Bamburgh Castle Golf Club Course Review
For views, charm and fun, the elevated seaside course at Bamburgh Castle Golf Club is up there with the very best


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.
The second hole plays inland and is part of a very rare opening of consecutive short holes
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.
The green on the par-5 fourth with views up to Holy Island
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.
Looking back down to the tee at the short par-4 seventh, The Rockies
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 short eighth is a lovely hole played to a beautifully-sited green
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 green at the tough par-4 thirteenth with the castle in the distance
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.
Best not to leak right at the driveable par-4 seventeenth, Kittling Hill
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.
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Rob Smith has been playing golf for 45 years and been a contributing editor for Golf Monthly for over ten years, specialising in course reviews and travel. He has now played more than 1,200 different courses in almost 50 countries. Despite lockdowns and travel restrictions in 2021, he still managed to play 80 different courses during that year, 43 of them for the first time. This included 21 in 13 days on a trip to East Lothian in October. One of Rob's primary roles is helping to prepare the Top 100 and Next 100 Courses of the UK&I, of which he has played all but seven and a half... i.e. not the new 9 at Carne! During the 2021-22 review period, Rob played 36 of the Golf Monthly Top 200. He is a member of Tandridge Golf Club in Surrey where his handicap hovers around 16. You can contact him at r.smith896@btinternet.com.
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