Planning a golf getaway? Ramside Hall's two championship golf courses must be on your bucket list
- For more information on Ramside Hall's hotel and spa, check out our full review here
Looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy a tranquil golfing getaway in the North East?
Ramside Hall is one of the most exciting stay-and-play golf destinations in the United Kingdom and is one I definitely recommend checking out if you’re thinking of booking a golfing getaway this summer.
This hotel offers something for everyone. It boasts two championship courses, a driving range, a spa, its very own sports bar, five restaurants and even has its own bowling alley.
Golf is the main attraction at Ramside Hall, and its two par-72 golf courses both deliver entirely different golfing experiences.
The Prince Bishops Course, which extends to 6,851 yards in length, is a parkland course which that its way around the hilly grounds on which the hotel is situated.
The Cathedral Course, named after Durham Cathedral, has the feel of a links course. It is more exposed to the wind that comes down from the surrounding valley, and the undulating and swirling fairways throw up some excellent challenges that will test your accuracy.
Having travelled up to Ramside Hall last week, I was hugely impressed by the facilities on offer, and it is clear that the owners have spent an incredible amount of money, to the tune of around £10million, upgrading the facilities, building a new entertainment centre on the site, called The Pin, and curating both of its championship golf courses.
The Golf Club
Having undergone extensive refurbishment works, Ramside Hall now boasts a brand new clubhouse that perfectly blends traditional decor with modern aesthetic, with the golf club's bar offering a warm and homely feel.
You'll also be able to take advantage of the club's newly refurbished locker room. It has also been styled brilliantly, and features a range of oak-panelled lockers that each has the name of a golfing icon, including the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
The great thing I found about this golf course was that even though a significant amount of investment has gone into upgrading and improving the facilities, the staff and people working around Ramside Hall’s golf club are warm and welcoming, and are genuinely excited to see people enjoying the facilities and playing golf.
- For more information on Ramside Hall's hotel and spa, check out our full review here
I met one of Ramside’s resident pros, Jack Trewhitt, during my time at the golf course. Jack is sponsored by the hotel’s entertainment centre, The Pin, and is currently playing on the Clutch Pro Tour. He is an accomplished player, who is set to attend Q-School later this year and very kindly took me for a round of golf on the Prince Bishops' course, during which he walked me through the work that the hotel has done to the grounds.
Having played all around the world on the professional tours, Jack remains deeply passionate about the work that has been unfolding at his home club. It was again a testament to the ethos at Ramside. Everyone working at the club or who regularly plays here is so passionate about the project and wants it to succeed.
Jack also spoke about the work that ground staff have been carrying out on the final four holes of the club’s Cathedral Course. Ramside Hall is rebuilding the 18th hole and has sculpted a new green layout, which is situated right outside the clubhouse.
Other refurbishment works are also underway around the grounds, with staff working to open up a floodlit practice facility, where players will be able to improve their short game and putting.
The driving range is another exceptional practice facility that boasts 43 bays that are situated across two floors. Each bay has its own Toptracer technology, multiple television screens, a heater and an electronic golf mat.
While an excellent place to enjoy hitting a few balls with your friends, it is a great place to work on your swing, with players able to warm up on the range before heading out onto the golf course.
- If you’re interested in finding out more about The Pin, read our full Ramside Hall Hotel and Spa review here.
The Courses
One of the best things about the championship courses at Ramside Hall is how well they are laid out. Course designers have cleverly structured each track around the sprawling hills on which this manor is situated.
During a round on the Prince Bishops' Course, you’ll be presented with narrow fairways, tight doglegs and blind tee shots. It poses a real test of your creativity as a golfer and asks questions of your accuracy with your shorter irons.
The golf course eases you nicely into your round. It begins with a 470-yard par-five, which bends around to the right towards the green, before the course slowly ascends up the hill.
Groundstaff have been working in tandem with the R&A to make amendments to the course, including the management of trees and the flora around the Prince Bishops' Course. The removal and shaping of woodland areas on the grounds has allowed more light to shine on the grounds and have improved the course’s layout for the better.
- Find out more about golf at Ramside Hall here
While it has been a particularly wet winter in the UK, the Prince Bishops' Course was in excellent condition. That is a testament to the work and investments the golf club has made into installing new drainage systems around the Prince Bishops' Course.
The greens rolled firm and true, and you could see how well the drainage system has been working on the fairways around the course. The ball rolled nicely along the fairways and did not plug into the ground.
Water comes into play on the sixth, seventh and eighth holes, which were my favourite stretch on the course.
The green on the short par-four sixth slightly intersects a water body, which partially divides the front right side of the dancefloor from the fairway. An outcropping of trees guarding the green also forces you to play left. It is a tricky approach shot, and slices are punished.
Next comes the seventh, a 133-yard par-three that requires players to strike over that same water body. Definitely club up here, as shots coming up too short will trickle their way back down the slope and into the pond situated in front of the green.
The par-four eighth hole is the sharpest dog-leg on the course, almost bending at a right angle around the pond before continuing uphill towards a raised green. If you’re someone like Jack, who can carry your golf ball around 270 yards with your driver, you can cut out the dogleg entirely and go for the trees on the right side of the fairway.
You’ll continue to ascend towards an old farmhouse on top of the hill and this is where the golf course offers up some of the best views of the countryside. The fairway on the 13th hole delivers some outstanding views down towards the quaint town of Low Pittington and across to the valley that surrounds the estate.
The round finishes with another exceptional hole, the 302-yard par-four 18th. Here you’ll get a good view of the hotel’s treehouses, a suite of stunning woodland cottages that are situated just to the left of the fairway.
The Cathedral Course is an equally impressive track and plays a little longer than its sister, stretching to 7,209 yards.
It is the newer of the two courses and is perhaps the more difficult of the two, offering up a risk-reward strategy.
Like the Prince Bishops' course, this golf course eases you in slowly around a woodland area, before it opens up when you reach the third hole, and this is where it starts to feel like a links course.
Here you'll find yourself regularly playing your ball above and below your feet, due to the dramatic elevation changes in the fairways.
The greens on the Cathedral Course are all in pristine condition, but are very tricky to read, with each featuring a network of contours that will catch you out if you don’t find the correct read.
- Find out more about golf at Ramside Hall here
My favourite hole on the Cathedral Course was the par-four 454-yard tenth hole, which demands players strike their tee shot over a body of water onto a fairway that bends around to the right. Another pond is situated to the right of a raised green, which slopes back into the water hazard, meaning any approach shot going short or fading around to the right is in trouble.
Again, the Cathedral Course is diverse and challenging, but it is a totally enjoyable round of golf.
Green fees are very well priced, too, considering the quality and condition of both courses. A midweek round will set you back £32, while a Saturday tee time will cost in the region of £42.
The Last Word
I think the golf courses sum up everything that makes this such a great resort to stay at. They are encapsulating, with both delivering their own unique golfing experience, with each hole offering something new.
That is something I came to expect during my stay at Ramside. From the hotel's brilliant golfing experiences to its spa, there is so much on offer at this excellent venue that you are sure not to get bored.
It's also the perfect base to stay if you're planning on playing a few other courses in the North East, including the exceptional Seaton Carew Golf Club.
- For more information on Ramside Hall's hotel and spa, check out our full review here
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