Woodhall Hills Golf Club

Leeds, West Yorkshire

One of Leeds' finest, yet under appreciated, parkland courses

Leeds is well known for its array of heathlands north of the city; Alwoodley and Moortown are 'Top 100' courses which are backed up by the cultured likes of Sand Moor, Moor Allerton and Cobble Hall.

And just a few miles west of this batch of courses around the A61 is another excellent inland course which has been impressing visitors and societies for decades.

Established in 1905 Woodhall Hills is situated in between Leeds and Bradford near the charming village of Calverley.

The course now stands in over 130 acres of land and affords wonderful views over the surrounding countryside.

Over the years the undulating parkland course has undergone a number of improvements and can now be considered one of the most challenging courses in the area.

You will encounter tree-lined fairways, water hazards, challenging fairways and difficult par 3, all of which combine to provide an interesting challenge for any golfer.

As the area around the course has been developed, a large perimeter fence has been put up around the course to keep non-golfers out and this has been of great benefit to the club.

Woodhall Hills encourages golf societies and visiting parties to play the course, enjoy their facilities and dine in their spacious clubhouse.

Not that you feel hemmed-in on this spacious course set in rolling moorland.

There is plenty of room, with some longish walks between trees, so that you definitely feel out in the countryside.

One characteristic of the course is its rolling fairways, which require

you to play for position rather than simply blast away.

There are some short par 4s, protected by tricky ditches, bunkers or undulating greens, but these are balanced by some long par 5s – three of them over 500 yards.

The 12th is notoriously difficult, with a ditch 120 yards short of the green and a gully in front of the tee, which means you cannot run the ball up to the hill.

The 16th is also a genuine par 5, played uphill to a sloping green.

The club has made great efforts to improve its facilities in recent years with the addition of numerous trees, which are just beginning to come into play and which add greatly to the requirement for accuracy off the tee.

Woodhall Hills encourages golf societies and visiting parties to play the course, enjoy their facilities and dine in their spacious clubhouse.

Their two full-time professionals are always on-hand to help with society days, advice on equipment, help with your game with professional golf instruction and the well stocked pro-shop for all your golfing needs.