Golf


Brancepeth Castle Golf Club


The hardest 9th in Golf


Situated on the ‘back roads’ between the City of Durham and Bishop Auckland, Brancepeth Castle Golf Club occupies an undulating and picturesque setting in the grounds of the imposing building that dates, in part, back to Norman times. Jake Barrow headed to County Durham to meet Andy Welsh, the man charged with its upkeep


A


sweet 3‐iron strike from Brancepeth Castle’s ninth tee may make the green; but it probably won’t. It was once described by Superintendent


magazine as the hardest ninth hole in golf.


Waiting for that ball to land is exciting. Just as pleasing, though, is the view as you walk to your ball, as you pass one of the North East’s prettiest and best‐ preserved castles.


The undulations of the course by the castle are not man‐made. Given that fact, they have to be experienced to be believed.


It’s uncanny ‐ each roll has such a uniform peak and trough that riding the higher fairways on a buggy feels like speeding over the waveforms on a cardiac monitor.


This has many effects, some positive and some not: it presents greenkeeping difficulties; the rolling fairways are a real added challenge when clubbing up on longer holes; the landscape is attractive and unique.


Primarily though, one constantly has the sense that the ground of this typically parkland course is ancient. This is typical of County Durham, as it is one of the country’s most historic regions. And, indeed, the grounds of the castle


were once lush hunting grounds for all sorts of game. This included plenty of deer, but the fiercest challenge was the notorious wild boar.


In fact, the name Brancepeth, also the name of the local village, is thought to be a derivation of ‘Brawn’s Path’ (‘brawn’ being an archaic word for ‘boar’); the iconic image of the beast now provides the basis for the golf club’s logo. As one might expect on such rugged ‘forest’ land, as the aristocrats once called their hunting grounds, flora at Brancepeth Castle is diverse.


The ninth hole is the star of the show in this respect too. The size of the Libani Cedar which dominates the dip between tee and green is remarkable, as is the variety of plant life surrounding it, from cherry blossoms to large ferns and lime trees.


Walking from tee to green, the castle is revealed over a tall hump to the player’s left, and under this is the tiny green, which was cut out of the hillside using only hand tools.


Peter Alliss once compiled a list of his ‘dream 18’ chosen from any golf courses in the world. He included this tricky par 3. Consider how many great par 3s exist, and how many are drooled over on television during major championships. This is a true compliment.


PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 I 13


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