Choose Your Tees Wisely At England's Longest Golf Course

I’d been to Rockliffe Hall, one of the best courses in County Durham, just once before and, in a world of increasingly hazy memories, on this occasion I can say with absolute certainty that it was in 2009. How do I know for sure? Well, I’d enjoyed a hard-hat tour back then of the magnificent soon-to-open hotel that I was to enjoy in all its splendour second time around 15 years later.

Mention Rockliffe Hall to knowledgeable UK golfers and they may well say, “Ah, isn’t that the longest course in Britain?” It does, indeed, stretch to nearly 7,900 yards off the tips, and its length alone makes it one of the hardest courses in GB&I, so the first sensible decision you must make is which tees to play from. Last time round I played at least some holes off the very backs, but the passage of time, coupled with soft conditions, meant such a notion would have been sheer folly this time. I retreated to the yellows.

Assuming you’re sensible enough to reach the same conclusion, the bunkers, of which there are many and often of some size, become your main concern. This is golf over an essentially flat canvas by the River Tees, save for the gentle descent from the 1^st tee and corresponding rise to the 9^th green up the same incline. Early on, you’ll probably notice the 2^nd hole’s hourglass green, the pond short of the 3^rd and the lake around which the 4^th hole curves. You can actually take on more of the water than you think here, but don’t hold me to that!

Memorable moments
The par-3 5^th will certainly then get your attention as it’s one of the UK's best island-green holes. I was pleased to get safely aboard here. On the 7^th, spare a moment to glance left to the back tee another 126 yards from the yellow, no slouch itself at 538 yards!

I got overly acquainted with the bunkers on the back nine visiting one a hole from 10 to 14, with the highlight a 3-wood into one of them into a strong wind on 10 followed by a gratifying splash to 2ft. On the par-3 15^th, there’s water right plus the Tees not too far away on the left, with 16 and the signature 17^th then playing right beside the river.

As for the hotel, it’s simply one of the UK’s finest, with classy, spacious rooms and a superb spa where I soothed away those golfing aches in the pool and a to-die-for thermal suite. I was delighted to discover the cocktail bar that evening – to my mind, a whisky snug, where I treated myself to a couple of Islay single malt doubles. And the beautiful Orangery was undoubtedly one of the classiest places I’ve ever breakfasted in, setting the mood for the day perfectly.

Right beside the river
Some 12 miles east (considerably more along the meandering Tees) is the parkland course at Eaglescliffe, between Stockton and Yarm. A number of holes play down and then up here, including the short par-4 1st, with the early exchanges favouring the left-to-right player, especially the 5^th where there’s also water short of the green. You drop right down to the banks of the Tees on the par-3 13^th before hugging it for 532 yards on 14. Off the backs here you play across a corner of the river from, quite literally, the tees in the Tees. The demanding par-4 16^th precedes one of the feature holes, the par-3 17^th, which plays over a sleeper-walled pond to a two-tier green. I was pleased to not only find the surface here, but also the correct level.

Finally, three miles north of Rockliffe Hall lies the course at Blackwell Grange on the outskirts of Darlington, not far from the Tees but closer to its tributary, the River Skerne, which it abuts in places. The club dates back to the 1930s but only moved to its current location on the site of the former Stressholme golf course 11 years ago. The Skerne features early on, most notably on the short 4^th, where you actually play across a corner of the river to a tricky green. The finish is testing, for both 17 and 18 are around the 430-yard mark, so don’t use up all your power draws too early.

Rockliffe Hall
Par 72, 6,845 yards
GF: £100 Mon-Thu; £120 Fri-Sun

Eaglescliffe
Par 72, 6,695 yards
GF: £36wd (not Thu), £40we after midday

Blackwell Grange
Par 71, 6,450 yards
GF: £40wd, £40we (after 2pm)

(green fees correct at time of publication in January 2025)

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Rockliffe Hall
Hurworth on Tees, Darlington, County Durham
W: rockliffehall.com