Hallamshire Golf Club Course Review
GF Round: £59-£65wd, £75we
Par 71, 6,361 yards
Slope 127
GM Verdict A very distinctive and memorable Harry Colt design
Favourite Hole The par-3 17th, Quarry, played alongside the rocks and over a nest of bunkers
While the golf club dates back to 1897, the original provenance of its delightful course on the western outskirts of Sheffield has disappeared in the mists of time. What we do know, is that the firm of Colt, Alison and Morrison were engaged in 1937 to completely revise and remodel the layout. Its links-like out-and-back configuration is packed with variety and interesting and memorable holes.
The course opens with a very testing, long par 4
With the exception of the opening par 5 at the 5th, the front nine works its way generally westward and into the prevailing breeze. Three particularly strong par 4s at the 1st, 3rd and 4th lead to something of a make-or-break start.
Heather in bloom beside the excellent par-3 sixth, Saucer
Appropriately named Return, the 5th plays in the opposite direction and raises hopes of getting one back on the card, before the excellent short 6th, which many consider to be the course’s signature hole. This is played over a chasm and there are bunkers left and short, and out-of-bounds bordering the right.
The thirteenth at Hallamshire, Barncliffe, a strong par 4 with a tricky, uphill approach
Each hole presents a fresh and different challenge, and two more distinctive par 4s and the second par 3 take you to the turn and the halfway house.
At 584 yards from the back tee, the fifteenth is the longest hole on the course
Hopefully the wind will be your friend on the back nine which is just as well as it is longer and features back-to-back par 5s at the 14th and 15th.
A tempting risk and reward par 5 makes for the perfect closing hole
The other candidate for signature hole is the tiny par-3 17th, Quarry, played alongside the rocks and over a nest of bunkers. The course finishes with a relatively short par 5 and the hopes of a birdie to take into the welcoming clubhouse.
The endlessly engaging design at Hallamshire Golf Club is one of the best golf courses in Yorkshire and should be on the must-play list of all golfers visiting the area. Matt Fitzpatrick honed his exceptional skills here, and there are superb long-distance views over the Peak District. There is also more than enough variety and interest to keep all golfers fully engaged from start to finish no matter how well or not so well they are playing.
