Dean Bailey profiles the tranquil parkland layout at Barnard Castle Golf Club
Playing golf offers so much – from a chance to compete to those days when you escape from work and truly relax in a beautiful setting.
Having explored most of the golfing landscapes in our part of the world, I can confidently place the tree-lined parkland of Barnard Castle Golf Club among the most tranquil places to play golf in the North East. From the warmth of the welcome to the quiet Durham landscape on which the golf course sits, this is a place where your golf shots should be the only thing you’re worried about. Wonderfully presented by Davy Cuthbertson and his team, the course is set out on rolling terrain at the southern end of Co Durham, with streams cutting through the course while almost all of the greens are set against backdrops of tall trees or unbroken nature as far as you can see.
The club dates to 1897 and today its course – remodelled extensively in the 1990s after the club began renting additional land – measures 6,438 yards with a par of 73 from the white tees.
The short opening par four, just 282 yards, requires a long-iron to the top of the hill and then a short pitch to a green just beyond a stream. While there are no bunkers here, you must stay straight off the tee with a steep slope left and trees right, while a confident pitch is required when the pin is at the front.
The par five second measures just 472 yards and is in reach in two for some. Those taking aim at the tiny green in two should be wary of the approach bunker some 30 yards short on the right side, and two more traps flanking the putting surface.
The first of a stunningly situated set of short holes, the third may be the prettiest of the lot with its vast green wrapped around a single deep bunker at its front right corner. A small pond and overhanging tree sit left of the green, and tangling with these must be avoided.
Accuracy is the order of the day at the 351-yard fourth hole. An iron is all that’s required from the tee with a bunker on the left side and a stream crossing the fairway some 290 yards from the tee. The stream edges closer to the green as it reaches its left side, while a single bunker guards the front right corner of this elevated putting surface.
Playing back in the opposite direction, the fifth also presents a generous landing area for a tee shot with an iron. Be wary of the stream some 270 yards from the tee if you hit driver here. Two bunkers protect the corners of the dogleg, which turns to the left to reveal the green. The putting surface is narrow, features a false front, and is flanked by two more bunkers.
The 534-yard par five sixth features a generous fairway which invites you to hit driver before positioning your second shot. The green features a deep left bunker and two more traps on its right side, including a hidden one at the back.
The 400-yard-plus seventh is a stern test. The tree-lined fairway turns slightly left while the elevated putting surface is set against a backdrop of trees and thick rough. You’ll find bunkers at both front corners.
Set in a clearing, the par three eighth is a delightful short hole where the pin position dictates the strategy. When playing its full length, which can be close to 200 yards, the centre of the vast green is best, while good players can take closer aim when the pin is in the more accessible right side, away from the front bunker.
A sub-500-yard par five follows at the ninth. Finding the fairway is essential if you wish to play over the valley in the fairway, which has a stream at its base, toward the bunkerless green complex which slopes away from the centre in every direction.
The 424-yard par four 10th is an important hole to keep your score going. Played into the prevailing wind, the tree-lined fairway turns slightly left before it reaches a tiny, incredibly narrow green with a large runoff area to its right side and a deep bunker at its back right corner.
Played through a corridor in the trees, the 165-yard par three 11th demands an accurate shot with four bunkers surrounding the front edge of the green.
A bunkerless, short par four, the fairway narrows considerably as you approach the green at the 12th. The trees block a straight route to the green, while the stream edges closer to the right side of the playing area as you progress from the tee – getting within a couple of paces of the right side of the green.
A pair of par fives, measuring 537 and 474 yards, follow. At the straight-away 13th, three bunkers lie on the right side of the very generous fairway. A fourth blocks the route of balls looking to bounce up to the green from the left side, and a fifth sits on the right side of a very small green. At the 14th, long drives are rewarded with a bounce down the hill and a great chance to reach the green in two.
The 368-yard 15th presents another good birdie chance when played sensibly. Avoid the fairway bunkers – one left and two right – and you’ll get a great look at a small green well beyond the stream that has no other defences.
Three demanding tee shots bring the round to a close – starting with a fairway wood or driver on the 16th which must favour the left side to leave an unobstructed view of the green at this dogleg-right par four. The green has no bunkers, but the stream is close to the front edge and the target is small.
The signature 17th follows.
Having played over streams throughout the round, the narrow strips of water present their biggest test at the 338-yard 17th. Splitting the fairway in two from 170 yards out, players must decide how close they want to get to the stream with their tee shot. A straighter, riskier shot is rewarded with less chance of finding the water – just inches from the right of the green – with your second shot. Those who are cautious from the tee must be very accurate with their second shot in order to avoid the water short and to the right of their path to the putting surface, and the out of bounds to the left and beyond as they play into the green.
At 211 yards, the 18th is a tough par three requiring good ball striking and accuracy. Shots which come up just a little short can get a friendly bounce, though be wary of the two bunkers cut well short of the putting surface. The green runs away steeply on its right, left and back edges, making up and downs to save par here tricky.
OUR VERDICT
A stunning, traditional English parkland course which feels far removed from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, Barnard Castle is simply a joy to play.
