What Are The Courses For The UK Swing?

Some classic and well-known British venues return to the European Tour schedule in the six-event UK Swing

What Are The Courses For The UK Swing?

The European Tour returns to home soil this month with the six-event UK Swing, and the British Masters starts it all off at Close House near Newcastle.

The British Masters will be the first regular European Tour event since the Qatar Masters more than four months ago.

Below, we look at which courses will be hosting the action over the next six weeks:

British Masters, 22nd to 25th July - Close House

Close House will host its second British Masters after the 2017 edition where Paul Dunne beat Rory McIlroy to win his first European Tour title.

Lee Westwood will host the event, just like he did in 2017, as it is the venue where he is attached.

The action will take place over the Westwood Colt Course, which ranks 98th in our UK and Ireland Top 100 Course Rankings.

It opened for play in 2011 and was modelled on Harry Colt's work with tee boxes, bunkers and its par 3s modelled on Colt's classics that include Wentworth, Sunningdale, St George's Hill and Swinley Forest.

The course is very near to Hadrian's Wall and the River Tyne, and the varied layout has some spectacular views of the countryside.

Hero Open, 30th July to 2nd August, Forest of Arden

Forest of Arden Golf Club, between Birmingham and Coventry, returns to the European Tour schedule for the first time in 15 years to host the English Open, now known as the Hero Open.

The club has hosted the English Open four times from 1993-1996 and the British Masters three times from 2003-2005.

Known as the Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel and Spa, it has two courses - the Arden and Aylesford - and both were designed by Donald Steele.

The championship Arden Course is a par 72 at 7,213 yards and winds its way through mature woodland and natural lakes.

It opened back in 1992.

English Championship, 6th to 9th August, Hanbury Manor

The third event of the UK Swing takes in another returning European Tour venue in Hanbury Manor.

The Hertfordshire course hosted the European Open in 1996 and the British Masters from 1997 to 1999.

It was originally a nine holer, designed by the legendary Harry Vardon, before Jack Nicklaus' eldest son Jack jnr turned it into an 18 hole course in 1991.

Celtic Classic (13th-16th Aug) and Wales Open (20th-23rd Aug), Celtic Manor

The fourth and fifth events of the UK Swing will both take place at Celtic Manor, which will host on the European Tour for the first time since 2014.

The 2010 Ryder Cup venue was the venue for the Wales Open from 2000-2014 after a 15-year deal ended between the club's owner and the European Tour as part of the course's Ryder Cup bid.

However, it's great news for the Newport venue as it will host in back-to-back weeks a decade after hosting the Ryder Cup, which Europe won in a close encounter thanks to Graeme McDowell's victory over Hunter Mahan.

The Twenty Ten course opened in 2008, and was designed specifically to host the biennial match, the first course to be purpose-built for the event.

Nine of the holes came from the former Wentwood Hills course at the resort, and nine were freshly constructed.

The new design succeeded in its aim to provide dramatic risk-and-reward matchplay holes. Water features on half the holes.

UK Championship 27th to 30th August, The Belfry

Another former European Tour and Ryder Cup venue returns to the schedule at the final event of the UK Swing with The Belfry hosting the UK Championship.

The Belfry's Brabazon Course is one of the world's most famous due to its four Ryder Cups, remembered for some huge moments including Seve Ballesteros driving the par-4 10th green, Christy O'Connor Jnr's 2 iron into the 18th and winning putts from Sam Torrance and Paul McGinley.

It ranks 87th in our UK and Ireland Top 100 Course Rankings and returns to our screens for the first time since the 2008 British Masters.

It has hosted 16 European Tour events, with winners including Seve Ballesteros, Greg Norman, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Angel Cabrera and Paul Casey.

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