Casterton and Ilkley

Hello all,

A few weeks ago i asked for some advice on golf around Kirkby Lonsdale and opinions on Ilkley GC where I had arranged to play, so i thought i'd give you some feedback on both courses.

I'll start with Casterton. A quant 9 holer just outside Kirkby Lonsdale, £10 for 9 holes and to be honest was a bit over priced at that i think. The green were inconsistent (some ok, some v poor) and there were far too many blind tee shots, 6 as i remember, including a par 3, so 12 if you played 18 and a place where local knowledge is a must, so from that perspective not great for a fleeting visitor. On the upside the staff were perfectly friendly and welcoming and some of the course vistas were very pretty with limestone outcrops lining some fairways and framing greens. In summary, not bad for a twilight knock about but be prepared to not see were you ball lands...

On to the main event. Ilkley. I decided to play Ilkley on the way back to Leeds from the Dales as part of my probably lifelong mission to play all the courses in a great picture book i received as a gift, Creating Classics, The golf courses of Harry Colt (it by no means contains them all...)

I've played Moseley (my home course), Aberdovey, Southerndown, Royal Porthcawl and now Ilkley. As a result the only fair comparison as a parkland course is my home course, which i think is great but I’m probably biased so I’ll avoid comparisons.

I thought playing Ilkley was a delighful experience from meeting the pro (possibly the nicest chap I’ve ever met!) to tucking into sausage, egg and chips and a pint of orange juice and lemonade on the sun drenched terrace that overlooks the 18th hole.

I was playing as a singleton with my fiancé in tow for the walk, but they were more than happy to accommodate me, informing me of the societies booked in so i could pick the best time to go out. Even with this knowledge the course wasn't quiet at my 9.30 tee time but as i approached the 1st tee the 4 ball of members allowed me to play through immediately as wished me luck, "hope you win!" they said. A 3 ball were a hole ahead but just was their pace of play didn't get anywhere near them until the 13th hole when they also immediately called me through, i politely declined as i wasn't any great rush... (A good news fast play story for everyone that likes a whinge about slow play! ) Afterwards one of the gents that let me through on the 1st took me and my fiance to task (in a very jovial way) regarding lack of desire to play... all in all the pro, members, office and the bar staff were incredibly welcoming and friendly, i can't emphasise that enough.

Ok, to the course... as some may know the 1st 7 holes play along the River Aire, and while they are very picturesque they are not the best golf holes on the course, i found the hole away from the river more interesting from a golfing point of view, where there were some excellent examples of classic Colt fairway bunkering (i.e. always in by bloody way!) and some really good green complexes. The green were consistent if a bit slow and the course could have done with a few more elevation changes (but you can't help the land it’s built on i guess). All in all it was a good parkland course well worth the £35 winter green fee i paid and the welcome was second to none.

And if anyone’s interested i played slightly below average, was poor of the tee and duffed a few chips but holed bunker shot on 18 gave me a birdie and a 93 off 17 so a net 75 (par 69 sss 69).