The Yorkshire Golf Club That Helped To Produce The 2016 Masters Champion

One of South Yorkshire’s strongest parkland tests boasts a striking early 19th-century Gothic hall for a clubhouse. In what is England's largest golfing county, Rotherham certainly sits towards the upper end of any list of the best courses in Yorkshire.

And at a time when green fee prices have become a bit of a talking point in golf - as discussed in the video below - Rotherham looks decent value for a course of this quality, especially if you go for the twilight option.

The layout, which plays below and around Thrybergh Hall, has proved the perfect breeding ground for two generations of tour success, too, with 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett and 23-year-old Ben Schmidt, who finished 69th on the Race to Dubai in 2025, both coming through the ranks at Rotherham Golf Club.

The course also enjoys a design resumé that features two Open champions, with 1902 winner Sandy Herd creating the original layout, which would subsequently be modified by five-time champion James Braid.

Moving with the times

But as we all know, the game, its equipment and its challenges are constantly evolving, and in recent years the club has enlisted the help of course architect Jonathan Gaunt to help ensure that Rotherham continues to provide a fitting test for the 21st-century golfer.

Gaunt’s work has focused on refurbishing existing bunkers, strategically placing new ones where required and creating new run-off areas around the greens to add an extra dimension to recovery work. The visuals have been elevated significantly by the use of China Clay sand.

The course starts on a seemingly straightforward downhill opener, but don’t get too complacent for the green entrance is narrow, so precision is required on the approach. The tough uphill 2nd is then followed by a lovely par 3 across a dip before the course drops to its low point.

You return to Thrybergh Hall on the 9th, an excellent longer par 3 across a broader dip, and again on the 12th after an interesting triangle of holes that features the apparently ‘gettable’ short downhill par-4 11th.

The high ground

As you play the fine closing quartet, which starts with a sharp dogleg-left, then a shortish par 3 to a potentially confounding green, it dawns on you that you are on slightly higher ground than the earlier holes would perhaps have had you believe.

The finish is then strong, with 17 the easier of the two par 4s on account of 18 stretching to a challenging 456 yards off the tips. As if such length alone were not sufficient test for mere mortals, the hole moves gently left with the fairway cambering the other way.

Par here is certainly worth a celebratory drink in the grand clubhouse, which provides a fitting backdrop to the final action on this thoroughly enjoyable course.

● Essentials
Doncaster Road, Thrybergh, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S65 4NU
Stats: par 70, 6,378 yards
Green fees: round: 70wd, £79we; twilight (after 4pm): £45

(Prices correct at time of publication in March 2026)