Join us for a round at Blackwell Grange Golf Club
The last 12 years at Blackwell Grange Golf Club have been transformational – and the course and club have never been better.
The layout here has always been beautiful and challenging, but substantial work in recent years has enhanced it greatly. Off the course, the floodlit driving range, short game practice area, two practice greens, warm up nets and academy course – paired with a great clubhouse with excellent food and a thriving junior programme – make this one of the region’s most impressive golf clubs. Quite a progression for a club which moved from along the road and took over the old Stressholme site back in 2013.
The par 71, 6,450-yard layout with the River Skerne looping through it combines ancient trees and modern bunkering with a testing mix of 400-yard-plus par fours, two extremely tough par threes, and plenty of fun – and maybe even birdieable – holes in between.
The 380-yard first may not be the longest par four on the course but it’s one of the toughest with the driving range and out of bounds fence looming right. Many will bail out left, hoping to avoid the trees, though this leaves a tricky approach to a small green with a false front and bunker on its front left corner.
The straightaway second hole is even more difficult. At 450 yards, it requires a long tee shot between trees right and a bunker left, before playing downhill to a green framed by more trees and guarded by a front left bunker and a second trap along its right side.
Short at just 305 yards, the third can be tough to get right. The uphill tee shot must make it to the corner of the left to right dogleg while avoiding the slope towards the out of bounds right to leave a short shot into a large, tricky green encircled by a trio of bunkers.
The shortest and most picturesque of the par threes at Blackwell Grange follows. Just 131 yards from the white tee box, the fourth presents a tricky shot which must carry onto the putting surface to avoid the steep slopes – down and away towards the river on the right side and high above the left side. A solitary bunker, set well below the putting surface, also guards the plateau green.
A pair of par fours measuring just over 360 yards follow. At the fifth, players must stay well inside the right bunker from the tee as the fairway drops away right. A short shot into a big green can yield a birdie chance – but don’t go near the two front bunkers or over the back here. At the sixth, played back in the opposite direction, an intimidating bunker on the right must be avoided to leave an approach to a considerably smaller and more undulating green which is narrowed by two bunkers before opening out beyond the traps.
Measuring 445 yards, the seventh is a brute of a par four. A generous fairway invites players to hit a long drive, and you’ll need one to leave a long approach to a back to front sloping green framed by a pair of staggered bunkers – a shorter one on the left and a second further up on the right side of the putting surface.
The sweeping right to left dogleg eighth is great fun. Just 322 yards, it moves around a bunker on the inside of the dogleg before opening up to a flat and very inviting green with bunkers on its flanks.
Having walked around the clubhouse, you’re faced with one of the toughest, and prettiest, shots on the course. Played downhill, the 205-yard par three ninth hole features a long, narrow green set against a backdrop of trees with three bunkers set into the mounding around the putting surface. Missing this green in any direction leaves a tough up and down.
The first par five, the 10th is no gimme at 526 yards. The uphill tee shot must avoid a bunker at the top of the hill on the right side and make its way down the slope. Having crested the hill, you get a great look at the approach and green – which is guarded by a trio of bunkers en route to the putting surface. The boundary right can catch out those who play wildly at the green with their second shot.
Measuring 201 yards and not played downhill, the 11th is even tougher than the ninth. Modern mounding and four bunkers frame the green beautifully and while you can bail out to the left, you’ll be faced with a near-impossible pitch if you do.
Moving from left to right and framed by trees on both sides with a bunker on the inside of the dogleg, the 346-yard 12th is a tough driving hole. Those who boldly navigate the turn or play sensibly to the left side will have a short approach to a green which feeds balls towards its centre.
The final par three, the 170-yard 13th can be tricky to get right. The green is ringed by bunkers and mounding, and club selection can be tricky when the wind swirls in the trees. A reachable par five for bigger hitters follows. The 14th features a generous landing area and deceptive approach – there’s some 50 yards between the first bunker and the shallow putting surface.
The shortest hole of the final stretch, the 396-yard par four 15th features the trickiest tee shot of the run. Players must make it to the corner of the dogleg left without missing left in the sand, right in the trees, long in the thick rough, or short leaving an approach over the trees. If you navigate all that successfully, you’ll be rewarded with an unobstructed shot of around 150 yards to a big target set between two bunkers.
A sub-500-yard par five, the 16th is no pushover. The fairway sweeps from right to left among the trees and you must play accurately to stay clear of the sand and trees to leave as short an approach as possible. The green is hidden by the hill in front of it and features an infinity effect at the back edge as well as an awkward mound left and a deep bunker on the right side.
At the long par four 17th, you must avoid two staggered centreline bunkers and turn the ball from right to left from the tee. Having found the fairway, a long approach needs to navigate a cross bunker and a pair of traps on the right side of the green – though there is a large landing area out to the left if you need it.
Played uphill, the 431-yard 18th is a brute. A long tee shot past the bunker on the right, avoiding the out of bounds left, will leave a tough approach to a well-guarded green set in front of the clubhouse with a steeply faced bunker left and a deep right bunker set below the putting surface.
OUR VERDICT
A traditional parkland course with modern features and fantastic facilities, a day out at Blackwell Grange is highly recommended.
