Shipley Golf Club

A slight left to right dogleg to open your round with trees on both sides that can block your 2nd shot. A true risk / reward shot, where you can decide to take on the long approach down the narrow alley or lay up short of the dip. A tricky green with large bunkers either side of the front portion to capture any wayward shots.

Aim at the hump down the middle of the fairway to leave yourself in an elevated position for a tempting second.

One of the most challenging holes on the course, your shot off the tee is key to unlocking this tricky opening par 4. Use the white rock as your target line of the tee to stay up the left-hand side of the fairway avoiding the tricky dip on the right-hand side.

Stepping up to your approach you will see you can simply not miss anywhere other than short as the green is surrounded with card wrecking danger.

The first of the Par 3's plays long from the tee, hitting over a ditch spanning the width of the approach followed by two bunkers on either side of the front of the green to capture any offline strikes.

Number 1 priority number is to clear the hazard to leave easier access to the green

The first of back-to-back par 5's and a bit of respite after a tough opening 3 holes. A long uphill sloping hole pulling your ball to the left hand side, the play is to aim your ball far enough right but don't miss right as you will be blocked by a large tree covering the right hand side, your approach to the green is fairly forgiving and best to miss up the right hand side as the natural camber of the hole will pull your ball back down to a fairly flat putting surface.

Keep right as all balls will tend to bounce left, particularly near the greenside bunker.

Playing the opposite direction to the previous par 5 and often into the wind the 5th hole is a real challenge. Stepping onto the elevated tee box leaves you with an intimidating tee shot with out of bounds running all the way down the left of the hole with a ditch protecting it. Bail out to the centre or right and you will likely end up in the trees punishing the safe shot. The approach onto a dome shaped green running off at all 4 sides will leave you with a very difficult up and down from some testing rough that’s if you manage to avoid the two difficult bunkers protecting the front of the green

Be mindful of the fairway hazard – in dry weather the ball can often run down to the ditch

A robust right to left dogleg playing long with a very narrow fairway and out of bounds tightly wrapping a cambering fairway all the way up to the green. Your second shot is all up the hill to a long narrow left to right sloping green.

Hit the perfect tee shot at the large tree at the end of the fairway but don’t go too far and let that tree block your second shot.

The signature hole, a beautiful downhill par three framed by the fast-flowing Harden Beck on the left-hand side of the green and flowing round to the rear of the green. Playing almost 200 yards from the back tees clubbing becomes difficult as working out wind and elevation drop isn't easy., if you avoid bouncing into the short right bunker. Get onto the green and the test isn’t over. A large McKenzie runs front to back making a two put very difficult if you aren’t on the right tier.

Unsure on clubbing take 1 less and commit to the shot land short and you will get a nice kick down the hill and towards the putting surface

A new design par 3, opened in 2024, plays long up the hill to an exposed green. One wide shallow bunker covers the left-hand side and short and a dangerous little swale catches balls that run over the back of the green. A par on here and you are gaining shots on the field.

The smart play is to ignore the flag and just play to the heart or right of the green and take on the difficult two put

A shorter par 5 but made harder by the hard right to left dogleg at the green. With a challenging downhill tee shot to a narrow fairway lined by trees a precise tee shot has to be placed down the right-hand side leaving the best angle for the second shot. The centre of the fairway is always a safe bet. The second shot is played over a large ridge running across the fairway, however, there is danger either side for this shot. Find your target and you have a great chance to end the front 9 with 3 points.

Stay right with your approach to the green, miss left and you will lose your ball!

A long par 4 to start the back 9 requiring 2 straight shot to have a chance of reaching the narrow green in 2. If you stray offline, you will often find yourself blocked by trees and having to chip out of the trees, that’s if you lucky enough to find a gap at all. As you approach the green you will see 2 bunkers protecting either side of the green miss these, find the putting surface and you will have a fairly flat putt.

Aim right off centre with your tee shot to open up the green

After a short break at the halfway house, aptly known as the Packett Inn, step onto the inviting par 3, 11th a great chance for a 2 if you can hit the green off the tee. The large pond protecting the left of the green draws balls towards it due to the slope in front of the green.

Either choose to play a short/mid-iron into the heart of the green or for those hitting more club, aim inside the tree line and allow the natural contours to carry your ball into the centre of the green

A par 4 playing as a slight dogleg from the white and red tees, with a small pond hugging the left edge of the fairway around 220 yards from the tee. This leaves you with 3 choices either decide to play the safe option laying up short of the pond play out to the right and try to find a small portion of fairway to leave you with a shorter shot in or decide to play the aggressive line and take it right over the pond leaving a short approach into an inviting green, yet again 2 bunkers protecting either side of the green this demanding another precise shot into the heart of the green.

My personal favourite hole. Your tee shot will make or break your score on this hole so keep it dry!

A shortish par 3 playing slightly uphill with a fairly large green. Find the putting surface and you have a fairly straightforward 3, however, fall short or right and find your self in a deep bunker or down a large swale turning a straightforward 3 into, almost certainly, a 4.

Take more club and just make sure you find that putting surface this is a hole just to take the safe option. Beware of substantial break on the green.

A beautiful par 4, and the hardest test on the back 9. A bunker and large tree protect the right-hand side of the fairway so positioning off the tee is key. Left or left of centre still leaves a difficult approach as the green sits at an angle to the fairway and with 3 bunkers surrounding it. Don’t forget about the ditch 80 yards short of the green! There are very few birdies on this hole which is why it is stroke index 2.

Keep left off the tee to avoid the bunker and being blocked by the ancient oak tree before the ditch.

The longest hole on the course. A long left to right dog leg par 5 which narrows at the bend. Aim at the tallest pine tree off the tee for a perfect line for your second shot. A well bunkered long green awaits your approach with anything right racing away down the banking.

If your tee shot cannot comfortably get past the trees on the right, a well-placed shot up the left avoids being blocked out.

A shorter par 4 and a great chance to make a good score coming down the closing stretch. A well-placed tee shot up the left-hand side of the fairway opens the approach up to a challenging green spread over two tiers. Miss the bunkers and find the correct tier with your approach and you have a great look at picking up shots.

The two-tiered green can create a challenging put – distance control is key.

The last par 3 and a short shot played over 3 bunkers which do a great job of protecting a narrow green. The green slopes right to left making any approach from the right-hand side testing. Be careful with the down hill puts they can be quick, very quick.

Anything that is played to the middle of the green takes the bunkers out of play

Hole 18 – Our final hole and a challenging par 4. Out of bounds lies behind the trees on the left and anything to the right means playing over the line of the bunkers and across the fall line of the green. Sink your put and head into the clubhouse for some well-earned refreshments!

Take care with your approach as anything left will likely run of the left of the green