England’s largest golfing county is home to more than 180 golf clubs and more than 70,000 golf club members – making it a powerhouse of the national golfing landscape. From the internationally renowned heath and moorland courses to coastal classics and modern inland challenges, there is so much to explore right across this diverse golfing county…
Beverley and East Riding Golf Club
Offering a unique golf experience, Beverley and East Riding Golf Club was formed in 1889 and is the oldest inland golf club in Yorkshire.
The course occupies a parcel of land on the Westwood – an expanse of green west of town. Sharing the pastureland with the racecourse, and cows in the summer, this is a fascinating course with great character. Laid out across the rolling moor, the course measures just 5,966 yards from the back tees – though its thick rough, ever-changing playing directions and the wind whipping across the Westwood can make it a tough test even with modern equipment. The rough is managed by the cows for much of the season, while the high-quality greens are ringed with wires to keep the cattle off. Being in the right position is key to scoring here – attacking the greens from the correct side is often more important than getting close to them.
Ganton Golf Club
Describing the importance of Ganton to the game of golf in a short space is near-impossible. Its history alone could fill a book, while its landscape – from the cathedral-like gorse to the expanses of exposed sandy terrain – could fill another. Its design meanwhile – from the green complexes to the mix of bunkers with their unique splashes of white provided by seashells, and the putting surfaces honed for more than a century, would delight any player for an entire golfing career.
The great history of the club is told throughout its clubhouse – most prominently the Ryder Cup, with the famous golden trophy greeting you as you arrive. Ben Hogan captained the US team here in 1949 and brought with him five players who had won, or would go on to win, majors; including seven-time major winner Sam Snead. Great Britain & Ireland meanwhile featured three major champions of their own. GB&I would win Friday’s foursomes 3-1 but succumb to the Americans in Saturday’s singles, ultimately losing the match 7-5. Championships and matches continue to be played here – from Walker and Curtis cups to British Amateur championships, with the three men’s amateurs here won by Gordon Clark, Peter McEvoy and Gary Wolstenholme.
While its history is remarkable, the golf course at Ganton is undoubtedly the reason for its continued success, which includes being ranked highly by Top100golfcourses.com – seventh in England, 23rd in GB&I and 69th in the world.
Laid out on land reclaimed centuries ago from the North Sea, its profile is comprised almost completely of sand. This provides fast and firm conditions, while also allowing for areas of the subsurface to be exposed to create spectacular landscapes of grass and sand. Laid out by Tom Chisholm and defined by the later work of Dr Alister MacKenzie and Harry Colt, today the course can be stretched to 7,055 yards for tournaments – though the shorter options are a little more welcoming.
In recent years, the course has gone through an historical renovation – opening and extending the existing natural sandy waste areas and cutting back gorse. Bunker renovations and new tee box constructions have further enhanced the golf course and significant investment has been made in greenkeeping, irrigation and equipment.
A limited number of tee times have been opened for non-members, and times are available for twilight golf after 4pm. Meanwhile, the Vardon Dormy House provides on-site accommodation for up to eight golfers and stay and play packages are available.
Pontefract & District Golf Club
Situated beside the town’s racecourse, the undulating mature parkland layout at Pontefract & District Golf Club is a fantastic place to test your game. For visiting golfers, it is also handily situated just off junction 32 of the M62 and only 10 minutes’ drive from the A1.
The club was established in 1904 – with founder members creating a nine-hole course on land belonging to the local park, near the current location. In the early 1920s, a new course was laid out on adjoining land which was leased from the Duchy of Lancaster. A decade later, this course was extended to 18 holes based on a layout drawn by Dr Alister MacKenzie.
The course has evolved over the years with new land being acquired, and today it measures 6,520 yards with a par of 72.
Having tested your game on the rolling fairways and plotted your way through the mature trees, the clubhouse is a welcoming spot to relax with the patio overlooking the 18th green.
Ripon City Golf Club
Set in beautiful parkland, the course at Ripon City Golf Club aims to challenge players while offering a number of scoring opportunities – and a very friendly welcome in the clubhouse. The rolling hills of North Yorkshire provide fantastic ground for golf – and with its mix of traditional English parkland aesthetics, steeply sloping terrain, modern bunkering and spectacular green complexes, Ripon City provides an all-round golf experience.
The course lies just outside one of England’s smallest cities, with views of the Hambleton Hills and Ripon Cathedral. It opened in 1908 as a nine-hole layout following the club’s founding in 1891. In 1993, the course was expanded to 18 holes. The new holes – with their wider fairways and USGA greens – were once very distinct from the first nine, which is characterised by its dramatic elevation changes. A long-term project overseen by architect Howard Swan has since tied the course together while introducing modern bunkering.
Wholly owned by its members following the purchase of the land the first nine is set on in 2024, today the course measures 6,089 yards from the back tees – with two daunting short holes in the shadow of the clubhouse among the highlights of the round.
Selby Golf Club
Founded in 1907, Selby Golf Club is home to a stunning golf course with a par of 71. Laid out on free-draining sandy soil, it is playable year-round with firm conditions a hallmark of the course. Measuring 6,377 yards from the back tees, the course is no pushover with three par fours stretching to more than 400 yards – including the challenging 16th, played downhill to a two-tiered green guarded by two front bunkers. The tricky, uphill par three 17th follows with a green guarded by multiple bunkers. The par five 18th can offer a good birdie opportunity when players avoid the many trees and greenside bunkers.
The course at Selby is laid out in two loops, both returning to the clubhouse, making it ideal for evening rounds in the summer or 27-hole golf days. Meanwhile the floodlit, covered driving range allows you to practice in all weathers. Catering is top-notch here too and societies and visiting groups can expect a warm welcome.
Knaresborough Golf Club
Situated five minutes’ drive north of the market town, and a few minutes off the A1, the course at Knaresborough Golf Club has been lengthened and improved since it opened in 1920. Much of the present course was shaped by Hawtree & Sons in the 1980s and early 2000s, with the 6,778-yard layout having a modern feel while retaining the best elements of its original design.
Laid out across hills and around mature woodland, the course encircles the clubhouse, rising and falling with the landscape, and dropping dramatically to provide unique challenges and wonderful views. The quality of the course continues to evolve thanks to continued investment in areas including hole design; growing the greenkeeping team; and expert support from organisations including STRI, The Environment Partnership, and John Deere.
Mature trees border the fairways and these are the course’s primary defence. Accurate driving is rewarded with opportunities to play aggressively into modern green shapes, many of which are designed to catch well-struck shots while their edges repel wide or mishit approaches. Venturing into the trees comes with great risk and you should avoid trying to overpower the course or cut corners.
Whether you’re travelling from near or far, Knaresborough is a welcoming place to spend a day enjoying the game.
Whitby Golf Club
The spectacular clifftop course at Whitby Golf Club, which is more than 130 years old, is a must-visit.
From its commanding position on the edge of the cliffs, and with views around the North Yorkshire coast to Kettleness and across to Whitby harbour and pier with the Abbey ruins dominating behind, it can be tough to concentrate on getting your ball around the course.
Not too long, nor too difficult, the layout punishes the wildest players with thick rough, while bunkering and run off areas will catch out many players who are not used to firm and fast conditions.
As with all coastal courses, the true difficulty of the layout is defined by the wind – benign conditions will yield good scores here while a stern test awaits should the wind blow.
