Meltham Golf Club

Everyone has their favourite hidden gem and the subject is very often the most eagerly-debated topic in a clubhouse following a round. You can add some weight to your arguments by making a concerted effort to play Meltham, a delightful parkland-woodland course in the hills above Huddersfield. Situated in the heart of the beautiful and tranquil Pennines, just outside the eponymous village itself, Meltham is the kind of course that, when you play it, you are amazed you hadn't heard more about it. It is top quality, and would cost a lot more than the designated green fee if it were situated in a more prominent golfing area. It begins with a modest hole which asks you to control your ball and try to hold the steep right-to-left sloping fairway. You return in the direction of the clubhouse and it is while over your approach shot that you really get into the Meltham experience, which is notable for the presence of hundreds of mature trees, including oak, chestnut, beech, birch and mountain ash, as well as coniferous trees of several varieties. 

The great strength of Meltham is the variety of holes; short par 4s, long pars to elevated greens and par 5s which rely on clever positioning and angles rather than immense length.

Within a couple of miles of Holmfirth, the small town made famous by the long-running BBC series, Last of the Summer Wine, this is a friendly and welcoming club where a wonderful summer's evening can be spent golfing before retiring to the clubhouse for refreshment. The great strength of Meltham is the variety of holes; short par 4s, long pars to elevated greens and par 5s which rely on clever positioning and angles rather than immense length. The view from the clubhouse across the putting green towards the 1st hole and the 17th hole shows just a few of the myriad species of trees. The Clubhouse, called Thick Hollins Hall, was originally the home of a local landowner, and when the golf club was founded in 1908, the hall became the centre of the club.