Feature Review: Ulverston Golf Club

If you’re planning on playing golf in the Lake District then Ulverston Golf Club should definitely be on your list. Designed by H.S.Colt, this beautiful parkland course situated on the outskirts of the Lake District is renowned as one of the best courses in Cumbria.

As you would expect from a golf course in the Lake District, Ulverston Golf Club offers spectacular views over the Lakeland Fells and Morecambe Bay and on a clear sunny day you can even see Blackpool Tower and “The Big One” in the distance.

Visitors are warmly welcomed by the pro and his staff. The members at the course are also very accommodating of visitors.

Pre-Round Thoughts

The course is in fact just a short drive out of Ulverston and down the Coast Road to the small town of Bardsea. You will notice the first pleasing sight as you turn into the driveway of the golf club as it is lined with blossoming pink trees.

Providing you arrive early enough you can take full advantage of the practice facilities. There’s a four bay driving range, chipping area, pitching area and putting green to hone your game before your tee time.

The clubhouse itself has some magnificent views. The perfectly named “Morecambe Bay Suite” has views over Morecambe Bay and the main clubhouse looks over the 18th. During the summer months the outside patio is very much a suntrap. During Saturday competitions you regularly see golfers drinking and eating on the patio and watching fellow competitors come down 18.

Par 3s

All four of the par 3s at Ulverston Golf Club look relatively straight forward on the eye. However, a slightly astray tee shot can be punished and leave a very testing chip shot.

The 5th hole, and the first of the par 3s, is a key example of this. Leave your tee shot short and right and you end up rolling down the steep bank and face an almost impossible up and down. Miss left and you face a downhill chip shot with the grass growing against you.

The key at the 161 yard 8th hole is to just hit the green. Any wayward tee shot could end up in one of the several bunkers that surrounds the green.

The 10th hole is stroke index 18 yet is one of the hardest greens to hit out of the par 3s due to its size. The key is to be on the correct level of the two tier green.

The final par 3, 14, is the toughest of the four mainly due to its length. It plays at 188 yards and is all uphill so remember to club up.

Par 4s

The 1st sets the tone for the whole course and has just about everything a parkland course should. The fairway is tree-lined, the tee shot is semi-blind and the green has two tiers.

There are three par 4s that stand out at Ulverston. The 3rd, which is a par 5 for women, plays at 414 yards and requires an arrow straight tee shot if you are to hit the undulating fairway. Most golfers then will still have a mid to long iron left into the green. A par is a very respectable score at this hole.

The 17th hole has many impressive features. To start with, you play a blind tee shot up and over an abandoned limestone quarry. As you make it up the hill to the fairway you realise the true beauty of this course. If you look back towards the tee you can see the Lakeland fells in the distance, to the left is Morecambe bay, behind the green you can see Blackpool tower on a sunny day and to the right is the beautiful Cumbria countryside.

The 18th hole is a slight dogleg right and plays majorly downhill. There is a plaque behind the ladies tee which points out which mountains are which in the distance. The approach shot into the 18th is the hardest part of the hole. You play onto a severely sloping green. There’s two ways to play it, pitch it short and let it run out or fly it all the way onto the flat.

Par 5s

Two of the three par 5s are over 500 yards in length with the longest coming at the 11th which is 523 yards.

This is the toughest of the bunch in my opinion as it is hard to get a tee shot away. Your line is the marker post in the distance on the third fairway. A brave golfer takes driver and needs to hit a little draw to find the fairway. You must avoid the trees on the right and the three bunkers on the left to have any chance at a birdie.

I would suggest hitting a three wood or 3 iron off the back tees as it means you will find the fairway and be short of the trouble.

Verdict

As mentioned earlier, Ulverston Golf Club most definitely should be on your list if you are playing golf in the Lake District. You get a little bit of everything at Ulverston. Despite being a parkland course it is quite often very windy due its close proximity to the sea.

The course offers a fair test of golf for all levels of golfer, the staff are extremely helpful and the views are stunning.

The course is highly rated on Golfshake, for more information visit here >>>

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