Cavendish Golf Club Course Review

Cavendish Golf Club Course Review 

GF Round: £30-£45wd, £30-£55we (off-peak offers available)
Par 68, 5,721 yards
Slope 124
GM Verdict – A fine Mackenzie-designed moorland course, which proves that even shorter courses can still test every facet of your game.
Favourite Hole – The downhill par-3 4th may only be a wedge or 9-iron for many, but its ring of defences can certainly exert a little added pressure.

Cavendish, one of the best golf courses in Derbyshire, is the moorland handiwork of Dr Alister MacKenzie, with shades of his later Augusta National design evident in places. In 1923, the Duke of Devonshire commissioned MacKenzie to design an 18-hole course in Buxton, and today’s layout retains virtually all of the features present in MacKenzie’s original design. Not long by modern standards, Cavendish exemplifies MacKenzie’s belief that “length has nothing to do with the quality of a hole”. Packed with charisma, natural beauty and sheer golfing delight, the overall length may fall some way short of 6,000 yards, but that in no way detracts from either the enjoyment or, indeed, the challenge of the course.

Yes, there are chances to score early on, with the opening three all appearing to be tempting short par 4s on the card. But don’t get too carried away with ambition, for the greens early on can be particularly tricky, especially if you stray above the hole on the 2nd and 3rd. Three of the five par 3s may only require a short iron, too, but potential trouble still lurks, for example on the pretty downhill 4th, where the green is surrounded by a stream at the front, a pond on the left and a steep, unforgiving bank on the right.

And don’t be fooled into thinking length is never an issue, either. Considerably tougher par 4s await, especially 10 and 11 as you start the back nine, so any gains you can make on the shorter holes will certainly come in handy. The 422-yard 10th serves up a demanding drive where you must avoid a deep hollow on the left, before an equally demanding approach, which must clear the stream and steep bank short of the green. On the only-slightly shorter 11th, you’ll probably face a blind or semi-blind long approach down to a green set on a lower level beyond another stream.

The closing hole is also a classic, a dogleg right to a green beside the eye-catching clubhouse that plays every inch of its 441 yards. There’s a dip in the fairway here known as ‘5-iron valley’ where many drives end up and, you’ve guessed it, typically leave a 5-iron in. It’s hard to believe you’re just a couple of minutes outside Buxton - you could as easily be in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by stunning scenery where the light changes with every passing cloud and where little has changed since MacKenzie weaved his magic.