Golfing holidays and golf breaks in England.
Ganton Golf Club
Ganton, Near Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO12 4PA
Voted No. 29 in the Golf Monthly/HSBC
Top 120 UK Course Rankings - November 2006
There are few better places to play golf than Ganton. As one arrives along the lane to the Clubhouse there is a feeling of peace which is only broken by glimpses of the bunkers, real bunkers which as Patric Dickinson described in his classic book 'A Round of Golf Courses' seem to say "Good Morning, we hope to be introduced."
The course is laid out on quiet undulating heathland which with a sandy subsoil is very freedraining. The fairways are predominantly bents and fescues, which provide a firm base for all well executed shots. Impenetrable gorse abounds within the open nature of the heathland. There are few trees other than those on the boundaries; with plenty of space the original open character of the terrain has been retained. As to the bunkers, Ganton has few peers; the player who is bunkered is punished for his error.
The opening holes make full use of the contours of the land and call for straight driving. The genius of Harry Colt marks the fourth as one of the best holes on the outward half with its shot across a valley to a plateau green, the gorse behind punishing less than a perfect shot. The seventh is a fine dog-leg hole with a great nest of bunkers filling the dog-leg angle. The ninth is the first of the two Par 5s and is marked by a smallish green, guarded by bunkers and gorse, which present a difficult target to a long second shot.
The wind is always a factor at Ganton with the varying direction of the holes. The tenth, the second of the short holes, calls for a well judged shot, particularly if the wind is swirling over the green. The next four holes can be tempting to the aggressive player before the very demanding finishing holes, which are difficult to beat anywhere. The fifteenth and sixteenth are stiff two-shotters both requiring perfectly struck shots to subtle greens. The seventeenth is a long one-shotter which is harsh in the punishment of a wayward shot.
The finest hole is possibly the eighteenth, requiring an accurately placed drive to give a clear shot to the sloping, well bunkered green. Championships have been won and lost on this hole for it sums up the principle of the whole Ganton layout; you are forced all the time to a choice of risks, if you are to achieve par.
Gary Player once said that Ganton is the only inland course worthy of holding the Open Championship. It provides a relentless test for those aspiring to the greatest achievements in the game; the fast running fairways and the firm true greens require the highest quality of shot making and control.
No. of holes: 18
Length: 6884 yards
Par: 71
Course Type: Heathland
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