Happy Holidays with 2 for 1 Golf in Cheshire
Published: 17-12-2009, 23:37
With the holiday period fast approaching , the rain abaiting a little and hopefully not too much snow on its way, thoughts turn to where and when we can squeeze a game of golf over the holiday period and get out of the house for a bit of fresh air!
Personally, we prefer to disappear off somewhere new and maybe squeeze a round in it at some of the local, more ‘prestigious’ courses. So where are you likely to find the 2 for 1 Golf team over the holiday period? Well, the chances are it’s going to be at one of our local GreenFree courses in our own ‘neck of the woods’ in Cheshire. Cheshire is fortunate in that is in home to some excellent golf courses and many are part of the GreenFree 2 for 1 golf scheme.
It’s a difficult one to call but probably pick of the bunch has got be Mere Golf and Country Club. The James Braid design is a great test of golf with an absolutely stunning backdrop. Mature trees, rhododendron bushes and the lake add considerable charm and almost distract you from the array of millionaire’s houses that surround the course!! The final 4 holes are probably best closing stretch in the region. Described famously as the “Wentworth of the North”.
We did say it was a tough choice and a short drive down towards Chester will give you a clue as to why we say that as you we look at De Vere Carden Park and the MacDonald Portal. Nestled in the heart of rural Cheshire, the venues are home to 4 excellent Golf Courses. Carden Park boasts the championship Nicklaus course and the testing Nicklaus course. Portal also boasts a 7,000+ yard championship course in the Portal Course and the slightly shorter but similarly challenging Premier course.
Back over to South Cheshire/Manchester area and another couple of personal favourites – Dunham Forest and De Vere Mottram Hall. Just outside of Wilmslow, Mottram Hall is a real tale of 2 Nines with a relatively straight forward front 9 before a tricky back 9 winding its way through the Cheshire countryside. A great test, at over 7,000 yards from the Championship tees, it has always been in great shape when we’ve played it.
Dunham Forest (or Greenside Golf as watchers of Coronation Street might recognise it from where Steve and Dev played!!) is another fine test in mature Cheshire woodland, situated just off the M56 near Altrincham. The course is again of Championship standard and also generally drains well meaning it is playable most of the year.
Not a million miles away in the Macclesfield area is another flagship course in The Tytherington Club while a new kid on the block is the De Vere Wychwood Park near Crewe. Whilst relatively new, Wychwood Park has already staged two Europro tour events and has won acclaim in many quarters, including ours when we last played it. It has been built to very exacting standards and is very, very well maintained. Definitely one to pencil in for the “should play” list.
So what of the others, Hazel Grove is a personal favourite offering a fair and enjoyable test of golf and just down the road is the well established and well regarded Bramhall Park Golf Club. High Leigh is a decent test but, as a fairly new course, maybe still needs a little growing in and just down the road from there you’ll find Lymm Golf Club which has many fans. Frodsham is also a new-ish addition that will test your shot making abilities.
A special mention for two of the nine hole courses in the scheme. Mobberley is where we played a lot of our initial golf when we took the game up and Alder Root is a club at which we used to be members.
There are 28 golf courses in the Cheshire area where 2 can play for 1 Green Fee through GreenFree. These are some of our favourites but we’d welcome your thoughts as well. Post a review on the website or visit our FaceBook page and post your thoughts on the discussion page.