Alwoodley

Alwoodley is a classy blend of moorland and heathland, with many of its springy fairways lined by heather. It features dramatic, naturalistic-looking bunkers, strategic choices and large, undulating greens.

The original Dr Alister MacKenzie layout from 1907 almost entirely remains in play. The course has been lengthened over the years, though, and now stretches to over 6,900 yards from the Championship tees. 

The club continues to cherish its heathland character, as well as the MacKenzie ethos of variety, natural beauty, and risk-and-reward shot-making. The bunkering is increasingly prominent, with width enhancing the strategic possibilities at play on many holes. 

Alwoodley is among the very best courses in Yorkshire, alongside Ganton and Moortown. For many judges, it is one of the very best in the north of England.

The Alwoodley Golf Club was founded in 1907, with the course laid out on land forming part of the Harewood estate, on the northern outskirts of Leeds. 

One of the founders was a certain local GP, Dr Alister MacKenzie, who designed the course. Alwoodley was the very first course designed by MacKenzie. It was followed in 1909 by Moortown, whose clubhouse is just half a mile round the corner. MacKenzie was both a founder member of Alwoodley and also the first secretary until he resigned in May 1909.

MacKenzie's work in the North Leeds area established his reputation as a golf course architect, and he went on to create masterpieces including Augusta National and Cypress Point in the USA, and Royal Melbourne in Australia.

In recent years the high quality of the course has been enhanced by major investment, while maintaining the integrity of what was MacKenzie's first-ever design. 

In 2019, Alwoodley was proud to host the Brabazon Trophy. Only 12 players finished under par that week. The Yorkshire club continues to be a sought-after venue for major tournaments, hosting events for the R&A, England Golf, and the Yorkshire Union on a regular basis.

By no means straightforward, if you are to put together a good score then you will have to do most of the good work on the front nine. MacKenzie loved to tease the golfer with shots that were partially but not completely blind and this is the case at the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th where you can see some but not all of the fairway. There is a (slim) chance to drive the 2nd before you cross a path where the course really opens up. 

The par 5 3rd is often your best chance of a birdie while the 4th is a par 5 off the whites or a very stiff par 4 off the yellows. 5 is drivable for the longer hitters, with 6 being a tricky medium-length par 4, one with trees lining the entirety of the right side of the fairway. The first of the short holes comes at 7, and although it is not the longest of par 3s, it still provides a tricky test.

The 8th and 9th are the two of the most visually arresting holes on the outward half.  The former is an elegant par 5 that dog-legs left around OOB and over a huge cross bunker.  The 9th is a magnificent par 3 played from an elevated tee to an elegantly framed green. 

The inward nine is almost invariably tougher, with most of the holes playing into the prevailing wind that blows in from the Yorkshire Dales that can be seen to the west in the distance. It begins with a bang at the 10th, another hole that is a par 4 off the yellows and a 5 off the back tees. It is believed that it is this hole that MacKenzie based the infamous par-5 13th at Augusta National off of.

Both are exciting risk-and-reward par 5s with fairways that swing sharply to the left at driving distance.  Both feature second shots from hanging lies with the ball above the player’s feet and have been extended over the years: Alwoodley’s 10th has been lengthened from 482 to 528 yards while Augusta acquired an additional piece of land to add 50 yards to their 13th.

Next comes the most dramatic of Alwoodley's short holes, which features a devilish green. The par 4 13th is one for the purists where all of the hole is visible and a lone oak tree sits to the right of a vast green. 

Then it is time to strap yourself in for the run for home as a lengthy par 3 and four testing par 4s take you back to the clubhouse. The view from the 18th is famous as the golfer is presented with one last challenge to make a closing par 4 before retiring to the distinctive chateau-like clubhouse.