Factfile
Name: Romanby Golf Club
Address: Yafforth Road, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 0PE
Tel: 01609 778855 Fax: 01609 760660
Professional: 01609 760777
Web: Romanby Golf Club Email: Romanby Golf Club
How to get there: By road from A1, take the A684 turn off to Northallerton. Stay on the A684 and travel through the villages of Leeming Bar, Morton on Swale and Ainderby Steeple. Continue out of Ainderby Steeple for about 1 mile and turn left to Yafforth (from this point the Golf Course is signed with brown tourist signs) Follow the road round to the right in Yafforth and turn right at the church on to the B6217. Continue approximately 200 meters then turn right into the Romanby Golf Course driveway. From the A19 northbound, take the A168 Northallerton turn off. Stay on the A168 through Thornton le Street to Northallerton. Continue on till roundabout, then take the 2nd exit (straight on) and continue down the full length of Northallerton High Street. Go past the parish church on your left and take the first exit (straight on) at the mini roundabout. Continue on over the railway crossing and take the first exit (turn left) at the mini roundabout onto the B6271. Continue on past the Romanby Village turn off and then about 100 meters turn left into Romanby Golf Course. From the A19 southbound, take the A684 Northallerton turn off. Stay on the A684 through Ellerbeck to Northallerton. At the mini roundabout take the 1st exit (straight on) and continue on. At the mini roundabout take the second exit (turn right) into Quaker Lane and continue on. At the next mini roundabout take the second exit (turn right) Continue on over the railway crossing and take the first exit (turn left) at the mini roundabout onto the B6271. Continue past the Romanby Village turn off and then about 100 meters turn left into Romanby Golf Course.
Green fees: Single round £10 to £30 depending on tee off time; full day £30 (weekdys), £35 (weekends). There are also numerous society packages that include food. Contact the club or see the website for latest offers.
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North Yorkshire's lush rolling landscape provides the perfect setting for one of the region's newest courses. Romanby only came into being ten years ago when Les and Brian Craven decided to convert their farmland into a championship standard golf course - and everything that goes with it. And they're certainly well on the way to achieving their aim. The set-up is remarkable; a super lay-out, designed by Will Adamson, makes best use of the natural surroundings, while the clubhouse, catering facilities and pro shop are top-notch. Attractive lakes and the River Wiske present challenging water hazards as well as providing homes for a variety of water fowl, including ducks, coots and migrant swans which make regular visits to Romanby. The course is not overly long, measuring 6,663 yards from the back tees and 6,405 from the yellows (ladies 5,635 yards), and provides a challenging but fair test for all categories of golfer. Each hole has a character of its own and contributes to a varied and truly memorable round of golf. However, players should beware of the false sense of security which the gentle early holes can produce. The test of skill heightens as you approach Romanby's own Amen Corner - a trio of challenging holes consisting of the par three 11th over the lake, hole 12, which is possibly one of the longest par fives you'll ever play, and the par four 13th, ranked stroke index one. If you can survive that tricky test, and the more tranquil closing holes, a warm welcome awaits in Romanby's popular clubhouse, opened in 2000 by Colin Montgomerie. It's a vibrant social and business centre complete with a nice groundfloor lounge bar where you can enjoy a nice hand-pulled pint of Black Sheep, as well as a splendid restaurant where you can get everything from a quick bite to a very special meal. There's also enough room in the banqueting suite for conferences, weddings, family functions and club dinners. Members (currently just over 500) come from far and wide to enjoy this most hospitible club's facilities, while it's also an extremely popular venue with societies too as there are a range of excellent packages on offer. Visitors are also encouraged and there are an array of good value eat-and-play options to chose from. Marketing manager Grant McDonnell is keen to get the balance right, keeping the membership happy while also encouraging as many people as possible to come and give the course a try. The club's women's and junior sections are thriving while the junior academy, co-ordinated by Ian James, has just gained the prestigious Golf Mark from the English Golf Union. The facilities are completed by a super driving range and pro Richard Wood's nice, well-stocked shop. All-in-all, there's just about everything here you could want in a golf club (it's testimony to the organisation that even Paul Gaythorpe's club website is up-to-the-minute, informative and fun) - and there's a tangible vibrancy and relaxed atmosphere about the place too. The Course The par four 1st (327 yards off yellow) is a pleasant, simple hole to start the round. The drive is directed through the large banks and ideally should be left of the centre line to leave a more open shot into the green. The second shot should only require a short iron to the kidney-shaped green. The 2nd, also a par four that comes in at 374 yards, is the first of the water holes. The drive is uphill to a ridge, with a bunker guarding the left hand side of the fairway. The best line is on the left of the fairway. The second shot, must cross the lake to a large and receptive green, with mounding to the rear and left hand sides. After the loosening up process of the first two holes, the 3rd (another par four, but this time 415 yards), requires two long, well struck shots. The drive is slightly uphill to a ridge and then falls away sharply towards the hole. The second shot is to a slightly elevated green guarded by two bunkers. The par three 4th is uphill all the way so plays its full yardage of 177. The green is long and comparatively narrow and is guarded by three bunkers - front left, middle right and back centre. The 5th is a 505-yard par five. From the elevated tee the hole snakes down past a lake on the right and up to a well guarded green with a narrow approach. Big hitters can reach in two, but a high degree of accuracy is required. The third shot has to negotiate two bunkers guarding the front left of a relatively small green. A fairly subtle, 366-yard par 4 awaits at the 6th, which uses the natural contours of the ground to good effect. There are two bunkers to negotiate on the drive. The ideal drive is down the left hand side of the fairway, which will open up the kidney shaped green, guarded on the right by a bunker from hell. The par four 7th is short at 251 and rates stroke index 18. The real test here is the green, which is situated downhill from the high tee, but has a severe slope on the front half and to the left. And there's out of bounds behind the rear of the green. The par three, 158-yard 8th is a pleasant, natural hole where club selection is critical. The green is situated in an elevated position, with a steep fall on the front and left, and is guarded by two large bunkers in front and middle right. The front nine concludes with a big 538-yard par five - a muscular three-shotter which requires accurate shot making. The drive should end on a flat, slightly elevated island fairway. The second shot has to cross a narrowish constriction, formed by the river and the road. The third shot leads into a slightly elevated, rectangular, undulating green set in a natural amphitheatre. The back nine starts with a 354-yard par four. The drive is downhill into a valley with a bunker guarding the left hand side of the wide fairway. The second shot is uphill to an undulating, kidney shaped green with a bunker to the right. The 156-yard par three 11th is a truly heroic hole, which requires a carry of almost its entire length across a large lake. The green is sleeper fronted, comparatively wide and slopes up to a large mound in which is set a centrally placed bunker. The 554-yard par five 12th is a genuine three-shot hole. The drive from the back tee, which juts into the lake, must carry 80 yards of water up to a ridge with bunkers set left and right of the generous fairway. The second shot should be aimed to the right side of the fairway. The green rises steeply from front to back and is guarded by two large bunkers. The par four, 396-yard 13th is rated as the most difficult hole on the course. The drive is quite tight, with out of bounds on the left hand side. The hole then doglegs to the left and down a steep slope to the bottom of a valley, where a loop of the river cuts into the front and right hand side of the slightly elevated green. The 358-yard 14th is another par four that is fraught with difficulties. The drive is played over the River Wiske, some 110 yards from the tee, to a wide fairway. The second shot has to be played back over the river to an open and inviting green. The 15th is another uphill par three that plays its full yardage of 168. A deep bunker lies between the two arms of the L-shaped green which is at the highest part of the course, offering exceptional views across the course to east and west. A 16th is a straightforward 541-yard par five. The drive from an elevated tee must pass through a gap in the hedge to avoid bunkers on the left and right. There is no particular difficulty with the second shot, but the third has to negotiate four deep bunkers surrounding the green. The penultimate hole is a testing 426-yard par four. The drive must avoid a large bunker on the right and not be hit overlong as a valley runs between the end of the bunker and the green, which is guarded by a solitary bunker on the front left of the green. Things are rounded off nicely with a short (341 yards) but spectacular par four finishing hole with two options facing you. Either drive across the river, which is about 230 yards from an elevated back tee, leaving a pitch to the angled green avoiding the large bunker. Or play short and face a slightly longer second shot. Course manager Robert Upton presides over a very nice course that is all the time gaining more and more character and the various trees and shrubs, mosty planted ten years ago, grow into their surroundings and give each hole more and more definition. Factfile Address: Romanby Golf Club, Yafforth Road, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL7 0PE. Contact: Clubhouse and tee bookings: 01609 778855; Pro shop: 01609 760777, fax 01609 760660, email: richard@romanby.com; Admin: 01609 778855, fax 01609 779084, email: info@romanby.com. Website: www.romanby.com How to get there: By road from A1, take the A684 turn off to Northallerton. Stay on the A684 and travel through the villages of Leeming Bar, Morton on Swale and Ainderby Steeple. Continue out of Ainderby Steeple for about 1 mile and turn left to Yafforth (from this point the Golf Course is signed with brown tourist signs) Follow the road round to the right in Yafforth and turn right at the church on to the B6217. Continue approximately 200 meters then turn right into the Romanby Golf Course driveway. From the A19 northbound, take the A168 Northallerton turn off. Stay on the A168 through Thornton le Street to Northallerton. Continue on till roundabout, then take the 2nd exit (straight on) and continue down the full length of Northallerton High Street. Go past the parish church on your left and take the first exit (straight on) at the mini roundabout. Continue on over the railway crossing and take the first exit (turn left) at the mini roundabout onto the B6271. Continue on past the Romanby Village turn off and then about 100 meters turn left into Romanby Golf Course. From the A19 southbound, take the A684 Northallerton turn off. Stay on the A684 through Ellerbeck to Northallerton. At the mini roundabout take the 1st exit (straight on) and continue on. At the mini roundabout take the second exit (turn right) into Quaker Lane and continue on. At the next mini roundabout take the second exit (turn right) Continue on over the railway crossing and take the first exit (turn left) at the mini roundabout onto the B6271. Continue past the Romanby Village turn off and then about 100 meters turn left into Romanby Golf Course. Green fees: Single round £10 to £30 depending on tee off time; full day £30 (weekdys), £35 (weekends). There are also numerous society packages that include food. Contact the club or see the website for latest offers. Membership is available: 5-day adult £494, 7-day adult £594, junior (aged 16 and under) £125, young person (aged under 18) £195, young person (aged under 20) £390. A one-off enrolment fee also applies. | 
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