Selby

There are a wide variety of holes at Selby; some easy, some difficult and plenty of others in-between to hold your interest throughout the round.

Selby plays predominantly as a firm and fast running parkland course although with natural fescue grasses, broom and gorse at times there is more than a hint of a heathland feel to it.

As you would expect from this sand-based course it is fast draining and usually in excellent condition for 12 months of the year.

There are no real stand-out holes but each one is unique and presents a different challenge. They all come together nicely to create a solid and enjoyable round of golf.

The course boasts one of the most difficult opening holes in the county in the form of a long par four with tall trees lining each side of the fairway and the threat of out-of-bounds down the right hand side. The green is angled to favour a running approach from the left but slopes to the right where deep bunkers wait for anything leaked too far. Other holes where par is most definitely your friend come at the seventh, 15th and 16th.

However, birdies opportunities may present themselves at all of the par fives, under the correct wind conditions, except for perhaps the fourth which is the longest of the quartet and has an excellent tilted green that makes finding the putting surface very tricky. Meanwhile, the third, ninth and 13th are all short par fours and also offer the chance to pick up shots, but only if played well, which often means conservatively.

Selby pride themselves on the condition of their course and favour tight aprons leading up to the greens, often from 50 yards out. My latest visit coincided with their hosting of the annual Yorkshire Order of Merit event, the Auchterlonie Spoon, and these approaches to the green were in immaculate condition and a joy to play from.

If you are a golfer in Yorkshire then Selby should be high on your list of courses to play but even if you are just passing through the White Rose county it is easy to locate and worth stopping by. It's certainly a good and fair test of golf.