Join us for a round at Newbiggin Golf Club
The Northumberland coast is blessed with landscapes for golf – from the rugged sand dunes in its northernmost reaches to the clifftops further south.
Newbiggin Golf Club, on the edge of the seaside town, is home to clifftop holes, carries over coves with the North Sea beating the rocks below, sand dune-flanked holes on the front nine, and a moorland feel in the latter part of the round.
The course has tested golfers for more than a century, with the first nine holes here laid out by Mungo Park – winner of The Open in 1874 and professional at Alnmouth. Later work saw the course extended to 18 holes, with Alnmouth-based professional George Rochester and two-time Open champion Willie Park Jr, Mungo’s nephew, among those credited with work here. Today the course can be stretched to 6,729 yards for tournament play and in the height of summer it can present a formidable test.
Playing away from the clubhouse and town, the first tends to be shortened by the prevailing wind. Just 352 yards from the white tees, players can leave themselves a short shot in if they make it past the fairway bunkers around 100 yards out. Those approaching the green from the right must contend with a deep bunker on the front right corner and second, smaller trap beyond it.
The 557-yard par five second also tends to play shorter thanks to the wind and firm conditions. Avoid the two bunkers on the right of the landing area some 290 yards from the green – and the ditch to the left another 30 yards on – and you’ll have a great look at a vast putting surface which is shared with the 16th hole.
The par four third is more than 400 yards and can strike fear into players with the North Sea on the right. The rough will cause havoc with tee shots played too cautiously to the left, and a straight look at this narrow green is essential if you want to control your second shot. The green slopes steeply from back to front and players must stay well clear of a pair of deep bunkers on the left side of its rear half. A devilish, tiny bunker lies well off the edge of the green on the right side.
The short fourth hole, just 267 yards, presents reward and a great deal of risk with four bunkers ringing the generous putting surface, and out of bounds and the North Sea close to the right side.
The 401-yard fifth features a dramatic tee shot played over a small cove with the waves beating the rocks below. Players who bail out to the left will have their view of the flag obscured by the hill at the front left corner of the green. Those who are brave and avoid the bunkers on the right will have a simpler approach into the green, which is shared with the ninth.
Played over and through sand dunes, the 345-yard dogleg right sixth hole can be driven in one by players who have played it many times. However, the preferred shot at this heavily contoured hole is a long-iron into the heart of the fairway to leave a short approach into the bowl of the bunkerless green site. The back slope can funnel balls back onto this wide but incredibly shallow green, though players can be caught out by a small plateau in the hillside – chips from up here are impossible to get close. Played in the most sloping terrain on the course, the second shot is simply fun – particularly when you crest the slope in front of the green and see you’ve passed this short but tricky test.
Played into the furthest corner of the course, and in the shadow of the Lynemouth Power Station, the 403-yard seventh is shortened by the prevailing wind. From the elevated tee, players must favour the left side to avoid the dunes and rough to the right. An incredibly long green slopes from back to front steeply and is guarded by small bunkers at its front corners.
Turning back into the wind for the first time, the 363-yard eighth hole is robustly defended by out of bounds on the right, and a pair of imposing bunkers some 70 yards from the raised green. A third bunker lurks 30 yards short of the green, and another deep trap guards its left side.
The 375-yard ninth plays up the hill towards the heart of the golf course. The green is vast and a pot bunker, hidden by the slope, lies at the front left side.
Heading out to the North Sea, then back inland, the 400-yard-plus par four 10th and 11th holes are tough. Played to a relatively small target, accuracy is key at the 10th with a trio of bunkers guarding the front corners of the green. At the 11th, players must stay clear of the gorse and rough which flanks the fairway. A long approach to a large, flat green with a bunker on its left can be tricky to control when it is windy.
One of only two par threes here, the 166-yard 12th is played to an elevated green which falls away on both side. The pair of front bunkers may be small, but they have large catchment areas.
The sensible play at the 326-yard 13th is with a long-iron to stay well clear of the ditch which crosses the fairway. The out of bounds fence is close to the back of the round, bunkerless green. Take note of the wind affecting the flag as the hill shelters the green.
The final par five, which turns slightly right, follows. A ditch splits the fairway and players should aim for position over length with a small target lying beyond a pair of front bunkers. A third trap on the left side protects flags positioned in the rear third of the green.
Just over 300 yards, the 15th is well-defended with its trio of fairway bunkers – two right and one left – some 80-100 yards from the green. The peanut-shaped green is sloped from back to front and protected in its back half by four deep bunkers.
Turning for home, and into the wind, the finish begins with the 345-yard 16th. Cautious players should play short of the fairway bunkers some 150 yards from the green and the ditch beyond them, while the more adventurous can aim between the traps. The green, shared with the third hole, is enormous.
The 160-yard 17th can be a brute into a strong wind. Its elevated, two-tier green will reject shots which come up short or flirt with its edges. A bunker well short on the left can ruin a good score, while those on the left side of the green and in the back right corner are deep.
Though it measures just under 400 yards, the 18th plays every inch of it. The boundary fence right and thick rough will slow approaches to the final green, which slopes from back to front and is guarded by just one bunker at its front left corner.
OUR VERDICT
A fun place to play in a summer breeze and when the rough is low, Newbiggin will test the very best players in windy, firm and fast conditions.
