Rawdon Golf Club

Evaluating a course from the scorecard is right up there with judging a book by its cover, as this mature parkland course to the north of Leeds neatly illustrates. Well over a century old, Rawdon measures under 6,000 yards and plays to a par of 72 but anyone expecting to overpower it will be disappointed. All the holes have their defences, whether in the form of natural undulations or the generally small, sloping greens. And while every one of the par 4s is comfortably under 400 yards, even for the better player birdie chances have to be earned through accuracy from the tee followed by a precise short iron. Like all the best nine-holers, Rawdon offers 18 different tees, which in several instances create an entirely different angle of attack. Nowhere is this more true than on the last, which goes from being played straight uphill to a dogleg with the drive over some tall, thick firs – known by the locals as the carwash. Off the course, Jon Reeve is thought to be the longest-serving steward in Yorkshire, and serves an excellent pint as well as fresh, home-made food in the clubhouse that offers views across West Yorkshire.

Well over a century old, Rawdon measures under 6,000 yards and plays to a par of 72 but anyone expecting to overpower it will be disappointed.

Top Holes by Dan Murphy, editor:

5th  509 yards, par 5 This is a chance to open your shoulders and from the elevated tee you can bring the green into reach with your second. That said, with out of bounds left and trees to the right you will need to be accurate. 8th 157 yards, par 3 A fine short hole played from an elevated tee to a narrow green which is well protected by five bunkers. If you miss the target, getting up and down often proves very awkward as your chip may well have to fly over sand and then check up quickly. 16th 327 yards, par 4 On paper this looks simple but in reality it is a right-angle dogleg with high trees ensuring it is all but impossible to cut the corner. The second is played uphill to a two-tier green so plays longer than you think, especially when the pin is on the back. [course view="list" id=26187][course view="list" id=25603][course view="list" id=25310]