CLOSE HOUSE (COLT COURSE) - 15 POINTS
If you had to name the five best inland golf courses built in the UK in the last 30 years I suspect you would take some time to come up with a half-decent list. Well, Close House in Northumberland can definitely claim a place on it. I would thoroughly recommend stopping in for a game on the Colt course if you are in the area and, such is the quality of golf in the region, you may even want to consider a staying in the area for a few days.
The Close House website opens with the words ‘Close House is the home of the world's only 2 Lee Westwood golf courses’. There are two courses, the Lee Westwood Colt course and the Lee Westwood Filly course. Although they both have the name ‘Lee Westwood’ in the titles, don’t be fooled into thinking he designed them. That honour goes to Scott Macpherson.
The whole ‘Lee Westwood’ thing is quite odd. Why on earth you would call two golf courses after someone who didn’t design them? There are many pieces of Westwood memorabilia around the place and it is a bit of a weird shrine to him. He is the attached professional, and is friends with the multi-millionaire owner, but there’s a lot of stripping out to do if he ever falls out with them!
But, moving on from the Lee Westwood obsession to the course itself, Scott Macpherson says his design was inspired by the classic ‘Old English’ courses of Harry Colt, hence the ‘Lee Westwood Colt’ name. I can see a little of this in the course.
The land is challenging to build a course on. The original Filly course lies in the valley but the Colt course is over much more hilly ground. This would definitely have made routing tough, but I think they have done a really good job here. You have four significant climbs during your round (coming at the 2nd, 5th, 7th and 10th) and you will need a pretty good level of fitness if you are going to really enjoy your round (unless you take a buggy). However, the holes are very well designed and the views you are rewarded with at the summit are well worth the effort.
What goes up must come down and there are some glorious downhill holes like the 6th and the 8th. The 13th is particularly fun - a wide fairway down a steep hill which is just begging for you to hit a big driver, but position is very important to really attack the pin.
The course generally has pretty wide fairways (with a a sprinkling of centre line hazards which I appreciated), and with a good selection of tees. So, if you choose well, you should find it relatively approachable. However, if you are having a wild day off the tees, or push yourself too far back, you will find it quite a punishing place.
The work around the greens is a particular highlight. Bunkering is excellent (maybe that’s where the Colt inspiration is most visible but there is some Mackenzie in there too) and the surfaces are very clever, with plenty of movement and more than one infinity look.
The final stretch of holes is on flatter ground and has more of a traditional parkland feel to it. There is still plenty of character though - the 18th has water and a ha-ha (low stone wall) to contend with.
The club is primarily designed for member play although there is lodging available on site and a few tee times for visitors most days. The welcome is warm and the finish to the clubhouse, practice facilities and restaurant is excellent. They have spent money on the details and the club exudes quality from the moment you turn in the gates.
Close House is a course that will test you but hopefully won’t beat you up too mercilessly. I think it is a course that would definitely benefit from repeat play but I certainly enjoyed my afternoon there. The team involved should be congratulated on producing a really good product which has very obviously had a lot of care and attention put into it.
BOOKING THE COURSE
There’s no facility to actually book a tee time online, but you can enquire about availability here. It is worth noting the price of a tee time is pretty ridiculous. In the summer it is £200 per person which is really pricey for what you get. Even if you are staying on the property, £140 is steep. This drops to a more reasonable £100 in winter, with £70 if you’re a resident. Considerably better deals can be found if you look online, for example at golfbreaks.com.
This does irk me somewhat. I don’t think that you should have to search through third party agents to find the best deal, but obviously Close House find that this works for them. So be warned - shop around before you book!
TOUR TIPS
Much of Close House appears to be a shrine to Lee Westwood!
If you are looking to put together a golf trip to this area then it is worth spending at least a night at Close House to benefit from the good value accommodation and discounted green fee. This is a high-quality set-up and you will enjoy good service and a very good standard of hospitality.
However, you are within half an hour of Newcastle and you may wish to base yourself here for the rest of your stay. Newcastle is a great city, there’s plenty of well-priced accommodation and the nightlife is legendary, with great restaurants as well as pubs and clubs galore. Without wishing to be too broad-brush in my appraisal, the people of Newcastle (Geordies) have a well-deserved reputation as a really friendly bunch and you should get a warm welcome.
When it comes to the other courses in the area to add to a trip, it’s been a long time since I played many of these so am overdue a return visit. Northumberland is the standout course in Newcastle itself. A little further out you will find Slaley Hall (a previous European Tour stop but not in the same league as Close House) and the pleasant parkland tracks of Linden Hall and Matfen Hall.
An hour to the north (and conveniently en route to Scotland) you will find Goswick, Dunstanburgh Castle and Bamburgh Castle - all of which are well worth a stop for some lovely links golf.
Northumberland may be one of the most under-rated areas in the UK for golf and one well worth discovering!
CONTACT DETAILS
Close House,
Heddon on the Wall,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE15 0HT
Phone: +44 (0) 1661 852255
E-mail: enquiries@closehouse.co.uk
Web: https://closehouse.com/