The last few years have been busy ones for Allerthorpe Golf and Country Park – the easy-walking parkland course just outside the bustling market town of Pocklington, 12 miles down the main road from York.
Several years ago, the proprietary 18-hole club folded after turbulent times. Now, under the corporate ownership of Prestige Country Parks, Allerthorpe has very much been reinvented. The original layout was badly affected by flooding over a significant stretch of holes, so it has been redesigned into a testing nine-hole course utilising many of the best elements of the former layout.
Having lost all its members, the rebuilding job has been a success, to the point that golf club manager Christina Winter has recently had to make changes, as she explains: “We have 400-450 members, so I’ve had to bring in a waiting list – though there is still space available for female members. I’m trying to bring in a lot more ladies. We’ve partnered with PING as there’s really nowhere to get ladies’ golf clothing in the local area, so I’m going to be focusing on that. I’ve got lots of items coming in for spring and summer and we’re really targeting ladies with that.”
With a full membership fee of just £465 – which includes England Golf affiliation and runs on a 12-month rolling basis from the day you join – it’s not a surprise the club has been attracting plenty of locals.
Allerthorpe remains popular with visiting golfers and groups too – especially with the large holiday lodge opportunities, a central feature of the resort.
“Societies and groups are always welcome, and with the holiday park on-site there are packages available,” added Christina. “We’re always keen on encouraging that and anyone interested in those opportunities can contact the park office for details and bookings.
“In addition, we’re going to be staging more competitions like Texas scrambles and yellow perils events, which have proved really popular and are open to members and the golfing public.” You can visit the Allerthorpe Golf Course page on Facebook for further details on all upcoming events.
With a visiting fee of just £27 for 18 holes or £20 for nine holes – which includes weekend play as well as midweek rounds – the popularity is understandable.
In 2024 a five-bay covered driving range was created on land opposite the golf course and the club is waiting for approval to use floodlights to expand the offering. Meanwhile, Duncan McNaughton is the attached teaching professional and he can often be found out on the range giving lessons.
Although there is no dedicated clubhouse per se, the large outdoor seating area overlooking the 18th green is on the doorstep of JJ’s Bar & Restaurant – a very popular destination for golfers, locals and tourists alike.
Set at the foot of the Yorkshire Wolds and adjacent to the Allerthorpe Lakeland Park, the picturesque village is on the list of many people’s favourite places to visit.
The club has buggies to rent – though the course is an easy-walking par 34. There is one very testing par five and three par threes which are all in the final four holes – including the excellent ninth played across water. There are some sharp doglegs too, and positional play is key here, while the tree-lined fairways lend distinct shape and character to this brilliant course.
ALLERTHORPE GOLF & COUNTRY PARK (YELLOW TEES)
1 – 333 YARDS, PAR 4
A straightforward opener played slightly downhill with a gentle break to the left. There is a fairway bunker on the right side and trees border the fairway. A front left bunker set some 30 yards short of the green must be avoided at all costs, while traps on each side offer further protection to a long but narrow green.
2 – 365 YARDS, PAR 4
Running parallel to the first hole but a couple of clubs longer, the second offers a wide target from the tee with a right-hand hinge. The approach is played slightly uphill to an oval-shaped green ringed by four bunkers and a run-off area at the rear.
3 – 389 YARDS, PAR 4
A longer challenge than the opening holes and played to a narrower fairway, your drive at the third has to be long and favour the right side in order to leave a shot at a green tucked behind a 45-degree right to left dogleg. The tall trees down the left are a real obstacle here, while plenty of sand protects a very large, kidney-shaped green.
4 – 568 YARDS, PAR 5
If the right-angled dogleg wasn’t challenge enough at the par five fourth hole, its length also provides a real test. The fairway is broad enough, though anything wild left is in serious trouble and there is an internal out of bounds on the right side to be wary of. Beyond the elbow there are a series of large fairway bunkers, while another lateral trap is set in front of the large putting surface.
5 – 399 YARDS, PAR 4
Equally tricky, the par four fifth hole requires a long tee shot which favours the right side to setup a shot at the green in regulation. The approach shot is an attractive one, played into a green beyond three large bunkers set short left, centre left and short right.
6 – 139 YARDS, PAR 3
The first of three short holes in the final four, the 139-yard sixth features a big front left bunker and a small trap front right, plus a back left trap you can’t see from the tee and some rear mounding. The green is one of the more undulating putting surfaces here and it has some very tricky pin positions.
7 – 314 YARDS, PAR 4
A relatively short, straightaway par four, the seventh offers a generous target from the tee. There are fairway traps on both sides as well as three more bunkers with much steeper faces that protect a very different green. The putting surface is something of a two in one – the front squeezed between the traps while the back section opens up a lot more.
8 – 136 YARDS, PAR 3
A beck traverses the short eighth hole, but it is well short of the bunkerless green. The main protection here is the distinct back left to front right slope in the putting surface, which makes long putts and chip shots tough to get close.
9 – 141 YARDS, PAR 3
The signature hole at Allerthorpe, the 141-yard ninth is a beauty played from an elevated tee over water to a back to front sloping green. Beware the beck – a second stretch of water sitting below the first pond and the green – which is not initially visible. There are trees and a mound running down the left side of the green to avoid as well, plus two bunkers on the right side.
