[Malcolm Mckinnon]

OK, so I spent the month of August in my daughters flat in Edinburgh. My wife, non golfer, spent two weeks enjoying the Edinburgh festival and the second two weeks I played golf.  Played in Fife, East Lothian as well as Northumberland, England. Took a few pics.

Many thanks to Tony Muldoon, Rich Goodale, Mark Pearce and Martin Bonnar who were all very kind to host me at their clubs during my visit.

For my first GCA photo tour I would like to present Bamburgh Castle Golf Club in Northumberland, England. You can purchase a coastal classic ticket for 90 quid which covers a round here as well as two other terrific seaside courses, Alnmouth Golf Club a Harry Colt layout as well as a James Braid in Berwick on Tweed, Goswick.

Bamburgh Castle was a huge surprise and delight. One of the sportiest courses I have ever seen with many, many blind shots while measuring  from the tips to 5645 yards. The views out over the beaches and out to the North Sea are spectacular.

To get there you have to cross the east coast rail tracks.

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The road to the golf club winds past the castle and beach here...

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and here

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Et Voila!

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1st tee/Dinkie/ Par 3/ 180 yards

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View to the right of 1stt Tee

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1st Green

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1st Green looking back

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2nd tee/ Picnic Bay/par 3/213 yards

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View to the right of second tee

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View to the left of 2nd tee including clubhouse and Castle

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2nd green

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View from the left of 2nd green and third hole past stone wall

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View from behind 2nd Green back to tee

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3rd tee/Quarry/Par 5/ 532 yds

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Up and over the hill to 3rd green

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3rd Green

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4th tee/Cheviot View/ Par 5/487 yds

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View to right of 4th tee

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Approach to 4th green

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View to right of 4th fairway

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4th green

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From left side of 4th green

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5th green/Heather Cottage/ par 4/ 342 yards

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6th tee/Plateau/ Par 3/ 227yds

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Up and up to the green!

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And here we are on 6 green!

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7th tee/ The Rockies/Par 4/ 300 yards

An uphill par 4!

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Climbing up to the green!

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7th Green

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More to follow later!

Ta ta!

[Jon Cavalier]

Great shots, Malcolm. Thanks for sharing - looking forward to more. Glad you had a good trip.

[Adam Lawrence]

Very nice, Malcolm. The Northumbrian coast is one of the most beautiful, yet least discovered parts of England. There's more good golf too - I can recommend Dunstanburgh Castle GC, a lovely, simple old Braid links right by the coast. I had one of my most 'zen' rounds of golf ever there - returning from a meeting in Scotland on a gloriously cold but clear early spring day, I decided on a whim to stop and play. Paid my £22 green fee, slung a pencil bag with six clubs over my shoulder and walked the course on my own in two hours and ten minutes, a cruel wind whipping off the North Sea and a huge grin on my face all the way round.

Adam

[Thomas Dai]

Very nice indeed Malcolm. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the course.

Bamburgh is a spectacular location what with its magnificent castle etc. There is also a most lovely cricket pitch just below the castle ramparts, plus surfing from the beach.

Just north of Bamburgh, across a small inlet, at what the map describes as near 'Ross', there appears to be a magnificent stretch of linksland. Oh to put a course there. See this Bingmap extract for more - http://binged.it/1qFvuZk. This linksland is just visible in Malcolms photos entitled 'View to right of 4th fairway".

Further north than Bamburgh is tidal bound Holy Island/Lindisfarne, where I believe there was once a course (is it still there?). In addition to those already named there are other under the radar seaside courses like Alnmouth Village (9-holes), Seahouses and Warkworth, which has a GCA thread about it - http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,44336.0.html. Warkworth also has a spectacular castle, a legacy of historical conflict and hassle between those north and south of the border - don't mention the referendum!!! - plus a few interventions from other folk, like the Vikings.

atb

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Adam,

Yes I have heard that Dunstanburgh Castle GC is very good. Perhaps next year.

Thomas,

Warkworth looks fabulous! Alnmouth Village adjoins the back nine at Almouth Golf Club and was the second nine of the original Mungo Park? course which I believe dates to the late 1860's,  Alnmouth GC being the 4th oldest golf club in England. When Colt made renovations in the 1930's he constructed nine additional holes which comprise the front nine now known as the "new" course and the back nine referred to as the "old" but I should save this for another thread on Alnmouth

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

8th Tee/ Island/ Par 3 162 yards

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Approaching the green

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8th Green looking back towards tee

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9th tee/ Newtown/ par 4/ 359 yds

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View of castle from tee

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View back to tee from fairway

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9th Green

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More 9th Green

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10th tee/ Fox Coverts/ par 3/ 193 yards

A blind tee shot

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But viewable with an assist

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Approaching 10th green

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Waterfountain on 10

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10th Green

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11th tee/ Shada Wood/ Par 4/ 358 yds

A Blind tee shot

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Approach to 11th green

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12th tee/ Lindisfarn/ Par 4/ 423 yds

A downhill par 4

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12th green, good to land this approach well short and run it on

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12th green getting closer

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12th green looking back

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13th tee/ The whins/ Par 4/ 411 yds

back uphill

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13th Green

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14th tee/ Farne Islands/ Par 3/ 164 yds

another blind par 3

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14th green

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More later...

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

15th tee/ Castle's View/ Par 4/ 417 yds

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Downhill approach on 15, note the chasm in front of green

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Chasm and green on 15

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Looking back

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Tee on 16th/ Castle Keep/ Par 4/ 286 yards

The first of two drivable par 4's

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Through the chasm and up

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View of 16th green and castle

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17th Tee/ Kittling Hill/ par 4/ 257 yards

Drivable, but mind the OB on right over the stone wall

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17th green looking back

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18th tee/ Harelaw/ par 4/ 338 yds

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18th approach

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Ahhhh...

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[David_Tepper]

Malcolm -

Thanks for the pics & the tour. Are some of those greens as square as they look? Very old-school!

DT

[Tony_Muldoon]

Nice tour Malcolm looks lots of fun. 


Is it good enought to warrant an anual return?

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

David and Tony.

No the greens are not square and archaic, yet they are the weakest element of the golf course as well as their bunkering. If only Colt had come in with a revision this golf course could be absolutely world class!

None the less, the routing and views are smashing as long as you don't mind a bunch of blind shots. I loved it! Yes I would go back in an instant!

I would compare the course to Dunbar and Gullane 2 with unbelievable views but also, like them, without especially interesting greens or bunkering. The short yardage is counterbalanced by the the dramatic land forms and elevation changes. Still, the course is easily walkable.

My experience at Gullane #2 and Dunbar were wonderful but I would say that Bamburgh Castle could be the most fun to play of the three.

In American parlance it is "a hoot"!

[Tom Kelly]

I haven't had time for a full read yet but thanks for the tour. I played Bamburgh once a while ago and have been keen to see it again to refresh my memory. At first glance it looks just as good as I remember.

My main memories are of the wind, being confused by a par 3 being stroke index 1 on the scorecard (6th) only to then get there and have to hit driver, gap wedge to reach the green and the greenside rocks!

I also thought Dunstanburgh Castle was really fun and worth a visit. It's on a great spot next to the beach with the ruins of the castle on the headland in the distance. Simple old school golf and cheap too.

[Frank Pont]

Walked the course two summers ago on a glorious evening, followed by a warm welcome by the club and a few pints in the cosy club house.

Great landscape, superb views, pretty nice course that could be improved massively, but do you want to lose what is there now. Probably not, because this is what has always been there.

I would return for the charm, the views and the atmosphere, not so much for the architecture.

BTW, the course north on Holy Island was designed by no other than James Braid, who made the claim it was the best links he ever designed. Now thats a course I would like to reinstate...........

[Adrian_Stiff]

Looks a really nice fun course.

[Mark Pearce]

Looks a really nice fun course.

That's exactly what it is.  One of Tom Doak's Dumb Blondes in the CG.  Views as good as anywhere on a nice day and a course that is fun to play.  As Frank says, the architecture is nothing to write home about but this isn't a club about the quality of its course, it's about having fun playing the game.  I always enjoy my visits to Bamburgh.

[Andy Shulman]

I hope Malcolm had time to hit a few shots in between taking those excellent photos.  And, it does look like a fun course.  Which begs the question, pedestrian architecture aside, why have I never heard of this course before?

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