Hartlepool GC

A straightforward opening hole flanked on the left by out-of-bounds. The green, pear shaped, is guarded by two deep bunkers biting into the putting surface leaving only a narrow entrance. Three other bunkers on the fairway catch the sliced shot while a grass hollow on the left takes care of the hooked ball. The hole calls for an accurately placed tee shot to leave a straight approach to the pin.

The tee shot should carry 150 yards to clear light rough, which doglegs left, with out of bounds all the way down the left hand side of the tee shot. The fairway narrows to a very large green, slightly raised, with small splash bunkers at left and right.

The 3rd hole falls slightly from tee to green and runs parallel to No.2 in the opposite direction. This hole is an orthodox left to right dogleg with difficult rough for the straying ball. Once again the daring shot, over a large grass mound and bunker is on for the long hitter. The green, also very large, has bunkers at left and right but should not present any problem to an accurate iron player.

The tee shot at this hole must carry about 100 yards of rough to find an averaged sized fairway and, to the right, difficult rough. The hole is a right to left dogleg, with the approach shot played over a lateral water hazard to a green, which is guarded by bunkers.

A good hole played over 100 yards or more of the dene, calling for a correctly lofted ball. The green is well bunkered to catch the off-line shot or to harass the timid player who plays to the right for safety. Not a difficult hole.

This is a hole demanding accuracy both of the tee shot and the approach. The tee shot is played blind over a mound covered with bent-grass to a tight fairway. On all sides of the fairway trouble looms, even the long shot being penalised. The green is situated on the top of a rise falling from back to front and is deeply bunkered to the right with a small splash bunker on the left.

The second par 3 in the round requires a carry over a deep ravine to the green built on the side of a cliff. A ball falling short or wide of the green finds untamed rough. The green falls slightly from back to front. An accurately played iron is essential for the ball to remain on the green and a ball running through leaves a most tricky return from semi-rough.

The tee is set high in the sandhills commanding a view of the entire course in addition to a magnificent crescent of natural coastline. A dogleg hole necessitating a good carry to reach the fairway with rough country for the badly hit or sliced ball. A long and accurate second shot is required to reach the green which is bunkered tightly. Prior to the new handicapping system this was a par 5 hole. Possibly the most difficult Par 4 hole on the course.

The front nine is completed by this hole designed by James Braid. A slight dogleg with greenside bunkers left and right of the chevron centre makes this hole an orthodox par 4. The fairway is rather narrow and is flanked with rough from tee to green on both sides and bunkers down the right side. The green is well guarded and has been extended on the advice of a course architect.

This is a gem. Also designed by James Braid, this hole runs seaward. A straight drive is required to avoid the rough on the left and 4 bunkers to the right of the fairway. The second shot is blind and must be played over a mound between two higher peaks to a large green below. Rough grass surrounds the green and penalises the poor shot.

The most challenging par 3 on the golf course. From the tee an intimidating carry of some 140 to 160 yards uphill is required to reach the fairway, with a further 60 to 70 yards to reach the green which is protected by a pot bunker to the right. The green is large and slopes slightly from back to front, with a steep run off at the front edge.

Another of Braid's lovely golf holes. Played from one of the highest spots on the course, away from the sea, the green below can be reached without difficulty providing the shot is straight. A badly sliced shot finds a deep ravine, while two bunkers left and right of the green catch the slightly off-line rambling shots. A large mound on the left of the green makes a difficult second shot for the player who has played left "for safety".

Played with care this is a comparatively simple hole. The fairway falls steeply from left to right and the inaccurate way awaits the golfer who "has a go" without carrying the green. The green is built on a plateau and must be hit accurately as the level falls from front to back. Two pot bunkers emphasise this necessity.

Stroke index 2, this challenging hole is played from a raised tee and calls for a long straight tee shot to avoid a blind second shot into the dogleg approach to an unbunkered green. There is no short cut here as there is out of bounds all along the shoreline to the left and deep sloping rough to the right. The fairway falls slightly from left to right as it nears the green, so a long running ball, usually finishes just off the green to the right.

This is a slightly doglegged hole which presents a challenging tee shot off the back tee, with fairway bunkers left and right, and steeply banked rough to the right. The large green is tightly bunkered on both sides and is further protected by two bunkers at the front, taking a low running shot out of the equation.

Perfectly straightforward but necessitating two full blooded shots, this is a hard hole at any time. The hole runs southward to the extremity of the course, a sliced drive would end up in rough. The green is well bunkered as this hole was designed as a 5 hole.

Relatively easy Par 5, careful of out of bounds on left hand side near the embankment - nasty bunkers to catch second shots to green - extremely tricky green, slightly raised, bunkers to left and right and out of bounds to the rear.

The homeward hole must carry the fairway some 150 yards away. The green is guarded from the front by a large bunker which traps the rolling shot and by a large splash bunker to the right. A drawnball is in danger of being out of bounds and onto the delightfully laid out garden of the Clubhouse. Not an easy hole on which to complete a round, but what a sense of satisfaction there is to the golfer who, having played 18 good golf holes, returns a net score to handicap.