Lindrick Golf Club Course Review

Lindrick Golf Club Fact File: 

• Location: Lindrick is a 30-minute drive from Sheffield
• Year Established: Lindrick was founded in 1891
• Par: 71 for the men, 75 for the women
• Length (yards): Blue 6725, White 6498, Yellow 6282, Red 5764
• Green Fees (weekdays): £135
• Signature Hole: The 13th boasts a terrific tee shot that is well bunkered before an approach that takes you up to the higher ground
• Website: lindrickgolfclub.co.uk 

The original committee wanted to find a piece of land that was suitable for the type of golf played on the links in Scotland. Lindrick stood out because of its undulations, proximity to rail and the magnesium limestone terrain, and Old Tom Morris was consulted in piecing together nine holes in 1891. Three years later this was extended to 18 and, while there were several course changes in the interim, today’s course has remains from the mid 1930s. 

We hear a lot about Dr Alister MacKenzie in Yorkshire and he would comment that Lindrick, helped by the shape of the land, was the best inland course in Britain – some statement given it was up against the likes of Sunningdale, Ganton and Gleneagles. 

When Lindrick staged the 1957 Ryder Cup the hosts had not won a home, or indeed any, match since 1933. But playing captain Dai Rees’ men would emerge triumphant, over two days of Friday foursomes and Saturday singles, with the skipper winning both his matches. There would be a tie in 1969 at Birkdale but the next win on British soil would not follow until The Belfry in 1985. 

The course is a mix of heathland and moorland with the 4th, a sharp dogleg par 5 as dramatic for its appearance as it is its stories. Bernard Darwin wrote in The Times that 'the secret and engaging dell in the area of the 4th green, once bordered three counties - York, Notts and Derby – and so it was once the ideal spot for prize-fighting. If there was an obdurate magistrate on one side of the water there was probably a complaisant one on the other, and the ring could be reformed without much ado.'

The actual truth is that the border of the three counties sits about two miles east but it remains part of Lindrick's folklore to this day.

Lindrick Golf Club Course Review

Lindrick is another of the Yorkshire courses that is on the up and up again. The club are working with lead designers Mackenzie & Ebert to engage in a tree- clearance project in the coming years to re-introduce some of the course’s original views and to continue its drive towards a faster and firmer course. 

One immediate memorable Lindrick moment is the opening tee shot which has thankfully eased in recent years. This is played from a brilliant teeing area to the left of the pro shop and, with plenty of gorse removed, it makes for a wider and more appealing landing area. 

The 2nd adds to the strong start and the 3rd is the first of four outstanding short holes which are beautifully framed by bunkers and the natural surrounds. The 11th may well become the new signature hole, having relocated the tee earlier this year to give a completely different direction into the green and a nod to how it was originally intended. Much is made of the closing hole, a par 3 that was featured in the ‘500 World’s Greatest Golf Holes’, which is the longest of the quartet and requires a very decent long iron/wood to find the green. For me, this is probably the weakest of the four but that speaks more about the previous three than the hole itself.

My personal favourite hole would be the low-key and likely underrated short par-4 8th. Here there are bunkers that sit short of the green so there is plenty of strategy involved to set yourself up for a wedge in. The turf is perfect here and the green, like plenty at Lindrick, has lots going on and makes for a clever up-and-down if you miss the putting surface. 

The legendary John Jacobs was born in nearby Woodsetts and his father was the pro at Lindrick and his mother the stewardess. Jacobs’ cousin Jack would go on to become the head pro at the club and head pro Andy Rossington explains his take on how to try and get the best of Lindrick. 

“The key to playing Lindrick is to play the par 3s and the par 9s really well. What he meant was that 4 and 5, 13 and 14, 16 and 17, all made up of a par 4 and a 5, if you make 9 for those two holes then you will be doing well. Do this and you’ve got 10 holes out of the way, then you've only got eight holes to make a mess of. It's one that I say to a lot of people and it catches them out because they don't really know what you're on about. I think the wider world doesn't realise just how influential the golf club here has been on professional golf, with obviously its links to the Jacobs’ family.”

Since then Pete Cowen has also been the head pro at Lindrick before focusing his attention on being a full-time coach.

Final Verdict

Today Lindrick remains a big part of the modern game and this year it played host to Regional Qualifying for The Open where only four players broke par. What it does do is to give you a chance over the closing holes with par 5s at 14 and 16 – the latter now has the quarry opened up and back in play – and there is a very picturesque green at the 15th where a stone wall sits beside it. The penultimate hole is famous for Greg Norman making a 14 and then comes the well-known 18th where a three is a very satisfying finish, a four perfectly acceptable.

Like many of Yorkshire's great courses it's not just about the golf. The practice facilities are very decent and the clubhouse now boasts a Ryder Cup lounge which has been converted from the old snooker room and secretary's office. Here it houses a replica Ryder Cup that the club has just bought and, among plenty of memorabilia, Dai Rees' shirt from the final day while a trophy cabinet shows a very cool money clip from the US skipper Jack Burke. 

While the modern-day Ryder Cup is a world away from what happened in 1957 it's still very exciting to play a course that is very close to what it was then. Right from the opening tee shot Lindrick ebbs and flows, there is the opportunity to open your shoulders as well as the necessity to just put your tee shot into position. It's never dull, asks plenty of questions and is certainly a must-play course when visiting Yorkshire.  

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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