North East - Championship Courses

Slaley Hall is set in a 1000 acre oasis of prime Northumbrian forest and moor land.

Slaley Hall is part of the elite group of clubs to have not one but two championship golf courses. 

The Hunting course offers the toughest of the challenges with meandering fairways through towering pine trees, streams and lakes and numerous bunkers which make the course a real test.  Designed by Dave Thomas on rolling moorland it is good enough to have stage European Tour events in the 1990s.  The Hunting course will be hosting the Senior PGA Championship in June and will also feature our very own Gtour event at the end of May .

Priestman offers a slightly more forgiving test, it will still offer a challenge to any levels of ability and has matured very well since opening in 1999.

Information and reviews from golfshake.com of De Vere Slaley Hall

 

Hunting Course

A par 72 Championship course designed by Dave Thomas that can be stretched to in excess of 7088 yards from the championship tees. Opened in 1989, the Hunting course has matured into one of the finest tests of golf in the region and has a proven history in staging international golf events on the European Tour, such as The Northumberland Challenge, Compaq European Grand Prix and the Great North Open.  Players such as Retief Goosen, Colin Montgomerie, David Park, Lee Westwood and Miles Tunnicliffe have all triumphed over this excellent test of golf.

Most Challenging Hole

The 9th hole on our Hunting Course, dubbed the ‘Sleeping Giant’ is the ultimate Slaley test.

All of your golfing skills and a little Dutch courage will be needed to negotiate this potential card wrecker. Although a generously wide fairway awaits the tee shot, only the left half will give you a clear sight of the green for your approach, but watch out, go too far left and you’ll find the stream and thick rhododendrons that flank the left edge of the fairway. Its all uphill from the fairway with your approach, large bunker to the left, the stream and those dastardly rhododendrons now sit dangerously close to the green on the right.

If you are lucky enough to reach the green in one piece a small sloping green will test the sharpest of short games. Best tip, keep below the hole.

Even Europe’s finest would settle for a bogey and run to the tenth tee!
 
Play it Safe Hole

The front nine holes on the Hunting Course are probably one of the toughest stretches you’ll ever play. Each hole presents a stern challenge to even the best of players. The ‘play it safe’ approach is a wise for each hole but in particular the 8th. A dog leg to the right, your view, even from an elevated tee, is trees, trees and more trees with only a sliver of fairway visible. The play here is a long iron or fairway wood short of the trees on the left side of the fairway. This will leave you a longer but safe passage tom the green, most importantly avoiding those trees!

Go For Glory Hole

Fortune favours the brave as they say, and our 16th Hole on the Hunting Course offers the risk and reward element that all golfers enjoy. A sweeping dogleg from right to left, golfers have two options. As relatively straightforward lay up to the corner with a long iron will leave you a mid iron into a generous but sloping green.  Or move your sights 20 yards left and let rip with your driver! A well struck drive on the right line will leave you only a short chip or even a putt with your second, making birdie almost a cert. However stray off line and you’ll do well to see your ball again. The decision is yours!
 

Priestman Course

A par 72, 6951 yard Championship course designed by Neil Coles and opened in 1999.  Situated on the west side of the estate the course gives panoramic views over the west Tyne Valley and beyond towards the borders of Scotland.  Stretching to 6900 yards from the tournament tees, the Priestman course is a serious contender to the Hunting course, hosting the Northumberland Seniors Classic on the European Seniors Tour since 2000 and is now one of the favourite venues amongst the touring professionals.

Most Challenging Hole

The Priestman courses stiffest challenge is most definatley the 14th hole. A hole filled with danger, it begins with a tee shot that must carry the gorge that lays between the tee box from the fairway, setting the nerves jangling from the off, The tee shot is too away narrow fairway with dense woodland and a stream to the left that will swallow an errant tee shot never to be seen again, and to the right three large fairway bunkers await to catch anyone trying too much to avoid the trouble on the left!

If you are fortunate enough to aqvoid the trouble and have found the fairway, the hole doglegs to the left leaving a slight up hill approach over a stream to a two tiered sloping green, that in the height of summer an up hill putt is a must. A par 4 is a bonus, but just to finish the hole with the same ball is an achievement.

Play it Safe Hole

The 16th hole challenges golfers to make a decision, a par 5 that although predominantly up hill can be reached in two blows by the bigger hitters. However, a stream runs diagonally across the fairway, starting on the left approximately 190 yards from the tee and meandering across the fairway leaving a carry of more than 250 yards at its furthest point, meaning a driver is risky. In addition trouble flanks the entire left side of the hole. The safe option is to play the hole as a true three shotter and lay up short of the stream with an iron or fairway wood.

Go For Glory Hole

Don’t be distracted by the spectacular views the 4th hole offers from the tee,  as a true test awaits. A good drive on this tricky par 5 will leave you with a decision to make. The green will be in reach in two shots for many golfers but a carry over water, bunkers and marsh land to the right and more water tight to the left edge of the green make that choice a dangerous one. Play the shot well and you’re rewarded with almost certain birdie, but any thing less than perfect could lead to big numbers on your scorecard.