Garstang Country Hotel and Golf Club

Handy for home, so I've played a few times in all conditions. It tends to stay open in poor winter weather when perhaps it shouldn't (plugged ball on 1st two fairways). Greens are excellent in summer for a pay and play. Fairways are wide and rough not severe, so forgiving for high handicappers, but pins can be in difficult places, so don't relax on the approach shots! Some attractive views beyond the course, and the 14th is attractive with the 18th c. canal viaduct and river alongside. But... It could be better. I always come away feeling less inspired with it than I should - some of the holes are simply bland, as if the designer couldn't be bothered to put any features on them. This includes the first, but particularly the par 3 16th.

Always in great condition and well looked after all year round. A great course for beginners and lower handicappers alike. With wide fairways and generous greens there is always a chance of a new personal best here. A nice walk round too!

Played this course twice ,really enjoyed it,the course is in good condition and very well looked after. The course is quite flat which makes it easy for walking, i will look forward to playing golf here again

played this course twice in the last month,really enjoyed it,the course is in good condition and very well looked after.the only fault i have is that there are no '150+100' markers on the aproach to the green.the course is quite flat which makes it easy for walking,i will look forward to playing golf here again.

Golf Course: Easily accessible from the M6, close to Preston, Blackpool and Lancaster. This pay and play parkland course has wide fairways and a river runs alongside several holes. A couple of ponds also add interest to the layout. The 14th is perhaps the signature hole as it offers a lovely view of the viaduct carrying the canal with canal boats visible as you approach the green. Understandably, playing early in the season the greens were not at their best but they still offered a challenge all the way round. There are 5 par 3s and 5 par 5s which offer a variety of shots and use of several clubs. Clubhouse: Very pleasant with comfy chairs and the pro shop has a variety of products. Food: Before we played, the bacon roll was one of the best I’ve had. More formal dining is also available. Margaret says: It is an ideal course for beginners and average golfers with great practice facilities and there is an adjoining hotel should you wish to stay.

Having only recently started playing golf, I go everyweek now to Garstang as it is cost effective and allow for slightly miss hit shots whilst still learning. I am very impressed with the course, the Fairways can sometimes be a little long, but you can always play regardless of the weather. At £17-00 for full 18 holes it is very cheap. The Par 4 first hole is a great warm up for the day and when the sun is shining the course is fantastic. The greens are well kept and challenging for a beginner. Good club house and shop with great menu and setting.

Played the course on the may bank holiday weekend with the lads from the Homeguard in Failsworth manchester. The course is very demanding and long and a pleasure to play, the 3rd hole par three is a great hole to play, tight but a good test for any player. Also the 7th hole is a good test the green is sat along side of the river anything left and you you need a pair of wellies, sorry waders. I think the best hole on the course is the par 4 15th also running along side a river any thing left get your trunks out you will need them, i should know on the first day i went in the drink. Any one wishing to go Garstang for the weekend i think you would find it hard to find a better place, the staff are fantastic they looked after us for three days and it was a pleasure to stay there.If you see a little old man sat at the 15th hole telling jokes he is called Eddie Carey just put him on a train back to Manchester.

Garstang will be open! This is generally the first response of any golfer in the Preston to Lancaster area who finds their course has been closed due to the poor weather. It then turns into wacky races as we all rush up (or down) the A6 to see if we can pay £15 and nip on. Its drainage is its forte with the front 9 mostly dominated by 2 rivers after the first 2 holes. It holds mixed emotions for me as a player. I introduced my dad to golf on this course with the course completely snowbound, including the greens!(I promise it never closes) and my playing partner broke 80 for the first time and month later. However, this wide and forgiving course tends to cause me many problems, luring me in with its expansive fairways, only to find my ball drawn to every hazard on the course. The back nine is a far tougher test with some deceptively long par 4\'s. The Par 3 third hole is my favourite here, not because i play it particularly well, completely the opposite. The tall trees either side of the fairway funnel into a narrow fairway that punishes any pulled shot by throwing it into the river. I never hook any shot on any course, until i play this one hole.

An open and fairly forgiving course, ideal for high handicappers and beginners, also the cost is low (£15 midweek, £17 weekend). Its a bit flat and does hold water, I played on a scorcher in June and some fairways were plugging. Id avoid after a wet spell. The river winds along the left hand edge of several holes so if you are a hooker you are in trouble. Tees were ok, Fairways were a little damaged in places but generally ok, greens were a little puzzling with some variable pace we found, some players could be reminded to repair pitch marks.

I live near this course but dont often go. Their is no paticular problem with it but by about the 13th hole i am always bored. I disagree that it is good value for money when for cheaper you can go to nearby ingol which has half a dozen holes to remember.

Having only recently started playing golf, I go everyweek now to Garstang as it is cost effective and allow for slightly miss hit shots whilst still learning. I am very impressed with the course, the Fairways can sometimes be a little long, but you can always play regardless of the weather. At £17-00 for full 18 holes it is very cheap. The Par 4 first hole is a great warm up for the day and when the sun is shining the course is fantastic. The greens are well kept and challenging for a beginner. Good club house and shop with great menu and setting.

A course lacking character - it doesn't engage but it's difficult to know why. The course design is fairly open and to get round this the "first cut" has been left punitively high - and this is often not easy to see from the tees, so fairly straight drives can still end up being penalised. It feels to be lacking care and attention, and there are no "special" holes. It's a tough challenge if you're new to it, not particularly enjoyable (but I did play badly!), and one that rewards steady percentage golf.Chirk is a superb test of golf and a great society venue. I've played there a couple of times, the following review is based on our last society day out there. On arrival we were welcomed by a very friendly pro who informed us of the structure for our day - 9 holes, sandwiches, 18 holes & dinner. We then proceeded to play the 9-hole par 3 course, a cracking little setup to test your short game, before heading out to take on the main 18. The 18 hole course is a great affair - the opener is a difficult par 4 with a stream crossing the fairway approx. 200 yards from the tee. The course then sweeps around the Welsh countryside presenting a variety of holes, each with their own character and challenge. Holes to look out for; 2nd - A mid length par 4 where the key is accuracy. A well placed drive before the brook leaves a difficult second to a green protected by water to the right. 5th - A short dogleg par 4, a long hitter can go for it if they feel confident. Otherwise a drive or 3 wood to a narrow fairway leaving a pitch in to an uphill green, two tiered. 9th - A hole that even Tiger himself would have nerves on!! A long, long par 5 sloping steadily downhill, doglegging left. The drive must avoid water to the left from the tee, and second shots a brook that crosses the fairway. Third shots must be made to a green sloping quite rapidly toward the fairway. A gem. 11th - Difficult uphill par 4, this hole requires careful placement from the tee, leaving a very tricky uphill second. Anything right is a gonner. 18th - A challenging finishing hole, players must drive over the brook that crosses a few fairways before hitting a mid to short iron into a narrow, well protected green. On completion of our round we indulged in the best chicken & chips we've ever had!! The clubhouse has a warm, friendly atmosphere, with a terrace area, perfect for a pint after golf in summer. Facilities available include a putting green & nets. I've no hesitation in recommending Chirk for all golfers, especially societies.

"Just like a farmers field" was the opinion of most members of the society I played in recently. Fairways not bad, greens plenty of grass, tees abysmal,If you're fairly straight there is no problem at all with the ultra wide fairways.Not one hole that I thought was worthy of more than 6 out of 10 35 years of experience in the game tells me I wont be going back for a long time.

My friends and I started playing golf at Garstang around ten years ago before joining local clubs. We go back every 18 months or so and it is good to see that the course is maturing nicely. The plantations have grown and the general condition of the course has improved. The greens were in good nick last weekend, while the fairways were well grassed and lovely to play from. A couple of the bunkers could do with some attention and some of the teeing grounds were a bit ropey, but these are minor grumbles. There are some lovely holes and it is no pushover for the mid handicapper. The closing 5 holes, with the exception of the bland par 3 16th, are long testing par 4's. You can usually let rip with the driver on the generous fairways, but if you stray off line there is a lot of water and some thick rough to swallow up your ball. The welcome is always good and the staff friendly and it's good value at 17 pounds for a weekend round. Yes there are a lot of novices on the course and a few stray shots fly around, but as a previous contributor has said, remember you had to start somewhere!

Played the course on the may bank holiday weekend with the lads from the Homeguard in Failsworth manchester. The course is very demanding and long and a pleasure to play, the 3rd hole par three is a great hole to play, tight but a good test for any player. Also the 7th hole is a good test the green is sat along side of the river anything left and you you need a pair of wellies, sorry waders. I think the best hole on the course is the par 4 15th also running along side a river any thing left get your trunks out you will need them, i should know on the first day i went in the drink. Any one wishing to go Garstang for the weekend i think you would find it hard to find a better place, the staff are fantastic they looked after us for three days and it was a pleasure to stay there.If you see a little old man sat at the 15th hole telling jokes he is called Eddie Carey just put him on a train back to Manchester.

Fantastic course with a warm welcome from the staff. Undergoing some slight renovation at the moment but that will only improve matters. Watch out for an over hit shot into the 4th green. It borders the banks of two converging canals and attracts many a ball.

Garstang will be open! This is generally the first response of any golfer in the Preston to Lancaster area who finds their course has been closed due to the poor weather. It then turns into wacky races as we all rush up (or down) the A6 to see if we can pay £15 and nip on. Its drainage is its forte with the front 9 mostly dominated by 2 rivers after the first 2 holes. It holds mixed emotions for me as a player. I introduced my dad to golf on this course on Jan 2nd 2002 with the course completely snowbound, including the greens!(I promise it never closes) and my playing partner broke 80 for the first time and month later. However, this wide and forgiving course tends to cause me many problems, luring me in with its expansive fairways, only to find my ball drawn to every hazard on the course. The back nine is a far tougher test with some deceptively long par 4's. The Par 3 third hole is my favourite here, not because i play it particularly well, completely the opposite. The tall trees either side of the fairway funnel into a narrow fairway that punishes any pulled shot by throwing it into the river. I never hook any shot on any course, until i play this one hole. A little expensive in winter at £15 but a bargain in summer for the same money. Warning, be prepared to wait a long time for novices (like my dad who shot 130) who frequent this course, and console yourself that we were once like that and sympathise every air and topped shot.