Ganton Golf Club Course Review

Ganton Golf Club Fact File: 

• Location: Ganton is 11 miles short of Scarborough in East Yorkshire
• Year Established: Golf was first played here in 1891 and Harry Vardon became the club’s pro un 1896, the same year he won The Open at Muirfield
• Par: 71 for men, 76 for women
• Length (yards): Blue 7055, White 6778, Yellow 6456, Red 6063 
• Green Fees (weekdays): £220
• Signature Hole: Take your pick but 16 and 17 are very special, the latter a spectacular par 3 played across the entry road
• Website: gantongolfclub.com

The original course at Ganton Golf Club was laid out by Tom Chisholm and Robert Bird and then came a host of legendary figures in the game – James Braid, JH Taylor, Harry Vardon, Harry Colt, Alister MacKenzie and Tom Simpson – to put their stamp on it. Vardon and Ted Ray, with seven Claret Jugs between them, were both pros here. 

Since then, Ganton GC, one of the best golf courses in Yorkshire, has hosted the 1949 Ryder Cup, the Walker and Curtis Cups, a PGA Championship, three Amateur Championships and five Brabazons. 

If you don't get a sense of that history when you visit here then you're missing something.

From the initial driveway, where you catch sight of the brilliant 16th, to the locker room, clubhouse, honours boards and incredible and rapid putting green you instantly know that you are in for a treat. 

Situated nine miles from the sea there is a big sense of this being an inland links, as well as being a heathland course, but there's no point fretting too much about how to define it – Ganton is just a pure treat to play. 

It sits well inside the best 100 courses on the planet and the top 30 in GB&I, it's that good. 

The sandy turf is immediately striking but the real talking point is the bunkers, many of which feature stair-like steps to the bottom of them. Your challenge is to spend the 18 holes trying to avoid them and, when you do find yourself at the bottom of one, to get yourself out the first time.

Ganton Golf Club Course Review

Before you head out to the course, make sure you pay a visit to the pro shop and try and catch a word with the head Pro Gary Brown. He's been here over 40 years, is one of the most genuine people in the game and is a brilliant enough player to have teed it up in two Opens. 

Ganton has always been a special place to play but it has continued to make great strides in recent years with the reintroduction of sand wasteland areas which had been lost over time and Martin Ebert has been involved to help achieve a full restoration of the course.

If ever there is a course that is better for knowing, then it's Ganton. If ever there is a course that you will likely want to play a second round immediately after, then it's Ganton. 

The tee box on the 1st is a sign of the magnificent condition of what's to come, as is the magnetic bunker to the right edge of the fairway. Hit it left and don't get involved with it. 

If you like running your approaches in then you will love Ganton. Here the linksy feel is never more evident as you are able to thread your approach shots onto the putting surfaces. 

There is the opportunity to take on the green at the 3rd, again this is the case at the 14th, and there are opportunities to score well here, and roll in some putts on pretty much perfect greens, but you better be razor sharp with every part of your game.

The opening par 3 at the 5th is the type of picture postcard short hole with a sizeable enough green, a feature of the course, but miss it and you're struggling to make a par.

If there was one hole that never quite seems to sit right it would be the dogleg 12th but, from there in, it's exceptional. 

If I did have a favourite bunker it might be the one that tumbles down from the right half of the 13th fairway and is the dictionary definition of a hazard. 

It almost seems rude not to take on the 14th with your tee shot and the stretch home is absolutely joyous. 

A vast cross bunker sets the scene for the 16th, which is probably my favourite hole in the county and is an affection not based on any sort of heroics. 

Then you have a par 3, that you pretty much tell yourself is a sporty 4, and a closing hole that is framed beautifully and features a tee shot where everyone seems to play too far right.

Ganton is pure, both in its appearance and condition as well as the very strong sense that many of the true greats of the game have played and indeed worked here. 

Given its setting it's almost a mini pilgrimage to make it here, if you do you will be very pleased with yourself that you did make the trip.

Final Verdict

It's not often that you get the opportunity to play one of the top 100 courses in the world. Yes, there is a price attached to that but it's not in the same ball park as others with a similar ranking. Plus there are plenty of ways to play Ganton at a reduced rate and there is a dormy house to take advantage of. Like any linksy course try and get here away from peak times or play in an Open day where the value is incredible. A visit here in October or March will be perfectly memorable and there are so many other options within an hour to make up a fantastic trip.

Without wishing to tempt fate you might not lose too many balls at Ganton and always be involved in the hole; there are obvious places to shy away from but then it's all about the angles. The sense of achievement to solve these riddles is part of the beauty of the place. 

If I did have a personal highlight it would be the simple pleasure of a) finally finding the 18th fairway after half a dozen attempts over the years and b) being able to locate the putting surface with the shot perfectly framed by trees, sand and Ganton's very special clubhouse. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

For more information, please visit the club's website here