Ganton Golf Club, Scarborough

Ganton Golf Club, Scarborough

Tuesday 22nd October 2013
Tee time - 1007
Green fee - £75
Score - 90 (par-73)

The clubhouse at Ganton - from the 18th green.

 

Situated a couple of miles outside of the seaside town of Scarborough, Ganton golf club is rated as the best course in Yorkshire.

 

Host of a number of amateur and professional tournaments over the years, most famous of which have been the Ryder Cup (1949), the Curtis Cup (2000) and the Walker Cup (2003). The clubs course guide suggests that if the Open Championship were to move away from the seaside, this would be a favourite. Unfortunately while I would agree it would get a vote of me for the same, in modern terms of length, it is simply not long enough - not that I agree with this!

 

Ganton was opened for play in 1891 and one of its early professionals was the six-time winner of the Open Championship (Harry Vardon). The course itself is a fairly open heathland course with banks of thick gorse around. There are little changes of elevation around but subtle banks, hollows and valleys along with masses of bunkers very cleverly positioned to inflict the maximum damage to your game.

 

Like my round at Woodhall Spa the day previous, the heavens were open for the majority of the round and added was a very strong wind whistling around the course.

 

The entrance off the main road takes you down a drive to the clubhouse which cuts across the 17th and 18th holes. It gives the impression that the designers realised they were running out of space at the last moment and extended the last two holes across the road (probably not the case!).

 

The clubhouse was a pebble dashed single storey building and sat nicely in its surroundings. As I had read previously, this is a club somewhat stuck in the dark ages and visitors are to park behind the clubhouse out of view of the members. I don't particularly like clubs with the likes of 'no phones' and 'jacket and tie' but I must admit I walked away with a completely different opinion.

 

After checking in at the pro shop I went to get changed in the locker rooms. It was like stepping back in time and it was fantastic. All the walls were wood panelled and contained what looked like the original lockers from back in the 20's. These were immaculately kept with all the bumps and dents that come with time. As with the car parks, the visitors and members areas are separated. Hanging on the walls around the changing areas photographs of previous amateur champions and club professionals over the many years, most famous of with was Harry Vardon. The place seemed like it hadn't changes since Harry himself was walking these halls.

 

The visitors changing room - Ganton golf club

I also met up with the caddie master, a lovely chap who explained a bit about the course and offered for me to find my own gap due to the on-going bad weather and the likelihood that the more elderly members wouldn't play in this weather. It did also humour me that he called me Mr Wilson at all times despite me being 15 or so years his junior!!

 

The caddie master held one of the only items of technology in the whole place - a computer - used to check my tee time! I did ask about the opportunity for a caddie, however this is very much a dying luxury as due to the world of electric golf carts, demand for caddies is now so small. It is a shame as I would probably have used one.

 

The members themselves were very stereotypical of what I expected - minimum age of 70 years, immaculately dressed in three piece tweed suits and very well spoken. I like the way that traditional etiquette is still respected at Ganton….that said I still feel a little out of place in such environments.

 

I could not really say much about the practice ground as it was pretty much a wasteland field to knock balls out to. No markers, mats or anything. Unfortunately this is where places like Ganton get a little left behind despite this beauty of a golf course.

 

 

I didn't try the putting green this morning as aside from my poor putting performance in the past couple of days, there was a gap on the tee that I wanted to take advantage of.

 

The 1st green - Ganton golf club

The 1st tee is set off to the right of the clubhouse and I was quite astounded by the perfection of the tee box. Dead flat and square with a firm footing (despite a number of days of rain!) and perfectly cut. The markers were simple and clear to all.

 

Before I go on, while I sprayed it around a bit, the wind was such that it magnified your error and got you into a lot of trouble. Forget about a 1 or 2 club wind, you needed 3-4 over club to reach at times!

 

Straight off the first tee with a bit of a shaky swing, I found my first bunker of the day. As with Woodhall Spa, the bunkers were also cavernous in size and depth and steps were otter the method of getting in and out of them. As I soon figured out, once you find a fairway bunker your hope of making a good score is always left in the bunker with your ball.

 

Throughout the 18 holes I can't recall any fairway bunker that you would be able to take anything other than a sand wedge out of! Brutal…but a great pleasure to play out of.

 

The greens had been scored in two directions as part of the winter schedule and were cut very tight. Unlike Turnberry where I have previously seen this, the greens at Ganton ran very fast and true. Like the tee boxes, all the greens were rock hard and you had to run your approaches up to the green rather otherwise they would be hurrying off the back to find you some trouble!

 

Hole 2 a 415 yard par-4 is a gentle dog leg left downhill where everything hit feeds right. A challenging hole, particularly with a strong wind from left to right to hold it on.

 

Number 3 is a short par-4 with an intimidating tee shot from an enclosed area. Sprawled across the middle of the fairway is a large bunker to collect anything that as such much looks at it. Fortunately a long iron found the fairway (just) and a following 6-iron to an elevated green position took me to 20-feet before knocking it in for a birdie 3.

 

3rd hole from the back tees - Ganton golf club

Number 4 played as the third hardest hole on the course and I can see why. On this day, the wind was strong directly into my face. After drilling a low drive up a slight hill onto the fairway (only managing to get 200 yards), I was left with another 200 yards to the green. The hole kinks around to the right through a little valley at the bottom of which is a little brook, a tree and plenty of gorse where you can wave goodbye to your golf ball! Being a par-4 I decided to have a crack at the green, however there was no easy route. It was all or nothing insofar as I needed to draw the ball low over the trouble to get near. There are few shots that you play in golf when you can honestly say 'that was a perfect shot', this was one of those occasions. I set the ball out 20 yards right of the green and with a low penetrating flight, the ball started drawing back. I knew I needed to land the ball 20 yards short of the green and on the right half of the green. I couldn't have dropped it in a better position. The ball pitched into the bank which took a bit of pace out and it ran onto the green and up to the flag. It was probably 12 feet from the flag. Standing there in the wind and rain on my own I held my arms aloft like an idiot.....then I missed my birdie putt!

 

4th fairway - the site of my 3-wood second into the green......

....to here - 4th green - Ganton golf club

The 5th is a lovely downhill par-3 to a small landing area requiring a full carry with thick gorse and a stream in the run up to the green. With a strong wind behind and in 2 minds coupled with not catching it right narrowly kept me out of real trouble and I was fortunate not to end up in the hazard.

 

A view from the front of the tees - 5th hole - Ganton golf club

In effect Ganton is a links course without the seaside. Especially when the wind comes over the hill at Staxton it can be viscous!

 

Bunkers on this course have been carefully planned and in most instances have a risk reward factor. If you get caught out though, it really hurts your score and is unforgiving. Hole 7 is just one of those. A 434yard dogleg par-4, on the kink of the fairway sits 4 deep bunkers surrounded by thick rough. Playing with the wind, my drive flushed the face of the last bunker and left me with nothing but a wedge out. You need to have had a go at it otherwise you would be playing the hole as a par-5.

 

The perils of taking on (and failing) at Ganton - 7th hole

Number 9 is a very tight 505 yard par-5 with trees and gorse left and right that rewards accuracy rather than power. To walk off with a bogey 6 after stuffing it through the gorse was an achievement.

 

From the twelfth I went off the rails a bit and lost 3 balls in 5 holes which wasn't helped by the wind. That wasn't considering the amount of provisional tee shots I played, but fortunately I found the originals, otherwise I would safely have been into three figures on the scorecard!

 

Holes 16 to 18 is a lovely closing stretch. The tee shot from 16 is dominated by an enormous bunker spread across the fairway at about 180 yards that blocks the rest of the view of the hole. Once you find the fairway, the hole narrows towards the green and it feels very intimate and somewhat protecting of the gusting winds.

 

Hole 16 featuring the massive bunker - Ganton golf club

Hole 17 crosses from one side of the entrance road to the other. Played off the tips, this can be played as either a par-3 or par-4. Off the whites is a 251 yard short par-4. There is a landing area, but it is so small and would leave limited visibility of the green that a smooth swing of the big dog straight at the green is the best advice. After missing right into one of the 3 bunkers in the run up to the green, I was fortunate to walk off with a par 4.

 

View from the front tees - hole 17 - Ganton golf club

The closing hole a Ganton has a blind tee shot played at a marker post. It is possible (as I did) to find the fairway and be completely blocked out from the green by the towering pines as the hole banks to the left. With confidence lacking at this stage to hit it directly at the clubhouse and draw it into the green, I decided that's chip out and approach back over the road into the green was the best way. 2 putts finished me up with my 90.

 

In all, this was a magnificent course and highly deserving of such high rankings. What I love is the fact that this club doesn't brag about it and is happy to get on with it whereas some courses rest on their laurels and go into decline. In truth I didn't have great hopes for Ganton bit it completely won me over.

 

While I was probably the youngest player on the course by about 30 years (something I was concerned about), I shouldn't have worried. Speaking to the caddie master afterwards he said that 90 was a great score in normal conditions let along in the wind and rain. He also said that most members rarely meet their handicap and summer brings a new dimension to the course when it dries out. He said it is incredibly difficult to keep the ball on the fairways and greens.

 

It could have been a lot worse! - Ganton golf club

Would I return to Ganton? The answer is a resounding yes and in a heartbeat. It was great value and the course was in excellent condition and a good challenge to even the best of golfers.