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Moor Allerton Golf Club review

By: Adam Smith | Fri 18 Jun 2010


Me and the contours of the 18th greenPeter Alliss, BBC’s legendary commentator describes this course as ‘A golfing experience larger than life itself’ well he would say that, he has been the pro there for many years.


This time though I have to agree with big Pete, it truly is a Gem.


The brainchild of the great Robert Trent Jones Senior, who’s CV, has the likes of Augusta National, Oakland Hills and Firestone Country Club on it; you know you are in for something a bit special. Even more so when you see the pictures within the clubhouse of Greg Norman, Gary player and the one and only Seve who have all graced the greens here over the years.


Set in a mighty 220 acres of undulating Yorkshire Countryside with streams and lakes to add a little spice, Moor Allerton is a picture-book golf course. Every hole presents its own particular challenge to both high and low handicappers.


The course boasts 27 holes with three loops of nine, all of championship style. Personally I believe that high handicappers would find the course particularly tricky. I say this because it has quite of few approaches to the greens that you have get over a lake or metres of heather and quite a few of the tee shots are the same.
The three loops, ‘the lakes’, ‘the blackmoor’ and ‘the high’ all start and end at the club house. I played ‘the lakes’ and ‘the blackmoor’ which are holes 1-18 and you certainly don’t get an easy start. The first is somewhat of a blind tee shot, but over the bank that you face the fairway does widen, and you’re left with a lovely looking downhill second.View from the 9th fairway


The one thing that I did like was the large contoured greens, which is a trait of Trent Jones Senior and they certainly played at their best. They rolled like a dream and very fast.


Robert Dodd, a golf journalist once said: “If you can remember every hole on a golf course after playing it, then it must be something special”. I could not agree more.

The 3rd is the first hole that stands out, a par-4 at only289 yards, it is a thinking hole. Be brave and go for the green at your peril, as you have to fly it all the way as the green sits alone on a plateau. Take a long iron down the fairway that doglegs left, a bit of draw would be perfect and you left with only a short wedge, but the second shot it uphill to a green that is only 19 yards deep.


Another thing that you will notice is that the fairways are not very wide at all so straight driving is a must, but also positioning is important as well.


 After finishing the long par 5, 5th the hardest hole on the course with a huge lake guarding the front of the green, you come to the 6th. Again only a short par-4 but again another green that is perched upon a bank that has trouble all around it. A lovely looking hole, uphill all the way, even at 284 yards a par will be a good score here.


Moor Allerton is genuinely one of those courses that if you are playing well, you won’t want it to end, or indeed when you have holed out on 18 you thank god that you have survived. Even if you are not having the best of rounds which is very easy around here, don’t forget that you are surrounded by stunning views of the Yorkshire countryside, so take it all in before you head down and away into the heart of the course and the 14th tee.


A stunning par-5 that has gauze bushes literally all the way down the right and a stream that runs literally all the way down the left, so play straight! The stream widens at certain points down the fairway and when it reaches the green it runs into another giant lake that protects the front and left of the green and is also home to my brand new pro v1 that for some silly reason I decided to use and I got my Tiger vision on and went for it in two!


The run of signature holes start at 16, and the closing holes on this nine are superb. A downhill par-4 with an unusual wide fairway, you are faced with a downhill second in which if you carry all the gauze bushes, and get over the front two bunkers and navigate your way over the three tiered green, you will get yourself a good score.


Next is the picturesque 17th. A par-3 with a two tiered green, guarded by three bunkers and another lake in front, you must keep your concentration all the way to the end. I also forgot the huge drop on the right hand side.


And so you reach the 18th. Again a multi tiered green, but don’t think about that yet. Your tee shot must be towards the left centre of the fairway otherwise your second shot will be blind. Two lakes, trees and more gauze bushes both left and right leave you a gap of around 30 yards to view and thread your second shot through to the green that has three large bunkers around it.View from the 18th back down the fairway and 'that gap' you have to navigate


A true challenge of your game and I for one cannot wait to get back to.


For more information visit www.magc.com


The Gtour recently visited as part of the 2010 schedule, click here for photos, and dont forget the in depth review of scores and interviews.


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