WHEN it comes to golf facilities, Oulton Hall has it all.
From its sprawling, pristine 27-hole parkland course, to its state-of-the-art driving range, chipping and putting greens, decked-out pro shop and welcoming clubhouse, it has everything the modern golfer could possibly need.
A stone’s throw from the M62, it is easily accessible no matter what direction you are coming from.
Add to this the fantastic QHotels Oulton Hall hotel and spa, the South Leeds destination has everything one could possibly want for a golf break, and even a couples retreat.
When I played Oulton Hall, the weather was not ideal to put it mildly. In mid-April the fairways and greens should have been firm, dry, and in perfect shape to hack my ball around, getting angry at my own inability after every duffed shot - of which there were many.
However, the Great British weather had other ideas, with vast amounts of rain coming down in the weeks and days leading up to the trip.
On the first day itself, the rain had subsided giving us some hope of at least a dry round.
The Hall course, holes 19-27, was still closed because of the rain, but the Park course - 1 to 18 - was open.
The opening nine sees a nice mix of deceptively long par 4s paired with some tricky par 3s of varying length.
I started like a train, driving it long and straight - to my own surprise - but as usual let myself down with my hit-and-miss short game and at times atrocious putting.
Despite the weather, head greenkeeper Neil Smith and his team had done a cracking job keeping the fairways playable and the greens remarkably quick.
However the rough areas were in the lap of the gods, some parts thick with mud which resulted in a fair few plugged balls.
When we started the back nine was when the rain came down, which made play even more frustrating and conditions even trickier.
The back nine has some great holes which play even better when it is dry.
I went back a couple of weeks after to play the Hall nine, which presents its own unique challenges of uphill approaches, narrow fairways and the dreaded water hazard I managed to play over before chipping back into it - don’t ask me how, I don’t know.
We soldiered to the end of the 18th and were rewarded with a nice warm drink in the clubhouse, before being treated to a masterclass from the best young golfers Oulton has to offer.
With five pros, Oulton provides plenty of tuition for adult golfers, and also has a junior academy which includes boys and girls as young as seven, who showed us - ages ranging from 23 to late 60s - well and truly up.
The skills of these young people was truly testament to the hard work being put in by the team at Oulton Hall to grow the future of the game.
After we had been thoroughly embarrassed it was time to check out the facilities the hotel had to offer.
The entrance is grand and befits the 18th Century mansion, and the spacious rooms provide a large, very comfy bed and all the amenities required.
After we had dried off and got some feeling back into our toes after a chilly day’s golf, we headed to the hotel’s restaurant, which currently holds an AA Rosette and is going for a second.
I had goats cheese to start, which was delightful, followed by pigeon which was cooked to perfection, and finished the meal off with a cheeseboard with a great selection of Yorkshire cheese.
The quality of wines during the meal was also impressive, as was the whisky I am told.
We were joined for the meal by director of golf Jon Pilkington, who shared more information about how QHotels have transformed the fortunes of the resort, and also some of the great deals it offers, such as a flexible membership that allows members to play at any of the various courses QHotels operates nationwide.
The next day, unfortunately the rain had been incessant overnight and not eased up as morning came, meaning the course was practically unplayable.
However, now the weather seems to have finally improved, Oulton Hall is the perfect place to get away from it all and truly test your golf game in West Yorkshire.
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