Bamburgh Castle Golf Club Course Review

Bamburgh Castle Golf Club Course Review
GF Round: £65; Day: £75 - all week
Par 68, 5,604 yards
Slope 111
GM Verdict A short but incredibly sporty course packed with fun holes and fabulous views
Favourite Hole The dogleg, short par-4 16th for its sublime green site nestled between two slopes with the castle beyond

The club at Bamburgh Castle was founded in 1904, and little has changed since the great Bernard Darwin sung its praises very highly in the 1920s. Indeed little has needed to change, or could be changed, as the course is defined by its fabulous, craggy topography and still presents a good test for all golfers despite its modest length.

There is a quite possibly unique par configuration to open the course - 3,3,5,5 - meaning that the first par 4 doesn’t arrive until the 5th! The 1st is immediately full of drama, over the cliff-edge, the 2nd a healthy blow away from the sea, and the par 5s at 3 and 4, the only two on the course, are a pair of rollercoasters heading west.

If you are blessed with a blue-sky day, this is a joyous place to play and the views up the coast are the best on the course.

The demanding par-3 6th, SI1, and then a short par 4 lead you up the slope towards the higher part of the course.

The par-3 8th is an excellent one-shotter, played over a severe dip to its ‘island’ green. The front nine concludes with a welcoming par 4 played from an elevated tee down to a double green.

The next three are all great fun despite being fraught with danger with the 12th returning to the green shared with the 9th. The 13th, the Whins, is a long par 4, and the 14th is the final short hole played to an implausibly shallow green with yet more sensational views.

The approach to the 15th calls for a carry over a dip, the 16th is a short but very sweet dogleg left and the 17th a thrilling short par 4 from an elevated tee. An absorbing round ends with a drive and pitch par 4 back to the charming clubhouse.

Just minutes from perhaps the loveliest castle in the country, this unusual and very much one-off design is packed with character and interest. With its far-reaching views, its glorious scenery internally, its birdie opportunities and its unfussy welcome, this is simply one of the most likeable clubs and courses. Right up there among the best courses in Northumberland, Bamburgh Castle is somewhere of which no golfer should ever tire.