Hartlepool
This is a part links course on the north-east coast of England. The club is currently celebrating its centenary. It occupies a secretive piece of land which is only accessible by road through a single, narrow tunnel under an enormous railway embankment. The course has had a number of incarnations on roughly this site, with James Braid perhaps the most notable contributor. Many of the rebuilds have been occasioned by the sale of land or minerals and a major sale of mineral-rich land to Steetley caused a considerable rearrangement in recent years, the redesign largely being the work of Malcolm Cole, the club's own professional. Coastal erosion is an ongoing problem and as some of the ground is an SSSI there are many restrictions on what may or may not be done to the ground. It is one of the friendliest clubs you'll ever encounter with a very competitive membership - they've been national champions - fostering men's and women's internationals, most recently Graeme Storm, Amateur Champion in 1999. The course is not long at 6255 yards playing to a standard scratch of 70, but there is tons of character and several very good holes. The photos were taken in November last year, so please excuse the autumnal flavour.
1st hole a short par 4 heading away from the dunes, but although it looks featureless there is lots of trouble:
in the form of depressions feeding inexorably into this little stream.
The greens committee has for many years been committed to serious reconstruction and rehabilitation of the course over the winter season. The compact nature of the site means that wear is considerable, especially in the restricted parts of the dunes.
Looking back from 6th green. The tees are on the edge of a gully, with a blind drive over a marker post in the dunes, with the shore on the left. The raised green is typically secretive.
View from 8th tee, a big drive over rough country to an angled fairway - bite off as much as you dare - very exposed to the wind. There is a narrow entrance to the green on this long par 4.
10th hole with the utilitarian clubhouse in the background. The drive is on the flat, but the second (or second and third) shot is made up to a col in the dunes when suddenly the green becomes visible:
10th green.
10th again, the low winter sun showing the ripples in the ground.
The 11th is a terrific hole played from a low tee across a sandy gully and uphill to this green, about 200 yards from the tee. There is a nasty pot bunker front right of the green and dreadful trouble should you stray too far left.
12th - another long short hole, dropping down from the dunes. You can get wicked forward bounces if you drop short and hit the down slope of one of the ridges.
13th is a quirky short par 4 with a drive to a heavily sloping fairway and an approach over a gully to a green steeply raised at the rear, and with a pot bunker front right. The railway embankment which separates the club from the rest of the world is clearly visible.
14th, a longish par 4 with a drive over a gully to a raised fairway which rolls over the dunes, with OOB to the left. The proximity of industry whose riches have kept the club solvent is evident.
14th approach - even this close to industry there is a sense of space unique to linksland.
No they're not rugby posts - the flag poles beside the 18th green - the view I get from the clubhouse while working at the club. Not a bad place to be.