Independent golf course reviews from County Durham, Northumberland and Teesside, written by someone who plays them.
Fairways North is written by a mid-handicap golfer and member at Brancepeth Castle Golf Club in County Durham. The idea is simple: play every course in full, photograph it on the day, and write the review a golfer would actually want to read before booking a tee time.
The North East has some of the best-value golf in the country and very little serious writing about it. National rankings tend to stop at the links and a handful of famous names. Between them are Harry Colt parkland, moorland nines, resort courses with European Tour history and members clubs that have been quietly excellent for a century. Those are the courses this site is for.
How every course is scored
Six categories, each scored out of ten: design and layout (40%), conditioning (15%), green complexes (15%), welcome and service (10%), clubhouse and food (10%) and value for money (10%). The overall is calculated from those six, never typed in or adjusted by hand. The Rankings page explains more.
Review policy
Every round is paid for. Green fees are paid in full unless a review says otherwise. If a club ever hosts a round, the review says so at the top and the rankings table notes it.
Memberships are declared. I am a member at Brancepeth Castle, and its review says so before anything else.
No sponsored reviews. No club pays to be reviewed, to be reviewed sooner, or to have a review changed.
Photographs are real. Every photograph was taken on the course by the reviewer, on the day of play unless the review says otherwise.
Every course is played in full. Eighteen holes, from the tees stated in the review, with the score recorded on the card.
Corrections are welcome. If a club has changed something since a review was written, or I have got a fact wrong, get in touch and I will put it right and note the change.
Get in touch
Clubs, golfers and anyone with a course worth playing can reach me through the contact page.
