With plenty of dark nights to plan next season’s golf, this month we’ve taken a look at some of our favourite stay and play venues for 2018
George Washington Hotel, Golf & Spa
George Washington is everything you want in a golf resort. Celebrating its 40th year in 2018, the championship course is complemented by a 16-bay driving range with teaching suites. There’s also a five-hole Academy course and the 103-bedroom hotel, which will be expanded next year with the addition of 20 new double rooms with balconies overlooking the 10th tee, offers great stay and play rates and dining throughout the day as well as a recently refurbished gym and spa facilities for those needing to relax after a day on the course.
At the heart of the resort is the par 73 18-hole layout measuring 6,625 yards from the back tees. The fairways here are generous, however trees await should you fail to find the short grass. The opening back-to-back par fives offer a great opportunity to get off to a flying start, while George Washington’s version of Amen corner – a stretch of three tricky par fours – will test players of all levels with tough drives leading to tricky undulating greens. Play this stretch in level par and you’re on for a great score.
George Washington Hotel, Golf and Spa, Stone Cellar Road, High Usworth, Washington, NE37 1PH, tel 0191 417 8346 www.georgewashington.co.uk
Alnmouth Golf Club
Overlooking Foxton Bay, an area of natural outstanding beauty on the Northumberland coast, Alnmouth Golf Club has a long and distinguished history and is proud of its heritage as the fourth oldest club in England, established in 1869. Designed by HS Colt it is regarded as one of the finest golf courses in the North East, renowned for the condition of its greens and overall presentation. Now a Top 100 golf course in the UK, Alnmouth also has first-class practice facilities, a driving range and golf buggies for hire. Only 40 minutes drive from Newcastle, Alnmouth is easily accessed and visitors are always given a warm Northumbrian welcome. For those staying and playing, the 26-bed Dormy House within the clubhouse is designed to accommodate golfers with twin or single rooms with en-suite facilities while golf breaks can be organised to include a choice of the best courses in Northumberland.
Alnmouth Golf Club, Foxton Hall Alnmouth, Northumberland NE66 3BE, tel 01665 830 231 www.alnmouthgolfclub.com
Auld Cross Keys Inn
The Auld Cross Keys Country Inn, Denholm has been at the heart of life in the town for more than 200 years. A popular choice with golfers visiting the Scottish Borders, the former bakehouse offers 12 bedrooms and can accommodate up to 26 people. Within a short drive of some of the best courses in the Scottish Borders, including Eyemouth, Torwoodlee, Minto, Jedburgh, Kelso and the Hirsel, the Auld Cross Keys serves as a perfect base for visiting golfers.
Auld Cross Keys Inn, Main Street, Denholm Hawick, TD9 8NU, tel 01450 870 305, www.crosskeysdenholm.co.uk
Cairndale Hotel
Situated in Dumfries town centre, the Cairndale Hotel is the ideal place for golf breaks around Dumfries & Galloway and down into Cumbria with great connections with local clubs ensuring your trip takes in the best of the region’s courses. Golf Co-ordinator Kevin Potts is available year-round to organise every aspect of golfing breaks, from tee times to your preferred meals and rooms in the hotel, making a golf trip for four or 40 as easy as possible. All golf breaks with the Cairndale include a full Scottish breakfast, four-course table D’hôtel dinner, free use of the hotel’s leisure facilities and more, and you’ll find offers posted on the website regularly.
Cairndale Hotel and Leisure Club English Street, Dumfries DG1 2DF, tel 01387 254 111 www.cairndalehotel.co.uk
GOLF ESCAPES
For those in search of guaranteed sunshine and golf a little further afield, Golf Escapes offers a wide range of tailored golfing holidays for people of all golfing abilities. The number of destinations on offer continues to grow and includes the best golfing resorts in Spain, Portugal, Italy and across Europe, some deals closer to home in the UK & Ireland, and long-haul options including South Africa, Mauritius and Dubai. The Golf Escapes team prides itself on having visited and tried out these resorts and courses to get first-hand experience and inside knowledge – ensuring they provide the best golfing getaways. Golf Escapes sends more than 10,000 golfers away each year to various parts of the world and the team has a reputation for unparalleled service and knowledge, and for creating great value holidays.
www.golf-escapes.com
Ramside Hall Hotel & Golf Club
With two of Co Durham’s finest course as well as an award-winning hotel, state-of-the-art spa, three restaurants and a spacious clubhouse, Ramside Hall Hotel and Golf Club is an ideal venue for golfers travelling to the North East or those looking for good golf and world-class facilities close to home.
Its two 18-hole championship courses – The Prince Bishops Course and Cathedral Course – are fine examples of risk and reward golf, set in the countryside near Durham City. The Cathedral Course, opened in September 2014 as part of a £15m redevelopment at the four-star resort, measures 7,200 yards from the back tees and is laid out across a sweeping hilltop plateau and a picturesque wooded valley. Meanwhile, The Prince Bishops Course is a classic English track with tree-lined fairways and well-protected greens.
Away from the golf courses, the resort has everything golfers and non-golfers need from the clubhouse and driving range for before and after your round to dining in the Rib Room Steakhouse and Grill, Fusion Asian restaurant, Pemberton’s Carvery and Clubhouse. The resort’s spa offers full-day experiences as well as one-off treatments and is home to a number of swimming pools and a full fitness suite. The hotel offers 127 rooms – enough to accommodate any travelling golf parties.
Ramside Hall Hotel and Golf Club Carville, Co Durham DH1 5TD, tel 0191 386 5282 www.ramsidehallhotel.co.uk
