Moortown Golf Club, Leeds

Taken from the 17th looking over the 2nd & 5th

Moortown golf club, Leeds
Sunday 20 October 2013
Tee time - 1407
Green Fee - £45
Score - 84 (par 71)

Tucked away out of view you find your way to the course down a carefully manicured hedge way drive.

Host of the 1929 Ryder Cup, the moment you enter the clubhouse the lobby is steeped in historical images of faces to shape the face of golf. Notably is one of Samuel Ryder who donated the famous golf trophy for the 1929 competition.

The locker room is a timepiece with quality lockers that have had a fair amount of wear but have stood the test of time.

While I didn't explore the rest of the club house I did notice the 'smoking room' which i wouldn't like to guess if still in use with the laws in place! I am not really into doing the 'jacket and tie' thing in order to eat in the clubhouse as while I appreciate tradition, it's not really my bag.

The pro shop gave me a very warm welcome and offered me access to the range to warm up prior to my round. The practice range itself is an open piece of land running down the left hand side of the 1st hole with opportunity to knock balls off the deck or from the AstroTurf mats provided.

The putting green was pretty in its setting behind the starters hut but unfortunately didn't reflect the course greens.

This was the first heathland course that I had played and I was surprised by how bouncy the ground was which is due to it being laid on a peat base.

The rough around the course at the time was fairly tame due to the start of the winter preparations being started around the course and leaking one off the tee didn't tend to get you into too much trouble. The heather was out and a very pretty addition to the course in the autumn sunshine.

Hole numbers 2 and 9 had been so heavily dressed with red sand that when initially looking from the 2nd gave the illusion not to hit your ball onto it (which I duly didn't). While I understand this was part of the winter schedule I have never seen this before and felt like you were playing a bunker shot off the fairway!



The 3rd green - Moortown golf club

Hole number 4 was a very picturesque par-3 into a 2 club wind with bunkers protecting the green around the front and sides. 

 

 

Hole 10 named 'Gibraltar' was very apt. A 170-yard par-3 to an elevated green protected heavily on the left side by an enormous bunker. Additionally the green banked steeply from back to front to remove anything coming up short. Played into strong wind again I hit a perfect draw to within 20 feet but above the hole. I was able to tickle my putt down the hill into the centre of the cup for a birdie two. 

Hole 12 being a dogleg downhill par-5 was one of the easier holes on the course yet I managed to push it on to the 11 fairway. Somehow I get within 4 feet only the hole for 3 and rolled in my putt for another birdie. 

While I have only described a few of the holes, they all had a lot of variance and character. The course was open but had trees and hazards in certain places to create trouble for bad shots.

I loved that the greens were so soft that you could be aggressive in your approach and fire it straight at the flag as your ball would generally stick. The putting surface was excellent and incredibly smooth to putt on. This was despite the fact they were all spiked and you like the opportunity to see them at their peak in the summer. That said I wasn't putting well at all and left plenty of shots out there which certainly had the potential for a sub-80 round. 

The bunkers had great shape to them; they were well kept and had what I considered to be the right consistent depth of sand. The round is ended by a lovely approach into number 18 which is overlooked by the clubhouse

Overall feel of the course was a very enjoyable one. The players on the course (all of which were members) were very pleasant and considering I was a single ball, I was always invited to play through even without asking. 

Value for money was very good. I played on a Sunday afternoon in a twilight tee time. The course was well into its winter schedule but still in great nick. 

 
I highly recommend this course all year round. The members are very polite and proud to show off their course. Well worth a visit.