead of the green with bunker to the right and steep fall away to the left. Do not go left at all costs. The 13th is gorgeous looking par 3 with the shot being all carry to the green, bunker in front. The 14th is a narrow par 5 with woodland to the right and water in play down the left. Key is where to lay up your 2nd shot, leaving a short iron over the pond to the green. Be too greedy or not committed to your shot and it will end up in a watery grave. 15th and 16th are nothing speciial followed by an uphill par 3 - nice but very similar to a lot of the holes with bunkers front and steep banking in front of it.

When you are totally tired you then climb the hill to the 18th. Play to the left/centre of fairway as the fairway slopes off to the right and a slice will see your ball lost. You are still left with a difficult 2nd across the gully, over the pond and to a raised green protected again by bunkers and undulating green. Tough finish, tough hole.

You certainly know you have played a tough golf course, with so many hills, narrow fairways, undulating fairways and greens, all in an American style design.

It’s a good course and worthy of playing after you have played the greats of Alwoodley, Moortown as well as Sand Moor. It’s not in their league but it offers something different and if you want to test every aspect of your golf game, as well as stamina, then it is worth seeking out.

Not a course you fall in love with as previous reviewers have mentioned, but 3 loops of 9 holes provide good variety and a decent test. It is a bit bland in some places and lacks a bit of character- it is rather American in appearance and comes across as a bit of a 'commercial' course at times. However the conditioning at this time of year is very good- the greens running fast and the rest of the course in very good condition. The front nine doesn't compare to the middle and top nines and the middle nine is certainly better and tougher than the top nine. The par 3 13th on the middle nine is a serious challenge! Wouldn't place the course in the same bracket as Alwoodley, Moortown, Sand Moor, Ilkley etc. But its an enjoyable day out all the same!

Moor Allerton has some very good features - 3 distinct loops of 9 nine that all feel quite different being one of the them. The condition of the course in summer is also worth mentioning. The greens are very fast, true and in many cases - undulating, making Moor Allerton a serious test of your short game. Downsides? It's not a course you really 'fall in love with' because there aren't many great holes. On the positive side, there aren't many poor ones and - played from the tips - it is a challenge worthy of very, very good players. So overall? Good - but not in the same league as nearby Alwoodley.

Played here today in the pouring rain. All though the weather made the course almost unplayable I have to say I really enjoyed it and was really impressed. Very much an american style course the greens were lightning fast and layed out in the yorkshire countryside there were plenty of hills to make a fantastic layout. Not as good as nearby heathland courses Moortown and Alwoodley but very impressive. Favourite holes were 14th,17th,27th

Surely people cannot begin to rank moor allerton on the same level as such classy courses as alwoodley and moortown, Played recently with friends as I do fairly regularly, and majority of greens were hard and slow, and collapsed underneath. Some good holes- the 18th and 27th were pretty good, but the rest i felt were fairly average. Fairway condition was good, but in my opinion MA cannot compete with the likes of alwoodley, moortown, sandmoor and Pannal etc!

From the moment I left my car and saw those magnificent striped fairways to the time I sank my last putt, this has without doubt been the best golfing experience in Leeds I have ever had! Having recently played the remodelled Moortown GC and having played Alwoodley GC several times, I had heard that great strides had been made by Moor Allerton GC. I can tell you the rumours are true, although their ranking in comparison to their historic neighbours doesn’t acknowledge it, this is by far the best of the big three in North Leeds. I noted that all tees had been hand cut; the fairways are as lush and manicured as anything you will see on Sky and those greens…well! Although I live in Nottingham, I am truly considering a country membership as I have not putted on anything so undulating and with so much speed but just as importantly, a true roll. I found the pro shop staff not only to be refreshingly jovial but so attentive to my group’s questions, so much so that the pro came out after our first nine to enquire how we were getting on and with a few bottles of water FOC! The stock carried is not only top end but the prices are truly affordable. We all spent far too much, but when its clothing you cant get anywhere else..why not! We had a look at the performance centre and again, the pro let us have a FOC go on the trackman…I NEED MORE LESSONS! The drainage has obviously worked as the fairways were as dry as a bone as were the tees. I would highly recommend anyone who loves their golf to go to Moor Allerton, the place oozes class!

I am looking to joinn a golf course in the Leeds area. Having looked at Horsofrth, Cookridge, Sand Moor, Scarcroft and Moor Allerton I am still trying to make my mind up.I found Moor Allerton a very nice course and its in great condition, but I've read through a few reviews some more recent than others and woondered if anyone could answer this question. Has Moor Allerton had any improvements in drainage over the last year or two? Several older reviews seem to say this was a problem with the course. Any inforamtion would be appreciated.

I joined Moor Allerton Golf Club about 6 months ago and I'm very glad I did. The layout is great and is such that good shots are rewarded and poor shots are penalised, in my view how a golf course should be. I have seen that some posts say the greens and fairways are great whilst others say they are poor. In my experience so far (played 3 times a week for 6 months) the greens are fantastic and the green staff are fabulous at preparing them. In the summer months the greens are the best in the area. In winter they are allowed to grow to their winter length, this protects the greens and keeps them in top condition for the summer. This does make them slower in winter however they do still run true. The fairways are much the same, they are spiked in the winter to protect and prepare them for the summer. I personally would prefer the slight winter inconveniences for the quality that you get in summer. All in all I think the course is great and offers a good golfer a great challenge. I have heard a few members say that it is a hilly and demanding course with many of the older players preferring the ‘less hilly’ top 9 holes. I’m happy playing any and would highly recommend anyone to play the course. The best hole on the course is the par 3 17th. A tee shot over water to a raised green guarded by bunkers is a winning combination. If you’re lucky to play on a sunny morning then you will get the golden sun lighting the green from the tee, one of those “this is golf at its best” moments. I would also say that the club is extremely friendly. On my first round at the club (as a non member to try the course) after the second hole I caught up with a two ball in front of me. Instead of holding me up they waved me through (no member snobbery!). Better than this though they said hello, asked if I was enjoying the course and asked if I would like to join them for the rest of the holes! I couldn’t believe this and I knew then that this was the club for me. If you are in the Yorkshire area I would highly recommend this course.

Really enjoyed playing Moor Allerton recently, located in the thick of what must be one of the best concentrations of quality courses in Britain.An excellent 27 holes to play, with a nice variety of elevation, strategy and flowers to keep you interested.Quite hard, with several holes much longer than they appear and tricky downhill shots over streams to raised greens.Recommended.