North East England – Best in County Rankings 2023

This is the fourth of seven regional updates for England. Following on from recent updates carried out for five counties in the West Midlands, this edition of our revision process looks at Durham, Northumberland and Yorkshire in the northeast region of the country, covering an area of more than nine thousand square miles and a population approaching eight million people.

At the moment, there are around 268 affiliated golf clubs spread out across the three counties and we now feature more than a quarter of them, adding 15 to the 60 that were already listed before this reappraisal. Eight courses are included in our national listings and four of these tracks – Ganton, Alwoodley, Moortown and Seaton Carew (Old) – make the cut for the GB&I Top 100.

Durham

Located close to Hartlepool, the Old course at Seaton Carew Golf Club (pictured above) retains its status as #1 in Durham. Organized golf first took place here in 1874, making the club the 10th oldest in all of England. The original 14 holes were extended to 18 in 1891 then Alister Mackenzie redesigned this layout in 1925.

Interestingly, Frank Pennink added another four holes in the 1970s after it was thought the same number of holes would be lost when a land lease expired but this never happened, allowing the club to now operate five different 18-hole configurations across its 22-hole property. 

In recent years, Course Manager Tom Coulson has overseen quite a few improvements around the layout including the removal of Sea Buckthorn bushes; building new bunkers and reconfiguring other sand hazards; adding championship tees and altering other tees; improving the irrigation and turf quality on green surrounds; and carrying out an overseeding programme to convert the greens from Poa to Bent grass.

Bishop Auckland

The highest new entry for Durham is the course at Bishop Auckland Golf Club (new at # 10). Situated on the High Plains, which is a pretty parkland property surrounding the Bishop of Durham's Palace, the layout dates back to when the club was founded in 1894. Today, the course extends to 6,460 yards, playing to a par of 72, with an outward half featuring three consecutive par fives at holes 2,3 and 4.

The other new entries for Durham are Barnard Castle [#12], Eaglescliffe [#13], Darlington [#14] and South Shields [#15].

Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Durham.

Northumberland

The 18-hole links layout at Goswick Golf Club (pictured above) remains our #1 in Northumberland. Established in 1890, the layout’s been refined down the years by Willie Park Junior (1903), James Braid (1930) and Frank Pennink (1964). Currently, Tom Mackenzie is overseeing a front nine upgrade project which is due to begin this winter.

Only two courses make upward moves in our revised county chart for Northumberland, with both advancing two places to their new position.

Dunstanburgh Castle

The first of these climbers (at #3) is the 18-hole layout at Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Course, where the fairways overlook the sandy beach of Embleton Bay. Golf was first played here on a 9-hole course in 1900 before James Braid was enlisted to extend the setup to eighteen holes in 1920. It took sixteen years for this development to finally happen and the course was further modified to increase the overall yardage in the late 1980s.

Hexham

The course at Hexham Golf Club also makes a 2-place jump to #6 in the new table. The club can trace its origins to 1892 when members played on a 9-hole course at Tyne Green. After moving to the Spital estate in 1907, the club hired Harry Vardon to lay out a new course which James Braid subsequently re-bunkered in 1920. When more land became available in the early 1950s, Ken Cotton was engaged to set out the magnificent parkland track that’s in play today.

Matfen Hall

The highest placed newcomer in our Northumberland listings at #10 is the original 18-hole layout at Matfen Hall Country Hotel, Spa & Golf Estate, comprising the Douglas and Standing Stone nines at an impressive 27-hole complex. Situated in an idyllic spot within the beautiful Northumberland countryside, Matfen Hall added the Dewlaw 9-hole loop to its golf operations in 2007.

The other Northumbrian new entries are Linden Hall [#12], the Lee Westwood Filly at Close House [#13], Newbiggin [#14] and Alnmouth Village [#15].

Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Northumberland.

Yorkshire

Retaining its position as #1 in Yorkshire, the 18-hole layout at Ganton Golf Club (pictured above) also occupies prominent positions in our English chart (at #8), our GB&I standings (at #25) and our World Top 100 (at #69) – from those rankings you can tell this is a very special place to play golf, evidenced by the fact it has hosted no fewer than seventeen of our 100 important world-wide Championships.

Headingley & Hornsea

The courses at two of Yorkshire’s oldest clubs – both of which were remodelled by Alister MacKenzie just before the onset of the Great War – make impressive 5-position leaps up the new chart.

The first of these is the 18-hole layout at Headingley Golf Club (pictured) outside Leeds which rises to #12. The second track is at Hornsea Golf Club (climbing to #17), located a good 2-hour drive away from Leeds on the East Riding of Yorkshire’s North Sea coastline.

Ken Moodie has worked very recently on a new practice facility at Headingley and Hornsea has undertaken an extensive re-bunkering project as advised by Howard Swan a decade ago now.

Selby

The biggest upward move in the revised listings is made by the course at Selby Golf Club (up seven spots to #18), where Jonathan Gaunt has completed a three-phase bunker renovation assignment.All the existing bunkers were repositioned, realigned, reshaped or removed. In addition, new strategic bunkers, grassy hollows and run-offs were created, with all the work undertaken by John Greasley Ltd.

Baildon

The first of five new courses for Yorkshire arrives at #38 and it’s at Baildon Golf Club, where Old Tom Morris set out an 18-hole layout in the 1890s for the original club which was named Pennithorne Golf Club. James Braid was called in to revamp and expand the course in 1924, the result of which was the introduction of six new holes (today’s 1st and 7th to 11th).

The other four new entries for Yorkshire are Otley [#41], Tankersley Park [#43], Howley Hall [#44] and Leeds [#45].

Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Yorkshire.

Jim McCann

Editor

Top 100 Golf Courses