[Paul_Turner]

Manchester Golf Clib is one of the oldest in England (1882) although the current course is a bit older at 1911-12.

A moorland course over somewhat hilly terrain on the outskirts of Manchester-close to Rochdale-with background views of the Peak District and Saddleworth Moor .  The golf course is a haven for wildlife in this heavily populated country.

It was a bit of dreary day for photography (not exactly a surprise) but the colours of the course with its wild flowers, different grasses and bumpy terrain still came through. The moor is a haven for wildlife in this heavily populated country.

There's lots of micro movement in the fairways that adds interest.  A few of the fairways switch back and forth in cant. And the greens are sited in a pleasant mix:  

If only that one powerline could be buried!


13th


13th back
 


1st from side.

1st from behind.  Super short par 4 through a valley.

2nd

2nd

3rd

4th-natural dell.

5th from distance.

6th tee

micro-movement in 6th fairway

Back up 6th.  Blind pond?!


7th short 4


8th (big false front)


looking back up at 8th.

back up 9th

10th tee

Perched green.


behind 10th.

11th (big pit down the left of this hole)

11th looking back

12th tee (best hole)

12th from left


12th central


bunkers

14th tee

14th bunkers

15th tee
I'm missing a few pics (plus some vintage ones)-will post later if this thread gets any interest.  But I didn't get a good look at 17th and 18th because it started peeing down in true Manchester fashion.  From a quick glance, I had a nagging feeling that the 18th didn't quite live up to the rest.

It's about 30 mins from airport.

[Tom Huckaby]

Cool looking course.

But way too close to the den of evil that is Old Trafford.

What's the closest course to the haven of all good:  Highbury/Ashburton Grove?

TH

[APBernstein]

Highgate or Muswell Hill, depending if you want to chance enemy territory near Tottenham.

[MikeJones]

Great pics Paul. Manchester (Hopwood) is indeed a wonderful course and although not a long course by any means, it takes up a surprisingly large amount of real estate.

The course used to be used for the pre qualifying for the European tour School and is recognised as one of the best courses in the area. It's invariable windy which adds to the fun!

I can tell you that although the 18th is just a drive and pitch par 4, the OOB on the left hand course boundary tests the nerves to the maximum and it's a brave man indeed that aims down the left side to get the flatest lie for the pitch in.

[Tom Huckaby]

Highgate or Muswell Hill, depending if you want to chance enemy territory near Tottenham.

Thanks.  That would be the true enemy territory, well said.  And of course I sell ManU short - the real base of all evil in football would be Stamford Bridge.

TH

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Great Pics Paul. They must have more Nuclear Power plants in central England than anywhere on earth. I must have seen 20 plus towers on the way from York to Lincoln.

[Scott Witter]

Paul:

Thanks for those very inspiring pictures.  I don't need a special lens or sunshine to show me REALLY interesting land!

Wow, now that is the type of site I would love to work with.  If you really look at the movement on the holes and even out and beyond the holes you can see some spectacular features.  The course has some very interesting and strong internal work seen in the 2nd 7th, 8th and 9th pictures and I think the 12th and 14th holes look great and quite interesting.

[James Edwards]

Paul,

I bet this golf course looked amazing without the trees once upon a time in the West..

[Jason McNamara]

Paul,

I bet this golf course looked amazing without the trees once upon a time in the West..

...and without the power lines.

Jason

[John Chilver-Stainer]

Don’t complain about power lines.



Take this green that has been set tastefully between 2 pylons - framing it perfectly -  and a smaller pylon beind the green – ideal for lining up the shot.  

[Tony_Muldoon]

I'm missing a few pics (plus some vintage ones)-will post later if this thread gets any interest.

Please sir may we have some more.


Great pics, I'm realising I usually enjoy golf more when it's set in an undulating or rugged terrain.

[Paul_Turner]

Some old pics for comparison. Far fewer trees but I will stress that the current course is not claustrophobic in the least and the trees are mostly planted in natural looking clusters.  The course has a big, expansive rugged feel.

An industrial background to the 12th back in the 30s.

Tiger.  Lots of cooling towers in north of England.  But thank god they aren't nuclear (apart from 1 at Sellafield)!  

[mark chalfant]

Nice photos, Paul.  The land and bunkers have   lots of character. is the design by Rees Jones or   hal  Purdy  ?

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Glad you made it at last!  I sat in a huge trafic jam on the M62 near there yesterday - 3 hours of it in the baking heat - it hit 37C at one point on my car thermometer.  I was trying to get to Alwoodley to see a bit of the Tillman Trophy.  I got there - eventually - just as Gary Wolstenholm was signing off for a 67 and joint 2nd place.  He said that you simply couldn't attack the course it was running so fast.  It wouldn't surprise me if the fairways were at least as fast as the greens.  There was some pretty punitive rough and many were having to trudge back to the tee to play their third shot having assumed that they would find their ball.  Apparently the Alwoodley greens were very fast in summer (and waterlogged in winter) and one summer before the war a member drove the 5th green (355 yards) only to putt off it into a bunker....

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