Station Road,
Ganton, North Yorkshire YO12 4PA
Office
+44 (0)1944 710 329Pro shop
+44 (0)1944 710 260Fax
+44 (0)1944 710 922Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Gary BrownThe Course:
18 holes. Heathland course. Gently undulating terrain - easy to walk.
Surroundings:
Rural countryside.
Designer:
Original layout by Tom Chisholm (1891). Subsequent changes made by Tom Dunn (1890s), prior to a major redesign by Harry Vardon in conjunction with Ted Ray, J.H. Taylor and James Braid (1905). Later improvements also made by Harry Colt (1907, 1911 & 1931); Dr Alister MacKenzie (1912 & 1920) and C.K. Cotton (1948 & 1952).
54.190923
-0.494298
10 miles SW of Scarborough
Just off the A64, 10 miles SW of Scarborough, next to the village of Ganton.
Ganton Golf Club: Nestling in the Vale of Pickering just beneath the North York Moors National Park, Ganton is a golf course well worth making a significant detour to discover. On relatively open and undulating heathland, you'll find just a handful of Scots pines lending definition to a few holes. However, gorse bushes and heather are here in abundance, lining and defining most fairways and well worth staying out of, if you can.
Ganton's free-draining sandy subsoil provides a perfect base for the layout. Characterising most holes are fast-running undulating fairways, firm true greens and excellent, though decidedly penal bunkering. Your game strategy will be better served by accuracy from the tee rather than length.
Exuding much of the character of a seaside links course (in ancient times the area was actually a submerged inlet from the North Sea) you'll not be looking out to sea from Ganton, but you will be treated to some wonderfully expansive panoramas onto the North York Moors. And, like most links courses, the wind may well provide an added and challenging ingredient to your round.
If you've scored well on the first 16 holes, you'll need to steel your concentration for the final dangerous duo. The long par-3 17th and right-to-left doglegging par-4 18th both require a small local road to be crossed en route to their fiercely bunker-defended greens. This uncompromising closing pair fittingly close out one of Britain's most revered open heathland courses.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.
Must book in advance. Proof of handicap required.
Credit cards accepted. Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2023].
Players generally walk this course. Golf carts only available for hire for medical reasons and must be booked in advance.
Good
Ganton has hosted many top level tournaments and matches, not least the Ryder Cup (1949), Curtis Cup (2000) and Walker Cup (2003). (See our Tournaments section >by Venue >Ganton).
The course is located on what was formerly part of Sir Charles Legard's Ganton Estate, where the rough ground was covered with gorse bushes (whins) and many varieties of grasses and wild flowers. Thousands of years previously the area had been submerged as part of an inlet from the North Sea, hence the natural sandy subsoil, an ideal ingredient for the creation of a golf course.
Ganton's development was strongly influenced by the presence of the North Eastern Railway; the clubhouse was situated just a a few hundred yards from Ganton Halt. The proximity of a railway line was often a key factor in the development of a golf course in the period when golf rapidly expanded across Britain and Ireland (1890-1910).
England: 14th best course in England (Golf World, 2023).
GB&I: 43rd best course in Britain & Ireland (Golf World, 2022).
World: formerly ranked 89th best course in the world (GOLF magazine, 2017; not in subsequent editions of this ranking).
The Esplanade, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO11 2AG.
+44 (0)1723 357 400
Visit websiteThe 4-star Crown Spa Hotel is the oldest purpose built hotel in Scarborough, with many of the original architectural features. Accommodation is spread over four floors. The majority of rooms have king or super king-sized beds (some with four-poster beds), or twin beds. There are also a few single rooms. Private off street car park is avaliable at a cost per night.
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Ganton
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Ganton, nr.Scarborough, Yorkshire YO12 4NX
+44 (0)1944 710 116
Visit websiteThe Ganton Greyhound Country Inn & Restaurant offers a range of rooms, all with ensuite bathrooms, colour televisions, centrally heated, tea and coffee making facilities, telephones and internet access.
Ganton (o.5 mi)
Ganton
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