Saddleworth

The Club, founded in 1904, sits high on the Pennines and commands panoramic views across the moors and down stunning valleys. Indeed the 8th tee is one of the highest in England at over 1000 feet above sea-level and along with the 14th tee these spots boast the best vistas.

It’s a fine place to be on a beautiful day but I can imagine on an inclement day, when you are able to see the weather approaching from any corner of the compass, it’s perhaps not so nice.

The course itself has several interesting holes and as you would expect from one in this location it changes in elevation many times with a mix of uphill, downhill and side-hill holes. Because of the pronounced slopes approaching the greens from the correct angle is often very important.

The first and last are both par fives played in opposite directions on the lowest part of the course with the remainder of the layout gradually climbing over the first half-a-dozen holes before mostly descending throughout the back nine.

The best holes on the course are the driveable fourth, the sixth which plays much longer than its yardage and narrows at driving distance, the 12th with a sharp dog-leg and the scenic par three 15th.

Saddleworth has some fabulous driving holes and as you might expect the best two come at the 8th and 14th where you play from elevated tees to sweeping fairways. However, there are also a few blind drives to contend with at the third, ninth and, 11th.

The greens were particularly slow on my most recent visit in September 2014 but I can imagine when they are rolling much quicker the slopes would make them exceptionally tricky. Quite often you need to feed the ball onto the putting surfaces by landing the ball short and using the surrounding contours.

Saddleworth is an enjoyable course to play with a variety of shots required.