Bishop Auckland Golf Club Review

I recently visited the lovely Park Head Hotel situated just outside of Bishop Auckland. This area is being actively supported by the Auckland Project. They are keen to establish the area as a destination venue for the tourist. 

This is an historic area providing access to over a thousand years of history, art, culture, and faith, which centres on historic Auckland Castle, once the seat of England’s powerful Prince Bishops. This destination also includes the Mining Art Gallery, Auckland Tower, and Deer Park, with a Spanish Gallery, Faith Museum, and Walled Garden.

Accommodation

(Image Credit: Adrian Dupre-Picken)

The hotel has an arrangement with two local golf courses providing superb accommodation with food with easy access to both golf courses. They are able to assist with booking access to both Bishop Auckland Golf Club and Brancepeth Castle. 

The hotel is a modern coaching style inn with a lovely Mediterranean-style courtyard overlooked by many of the rooms. They are modern, stylish and very well equipped with certain ones offering a dog friendly service. 

I found the staff to be superb throughout my stay. They were attentive, knowledgeable and very helpful. The cuisine was of the highest order and I would particularly note the quality of the breakfasts offered. An ideal way to start a day golfing. The car parking was secure, extensive and offered electric vehicle charging. Another useful facility. I intend to return to the area for future visits and will be using this hotel as my base as I was so impressed by all it had to offer.  

History & Background

I knew of Bishop Auckland Golf Club within the Wear Valley and Auckland Castle estate. The golf course was founded in 1894 by ecclesiastical students using a deer park and extensive estate that was owned by the Church Commissioners. The Bishop of Durham historically had a status and position equivalent to royalty so this estate was of the very finest quality. The Park and surrounding estates dates from 1347 when used as a mustering point by Edward III's armies prior to the battle of Neville’s Cross.

The use of the ground for hunting and grazing provide some of the highest quality turf on which to develop a golf course. Its first members who were ecclesiastical students had a major design influence with recent input from the well-respected golf course architect Jonathan Gaunt of Gaunt Golf Designs. The grounds upon which this course is built could not have been better to provide a top-quality parkland setting

The clubhouse is welcoming and traditional but well suited to its use. This is a community facility and it can be adapted into use as an events venue easily. 

I am usually able to assess a golf club's success and longevity by the number of its representative teams. A strong and active junior and ladies section I see as a welcome sign as it usually indicates a forward thinking and progressive club. Having a number of teams at all golfing levels with fixtures played regularly against other regional clubs is also a useful marker of a well-managed facility. Bishop Auckland has had considerable success against other clubs from within its region and is clearly attracting top quality golfers to its membership.

The course is laid out over a hillside with some stunning views offered across the valley. It is a parkland layout of the first order.

(Image Credit: Adrian Dupre-Picken)

The Front Nine

The course starts with what should be an innocuous par 4 of only 280 yards. The clubhouse is a realistic hazard if you have a poor slice off the tee but this is a rare occurrence. 

Most players favour the left of the fairway which can bring into play the short 10th. The hole is protected by swales and well-placed bunkers.

We are then faced with a very unusual sequence of three consecutive par 5 holes of 556, 528 and 525 yards respectively. 

The early par 5s offer several challenges. The first of these (the 2nd) plays gently straight downhill, before a water ditch splits the fairway just short of a raised green; the 2nd, then plays a double dogleg, first right then left, asking an ability to fade off the tee to avoid the stand of trees right, before an uphill approach to a plateau green. The 3rd then places two large trees 150 yards from the tee, asking the player to take on the right tree for a more straight forward play, or a high fade over the left. 

I had never encountered this before but the ground and landscape lend itself naturally to this and it does not affect the rhythm of the round in any way. These holes are set beautifully within the old castle walls and park and I can totally understand the logic in routing them in this manner.     

They follow a natural route into a quiet and serene part of the course. It is so easy to imagine the pre golf course history of this venue as it oozes designed landscape of the very highest quality. 

There is no marquee designer known to be linked to the layout but it is still of an excellent standard. Harry Colt always aspired to keep his golf courses as close to the natural landscape as possible and that is exactly what has happened here.

In more recent times there has been substantial input from well-respected designers like Jonathan Gaunt, but he initiated few major routing changes as the layout has a natural feel and empathy for the landscape.

(Image Credit: Adrian Dupre-Picken)

The short 5th hole at 212 yards is also well protected from an elevated tee position.  

Back-to-back short holes on the 7th and 8th add to the package and again fit the pace and rhythm of the round. These are challenging holes making great use of the underlying landscape. The short par 3 7th is a lovely hole played onto a sloping right to left green with trouble all short and left. The 8th plays much longer and across a wider part of the ravine, requiring players to fade off the forward tees, as opposed to a more straight forward if longer shot off the back tees.

The Back Nine

The back nine continues this unusual sequencing with a par 3, par 5, par 3 start, before finishing with six par 4s. I comment on this sequencing simply because it is unusual and rare to have such a mix. This is an observation. Not a criticism. Don’t let this put you off as you deserve to test yourself against this venue.

The Brabazon Trophy is planned to be held here in 2026 and the Big 6 event will be hosted here in 2025. I have no doubt that this venue will increase its profile going forward.

Plan to give yourself the time to enjoy the halfway house. It’s a cracker. 

The 10th is another lovely short hole that lays out beautifully from the tee box. All hazards visible and daunting from the tee.

The back nine did not feel quite as challenging as the front but was still enjoyable and engaging. The 12th was well protected by a sloping green.

The course closes with six consecutive par 4 challenges. Each has its own unique style and this does not affect the flow of the round. 

I particularly enjoyed the 15th. An uphill hole with blind bunkers protecting the green complex. There is a visually clever false front to the green with many slopes and swales built within it.

Another quality hole is the downhill 16th, attractive and visually inviting off the tee with well positioned bunkers and a narrow neck to the green.

(Image Credit: Adrian Dupre-Picken)

The 18th is another interesting one. It's 274 yards uphill, with well positioned bunkers protecting a small two-tier green with a narrow entrance. This is a decent risk or reward hole and I can imagine it has resulted in some interesting finishes in match play events. I suggest playing an extra club on the approach into the two-tier green learning from the mistake I made.

Conclusion

I hope my emphasis on the unusual nature of the routing does not have an adverse impact on the reader. It has to be highlighted as it is unusual but it in no way diminishes from an excellent golfing experience. I really enjoyed the Bishop Auckland Golf Club experience. 

This is a genuine golf club that is at the heart of its community with a very strong competitive ethos through each and every level of the club. The setting is superb, the course an interesting challenge. It was very well presented and maintained. The club welcome visiting golfing groups and I would have no hesitation in returning to this venue, either as a single or part of a group or society.