Factfile
Name: Bishop Auckland Golf Club
Address: High Plains, Durham Road, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL14 8DL
Secretary: 01388 661618 (ext 6) Pro: 01388 661618 (ext 3)
Bar: 01388 661618 (ext 1) Course: 01388 661618 (ext 4)
Fax: 01388 607005 Email: Enquiries Web: Bishop Auckland
Directions From the North:Leave A1 (M) at junction 60 - A689 to Bishop Auckland approx. 4 miles. At Bishop Auckland by-pass there is a large roundabout with 5 exits - take 2nd exit (straight ahead) signed town centre/Crook/Canney Hill. Golf club is on the right about half a mile after the roundabout.
Directions From the South: Travel north on the A1 which becomes the A1 (M) at Scotch Corner. Leave the A1 (M) at junction 58 (A68) and follow signs for Bishop Auckland. At first roundabout take the right fork on A6072, by-passing Shildon, crossing four roundabouts until you come to a roundabout at Romanway Industrial Estate (large pub on left just before roundabout). Turn right at this roundabout - at the next roundabout take right turn onto Bishop Auckland by-pass (A688) towards Spennymoor/Durham. Go straight over next two roundabouts. 50 yards after this second, new roundabout take left turn (houses on left) and go to the top of the road. Turn left on to Durham Road. Entrance to the golf club is about 500 yards on the right.
Green Fees: Weekdays £24 per round, £30 per day; Weekends £30 per round. Juniors: Weekdays £10 per round, £12 per day. Societies/groups: Weekdays £24 (27/28 holes); Package Deal £33 per person (includes Coffee and Biscuits, 9/10 holes, Soup and Sandwiches, 18 holes, Basic 3 Course Meal). Packages can be tailored as required. Various concessions also available - contact the club for details. Buggies: £15.
Membership: Individual: Men £500, Ladies £418 (£200 joining fee), Joint membership £873; Juniors: Under-16 £72, Under-18 £168 (no joining fee for juniors). Corporate: 20 tee times per year: £1000 + vat for a fourball; Unlimited tee times: £1800 + vat for a fourball. Contact the club for full details.
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Bishop Auckland has to be one of the most historic golf courses in the North of England. Situated on the High Plains, an area of parkland surrounding the Bishop of Durham's Palace, the whole area is just steeped in history - and makes a wonderful setting for golf. The Palace itself dates back to Norman times when the mediaeval Prince Bishops were rich and powerful, ruling over the Palatinate of Durham and commanding their own armies and defending the region against the marauding Scots The park itself was used as a mustering point for King Edward III's armies prior to the battle of Neville's Cross in 1347. These days, the course adjoins the Bishop's Palace and in the winter, when the trees are bare, there are sweeping views to the grand buildings and surrounding land and its resident deer as well as further a field across the Wear Valley. Theology students training at the castle first introduced golf to Bishop Auckland around 1890. No real course was laid out at the time but they spotted the natural golf setting and made do. But that put the idea of a real course into the minds of local people and a group of business and professional men met in 1894 to discuss the establishment of a golf club in the town. At this inaugural meeting the Bishop of Durham was unanimously elected as president of the club. Brooke Foss Westcott was the incumbent at the time and the office has been held by successive bishops. Things began fairly sedately with a nine-hole lay-out formed from the natural contours of the land. The High Plains had its most famous visitors in August 1906 when the secretary, Hugh Roddam, engaged James Braid and Harry Vardon to play 36 holes of exhibition golf with spectators paying 2s 6d each. By 1911 the club was under severe pressure from the numbers wanting to play and so James Kay was asked to extend the course to 18 holes. And it's pretty much his course, with the odd change here and there, that you play today. The club is currently working on a fairly extensive refurbishment process on the course, with new tee boxes and changes to greens among the principle changes. The CourseIt all adds up to a cracking, tree-lined course with a very unusual lay-out that takes in five par 5s as well as five par 3s. When you first take a look at the card it does seem a bit lop-sided but in practice the course plays extremely well. Things get underway with a fairly sedate 275-yard (off the yellow tees) par 4 with a stroke index of 15. It's uphill but the fairway is nice and wide and inviting and should enable you to get away to a confidence-boosting start. However, don't be lulled into a false sense of security as you're about to tackle a run of three par 5s up on the highest part of the course. The second comes in at 546 yards and is very straight with out of bounds all the way down the right and a nice tight little green, with a ditch in front of it, that falls away steeply to the left. The third is slightly shorter at 511 yards but well deserves its stroke index of 1. You need some accurate hitting here if you are to avoid the trees and the well-placed bunkers. The fourth is just as tricky at 499 yards and drainage improvement work here has resulted in a fine hole that again features a deep ditch in front of the green, making your approach just that bit more of a challenge. And now for something completely different - with three par 3s to be tackled in the next four holes. The 5th is a fairly imposing 201-yard test with tress to the left of the green and a steep bank to the right. The 6th is a 336-yard par 4 that doglegs right with trees tight on to the fairway and another deep ditch in front of the green. The picture postcard 139-yard 7th is Bishop Auckland's feature hole and its stroke index of 17 belies the trickyness of the shot required to reach the green. You tee off in an elevated position through a narrow gap in the trees and have to land on the green to have any chance of a par as there is a huge bunker in front of the green a steep drop to the left and a high bank behind and to the right. Scarily, the ground staff are constructing a new tee box for the medals that will add another 20 yards and make the tee shot even more of a test. There's a lovely print in the clubhouse of this hole in the early 19th Century with a railway viaduct that no longer exists in the background. Great stuff. And if you did come away with a par, you'll find the 169-yard 8th just as difficult. The tee is again elevated and you have to fire over a dense thicket to a green that has no less than six bunkers around it and a steep bank in front. The outward nine concludes with another par 5 that this time measures 480 yards with a stroke index of 3. Again, it's pretty straight but there are trees up both sides to capture anything slightly wayward, though the rough is fairly forgiving underneath. The 10th is another par 3 of 180 yards but is more straightforward than the 7th and 8th if you can get an accurate tee shot away. The 11th is the last of the par 5s, this time measuring 483 yards. The course boasts very few fairway bunkers, relying instead on the natural flow of the land, but there are two well-placed traps to snare you here around the key 220 to 250-yard drive mark. The smart option is to lay-up but that virtually rules out any hope of a birdie. Higher up the hole there are more bunkers just in front of, as well as around, the green. The 12th is the last of the par 3s but at 207 yards requires a long and accurate tee shot Six par 4s complete your round with the 13th measuring 431 yards and thoroughly deserving its stroke index rating of 2. With a dogleg left, the fairway is again tree-lined and free of bunkers until you near the green, which sits up invitingly. The 373-yard 14th boasts a large new tee box it shares with the 17th. If you can find a nice straight drive you could be in with a chance of a birdie here. The same can't be said of the 388-yard 15th though, as its contours make it a tricky par test. The 349-yard 16th has a fairly narrow fairway and the green is well guarded by bunkers and a slope while the 17th again requires a solid, straight hit slightly uphill to avoid the line of trees on either side of this 357-yard hole. The 18th is a very good final hole. At just 266 yards (off yellow) and a further ten yards from the medal tees, the big-hitters will fancy driving the green but it's uphill all the way and there are five bunkers between you and a happy landing. Take it on if you have the courage but lay-up around the 200-mark if you want to end with a good score. What a lovely course this is. It looks stunning, has fine views and many of the holes require a real plan of attack due to their unusual nature, which is down to the natural shape of the land, the parkland setting and the long-established trees and shrubs. And after your round you can relax in the comfortable clubhouse, which is another feature of the complex with its modernist façade. Inside, you'll find a restaurant and bar that is open all day every day (except Sunday and Monday evenings). The facilities will particularly appeal to visiting groups as, unusually, they are welcomed at weekends as well as through the week at Bishop Auckland. The clubhouse building also has some nicely appointed locker rooms and David Skiffington's pro shop. The club has around 900 members in total at present but has room for more individuals as well as corporate (see Factfile for joining details). | 
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