RUDDING PARK FEEDBACK

The Jolly Boys Outing
Monday, April 14th – Wednesday, April 16th
Hotel: Rudding Park, Harrogate
Golf Course: Rudding Park
Players and handicaps: Bryan (6) Adam (21) Nigel (28) Roger (14)

Pairings: Bryan & Nigel; Adam & Roger
This is the Jolly Boys’ 6th consecutive tour. The other five have taken us north of the border playing Borders’ golf courses. We decided it was time for a change and Roger, as ever, was deputed to find that alternative. Trawling the internet, Roger found the Golf Travel site and on there discovered Rudding Park. This not only took us to a superb hotel, but also an equally superb golf course and then to a location a short 40 minutes drive from home at a bargain price.

The Hotel
Set in extensive parkland, which includes the golf course, there is a real sense of arriving at a palatial, out of the ordinary, classy establishment. Met cordially at the door, cases taken to you rooms and a friendly greeting in a reception area which exudes class and distinction. A wall of fame of photographs of top politicians and dignitaries, who have stayed at the hotel, meets your eye and makes you linger to take note. The rooms are luxurious, well appointed and have plenty of essential “elbow room”. We had two twin-bedded rooms and were genuinely delighted with the accommodation.

The a la carte menu is extensive and the meals are served up in lovely settings with a touch of elegance and a feeling of “this is the life”, which only served to make the whole experience more enjoyable. The service was excellent and the bar prices commensurate with what one would expect to pay anywhere.

So, even if the golf was not of a high standard, at least spending time at the hotel itself would be a compensation. In reality though, any doubts along those lines were dismissed immediately when we arrived at the golf course.

The Golf
The course itself is a two minute drive away from the hotel and the first thing you notice as you pull into the lane leading down to the clubhouse and pro shop, is the 6 hole par 3 course to your right. This was actually about to open for the first time on the Tuesday, our second day. Each hole is a snapshot of a famous golf course somewhere in the world, with the main reason for playing it in the first place, being the 5th, which is a miniature replica of the famous island green at Sawgrass. We just had to play that! And we did, and we all decided our golf balls needed washing, each of us plopping our first (and second in Adam and Nigel’s case) tee shots into the surrounding water But what a memorable experience.

The 18 hole golf course is a gem. It has holes of picturesque beauty (Rhododendron Glade, the par 3 14th being of particular and outstanding note) and the greens befit a course of this stature, even in April when we played it. The fairways are generous and not once did any of us hit out of bounds and that included Nigel the 28 handicapper in the foursome. The par 4s are long, and unless you are a strong hitter off the tee, you will have to play many of them as par 5s. Don’t worry though: it won’t detract from the pleasure of playing this course. There had been a lot of rain prior to our arrival and the balls ended up where they landed, which made the course very long, but not tedious.

It is a course of interesting holes, where water plays a part, but not obtrusively, and we all finished each round pleasantly unburdened by tiredness. There is a truly lovely touch at the end of the 8th hole: a hut where you can order a drink and a snack, to be picked up when you return to the exact spot at the conclusion of the 10th.

Our three days’ golf went by without a hitch and we will certainly return. On a pleasing note and to demonstrate what a magnificent game golf is, we played a variety of “competitions”: nearest the pin, longest drive, best overall stableford, overall points winner and a pairs handicap competition, the last of which was tied with the last putt, a 12 footer, confidently brushed in by Bryan, on the final day on the 18th. And a reminder of the four golfers’ handicaps: 6, 14, 21 and 28! It meant that after 54 holes of match play we could not be separated.

Highlights
Bryan’s consistency off the tee (he makes you sick!); Adam’s shot to the par 3 14th to 8 feet (every dog has his day); Nigel’s careful negotiation of the daffodils at the 7th (a golfing tribute to Wordsworth) and Roger’s bunker shot out of the par 3 8th (he’d put two sand wedges in his bag by mistake – just as well!)

Conclusion
Do it! You will not regret it.

Roger Dunn