The 27-hole golf resort and four star Ramside Hall Hotel Golf & Country Club is situated on the outskirts of Durham City and is owned by Ramside Estates Ltd, the largest privately owned hospitality group in North East England.
Work on the new 18-hole championship standard golf course at Ramside Hall Hotel and Golf Club in County Durham is progressing well, despite the worst Spring and Summer weather on record. The rain and thunderstorms have played havoc with the schedule, but the dry weather in recent weeks has allowed construction work to advance swiftly.
The construction of the golf course on the east side of Pittington Lane (holes #3 to #16), on land formerly known as Hilltop Farm, is scheduled to be completed by Autumn 2012. Ongoing work includes greens and tees construction, drainage and irrigation installation and shaping of fairways and water features. Seeding works should start in the next four weeks.
The access tunnel is now almost completed between the hotel side of Pittington Lane and Hilltop Farm side. This tunnel has been excavated to a depth of 6 metres to ensure it is at least 1 metre below the road surface and to allow all golf maintenance machinery to pass through safely. Once fully operational the new tunnel will also allow access for golfers between holes #2 and #3 on the outward nine and between holes #16 and #17 on the back nine.
The two sides of the course are dramatically different: – on the hotel side – holes #1 and #2 and #17 and #18 are within a sheltered parkland setting with open water features and tall, mature trees. On the “Hilltop” land the holes have great character and variety because some are on the top of the hill (holes #3, #8 – #11, #15 and #16) with dramatic 360 degree views of the Durham County landscape – exposed to the prevailing wind and weather. The holes in the valley, alongside the fast-flowing Sherburn and Pittington Becks, will be more sheltered, but are more undulating due to the steep terrain. This has provided the opportunity to shape some truly stunning holes (#4 to #7 and #12 to #14 – Ramside’s own “Amen Corner”) through a wilder and more isolated part of the site.
The golfer will be challenged in every way, no matter the handicap or ability – there are multiple teeing positions on every hole, allowing the course to play from a friendly 5500 yards right up to 7200 yards plus for the Category 1 and professional golfer.
“Once the work on the “Hilltop” land has been completed it will take 12 months for them to establish and be brought into play. Work will begin in Autumn 2012 on the four holes on the hotel side of Pittington Lane and these will not take as long to build because we are utilising some aspects of the existing Cathedral Course, ” says Gaunt.
“The “Hilltop” holes (14 in total) are scheduled to open for play in Autumn 2013 (delayed slightly due to poor weather conditions in Spring/Summer 2012). We expect the remaining four holes to be open for play in Spring/Summer 2014.”
Gaunt Golf Design www.gaunt-golf-design.com
Ramside Hall Hotel Golf & Country Club www.ramsidehallhotel.co.uk