Wirral Ladies’ is one of only three ladies’ clubs in England. It dates back to 1894 when the club was founded by a group of Royal Liverpool members so that their wives and daughters might have somewhere to play. On a patch of common land the great Hoylake amateur Harold Hilton laid out the original 9-hole course. By 1907 the course had been extended to 18 holes, but there is no information on whether Hilton was responsible for this. Nor is it possible to ascertain how much of Hilton’s work may survive. I was told in the early 1990s that today’s course was actually comparatively modern, having been reconstructed after the Second World War, but whether this is true or not I cannot say.
The choice of site for the course was propitious, for while it is by no means hilly there is just enough movement in the ground to give feature to many holes. Happily heather thrives on the course, as does gorse, and in August you may be lucky enough to spot examples of the rare Marsh Gentian, which the club adopted as its emblem. For the ladies there are some quite forbidding compulsory carries during the round and generally speaking the fairways are narrow, the rough serious and bunkering plentiful. But the stars of the show are the greens. On the whole they are small and cleverly defended and some are wickedly contoured. There are countless possibilities for mischievous pin placements.
Today there are slightly more men members than ladies, although the Captain is always a lady. The men’s card just creeps over the 5,000 yard mark (5,185 yards par 68 standard scratch 65) while the ladies play a course of 4948 yards par 69 standard scratch 69.
1 Men 378 yards par 4, Ladies 370 yards par 4
An inviting opening drive, played across the 18th fairway, climbing very slightly through the length of the hole. It used to be a par 5 for the ladies.
Heather is abundant.
This is one of the simpler greens on the course, with a slight rise onto the putting surface, encouraging a running approach to be played.
2. Men 123 yards par 3, Ladies 114 yards par 3
Wirral Ladies’ has a very good collection of short holes. They all require very precise play. This very short hole features comprehensive bunkering.
The putting surface is small and there are a number of tricky borrows, particularly in the vicinity of the green-side bunkers.
3. Men 347 yards par 4, Ladies 340 yards par 4
There is plenty of room from the tee….
….this hawthorn bush being the only visible feature to the right of the fairway.
There is a downhill approach to the green, which is somewhat easier from the right hand side of the fairway. Heather and gorse await on both sides of the fairway.
4. Men 291 yards par 4, Ladies 288 yards par 4
The tee shot is made uphill towards a ridge, the fairway then curving to the right.
The green is bunkered on the approach.
This bunker affects approach shots from several angles. The putting surface is longer than on some holes and there is a distinct ridge running across the centre from side to side.
5. Men 344 yards par 4, Ladies 335 yards par 4
The 5th and 15th holes cross over each other, sharing a wide tee and the earlier stretches of broad fairway. From the right hand tee, the 5th plays downhill to the left-hand portion of fairway.
It is important to place the tee shot far enough left to open up the green, but there is always a danger of going too far left, into the trees.
Only late in the day do these spectacle bunkers come into view. With ladies tending to play more of a ground game than modern men it is necessary to look at features of this kind in a different light. The design is clearly orientated towards the ladies’ game. It would be rather fun to play here with hickories and gutties.
The green is delightfully situated.
6. Men 355 yards par 4, Ladies 347 yards par 4
The broad avenue through the trees is not as wide as it looks. It is narrowed by rough on the right. This fairway will curve away to the left. That right hand gap in the trees will be played as the 7th hole.
Even from a distance the false front to the green and the big bunker on the right are obvious.
This is an excellent green, angled from 7 o’clock to 1 o’clock, running round behind the big right-hand bunker. The general back to front slope is further complicated by subtle borrows.
This bunker on the left of the green awaits the player shying away from the more prominent right-hand one.
7. Men 331 yards par 4, Ladies 318 yards par 4
This is a tight tee shot with trees on both sides, but it opens out the further you strike the ball.
It all looks innocuous from afar.
This is a big wide green, again raised behind a false front, and there are some very testing pin positions round behind the big bunker on the right.
8. Men 132 yards par 3, Ladies 114 yards par 4
The Ladies do not make it easy for themselves! This is a tiny target with dragons in pits all around the putting surface.
The bunker front left of the green is sunken in a chasm and would not be out of place at Woodhall Spa.
The minuscule putting surface is full of devilish contours.
9. Men 265 yards par 4, Ladies 253 yards par 4
While men might aspire to driving the green, the ladies face a daunting carry over heather and clipped gorse bushes. Internal out-of-bounds is applied on the parallel 9th, 10th and 11th holes.
With the green tucked round to the left behind a bunker, the approach is easier from the right of the fairway – the side on which out-of-bounds lurks.
10. Men 276 yards par 4, Ladies 267 yards par 4.
Again, the ladies do not make it easy for themselves with another forced carry over heather and gorse, which extend all the way to the green on the left.
There is trouble on both sides of this narrow fairway.
A very narrow entrance to the green lies between the bunker on the left and these gorse bushes on the right.
11. Men 320 yards par 4, Ladies 275 yards par 4
Another testing drive for the ladies, out over heather, with gorse bushes on both sides of the fairway later on.
The green is tucked round to the right. It slopes away from the approach shot, calling for a deft running approach.
12. Men 173 yards par 3, Ladies 163 yards par 3
The men’s and ladies’ tees are set at different angles to the green. This is the view from the men’s tee.
While this is the view from the ladies’ tee. The ladies get a wider avenue through which to play.
The front bunker and drops off to back and sides notwithstanding, there are some wild contours on the putting surface itself, especially behind the fronting bunker.
13. Men 422 yards par 4, Ladies 421 yards par 5
The only par 5 for the ladies is relatively straightforward, with only wild tee shots finding trouble.
These bunkers interrupt the fairway on the direct line some way short of the green and are ideally placed for those ladies who hope to make the green in regulation. There is a safe way round to the right of them.
After the rigours of the 12th green, this green is a haven of tranquility.
14. Men 342 yards par 4, Ladies 342 yards par 4
Yet another forest of clipped gorse must be cleared from the tee.
The principal danger on this hole is the out-of-bounds which runs on the right, getting ever closer as the green is approached.
15. Men 350 yards par 4, Ladies 339 yards par 4
Moving back to the centre of the course, the 15th is the hole sharing a teeing ground and some fairway with the 5th. This is a mirror image of the 5th, curling this time to the left as it descends the slight hill in front.
The main difficulty is working out the correct line from the tee. Because of the curvature of the fairway as it approaches the green through trees it is necessary to drive much further right than appearances suggest. The player in the distance would seem to have judged the line perfectly.
This view emphasises the need for position off the tee.
The green is raised up just enough to shrug off inaccurate approaches.
16. Men 257 yards par 4, Ladies 237 yards par 4
This is the steepest uphill drive of the round, with little indication of what may lie in wait beyond the summit.
Here the ground flattens out until reaching the green, which is tiny, well protected by its steep false front….
….any number of complicated contours and shaved banks accelerating the ball which falls off the putting surface to the sides or rear. A vicious little blighter!
17. Men 163 yards par 3, Ladies 145 yards par 3
The final short hole is played through a gap in the trees and over more clipped gorse bushes to a minute, bunkerless green.
18. Men 316 yards par 4, Ladies 290 yards par 4
The teeing ground is shared with the 16th, with the holes playing at right angles to each other.
The fairway heads straight for the clubhouse. A public footpath runs alongside the right of the fairway and is treated as out-of-bounds.
Late in the day the fairway swings right to a long, rising green, with fronting bunkers to either hand. A very warm welcome awaits visitors in the little clubhouse, perfectly in scale with the course itself.