Fleetwood Golf Club, England

www.fleetwoodgolf.co.uk

White tees par 72
Red tees par 73

Fleetwood golf course lies between the town of Fleetwood and the mouth of Morecambe Bay in the north west of England.  It is notable for being one of the friendliest welcomes we have had in our links quest.
If the establishment of a golf course is dated from when a course is laid out, competitions arranged and prizes played for then Fleetwood is the oldest links course in England.  The local newspaper ran an article in 1861 reporting a match on Fleetwood links won by  two army officers from the nearby Euston Barracks.  One of the two, Arthur Walker was Scottish and founded the Alnmouth Golf Club eight years later.  The location of that first golf course is unknown but the current club was established in 1893.

The 10th green with the Coastwatch ObservatoryTower in the background

Fleetwood has two loops, an outer first nine and an inner second nine. The course is flat and typical of a links course with defence from penal rough and bunkers and a prevailing cross wind. We played it on a lovely spring day when there hadn't been much growth and the greens were sanded so missed the course at its best.  There are only glimpses of the sea from higher ground as the whole course is protected by a sea wall but the National Coastwatch's Rossall Point Observatory Tower can be seen from most holes and looks like a modern Leaning Tower of Pisa.  Other features of the course are the old butts from the days that the military used the ground as a firing range. Most of the holes are fairly straightforward provided the rough and bunkers are avoided but beware of complacency as the second nine has tough par 4s at the 13th (The Chasm), 16th and 17th.  The signature hole is the lovely par 3 8th with an elevated green bunkered at the front and right.  A tee shot to below the hole is a must on the sloping green.

The drive from the 4th tee

Worth playing? Yes if you are holidaying in the area