Golf Travel: Aldwark Manor's redesigned course on the River Ure a picturesque risk-reward layout

And yet somehow I managed to birdie it; a four on the scorecard one of the sweetest I’ve ever written down.

On any other day, given the sheer width of the waterway you have to drive over and the fact you have to do smack the ball over an imposing tree, I could easily have been writing down a 12.

Coming as it does in the middle of the back nine, it is a hole that has the potential to setyou up nicely for the finish or ruin your scorecard.

Fortunately, I had a spring in my step as I headed back across the country road outside Linton-on-Ouse, north of York, and onto the closing stretch of holes on the grounds overlooked by the stunning Aldwark Manor Estate.

And you need a spring in your step, because holes 15, 16 and 17 are not for the faint-hearted.

The first of these holes is a 157-yard par three that makes the 17th at Sawgrass look like a landlocked green.

Stood on the tee all you can see is water until the eyeline reaches the distant green and the flagstick.

Obscured from view at that point is just how much the water eats into the left-hand side of the green.

There is a rock formation to the front left which makes you think that is where the water hazard ends. Far from it, for if you beat the water to the left, you’ll still find more water.

The only safe place is centre of the green or pin-high but to the right. My luck was in, because I did the latter.

Next is a dogleg right par four, a perfect risk-reward hole for a matchplay contest going down to the wire or a strokeplay event where you’re chasing a score.

Somehow I managed to cut out the dogleg and landed in a mound on the right, a mound that will soon become a wooded area when the freshly planted trees grow.

Even after bypassing the fairway, the approach is not easy because the green presents such a unique challenge; a bit like the controversial 17th at Royal Liverpool for the recent Open, it is effectively an upturned basin with the ball rolling off the green and down into large grass run-offs if the approach is not pitch perfect onto the tiered putting surface.

Seventeen is another par three, and at 107 yards, much shorter than 15, but there is water to the back left in the shape of a picturesque area that forms part of the grounds of the hotel.

Couples taking a romantic stroll over the bridge to the little island under the shade of the overhanging tree had better have their wits about them or risk venturing into someone’s errant tee shot.

Survive 17 and the par-four 18th along the side of the hotel looks straightforward enough unless your drive shoots off right towards the Elements restaurant and Spitfire Bar beyond the out-of-bounds markers.

At least wait until your round is done for a welcome drink.

It is a quite stunning stretch to complete a golf course, ripe with pitfalls that can wreck a round but with enough opportunities to attack pins and get some real reward at the end of 18 holes.

Prior to that inward few holes, Aldwark Manor is a challenging layout, and almost brand new.

The par-70, 5,922-yard course is set in 200 acres of countryside and forms part of the £15m first phase of a renovation to the property by Depho Estates, a local company that bought Aldwark Manor in 2019 and is lovingly restoring it while staying true to its heritage and traditions.

Already with a chic restaurant and a chilled lounge bar that spills out onto a terrace overlooking the 18th, golfers visiting Aldwark can make a weekend of it by staying in the luxury golfing accommodation which features 11 bedrooms and a sports bar and restaurant which goes by the name of Bunkers, which might be hard to stomach if you’ve visited a few.

Sinking a few in this Bunkers is a lot more relaxing than hacking out of one.

If there is a downside to the course layout, it’s only a minor one.

After a challenging par three to open the round, it’s a brisk five-minute walk across the River Ure to get to the second tee and the heart of course.

But once there, it is a challenging, inviting layout in the countryside as brooks and streams feeding off the Ure weave their way across the course.

The new golf offering is among a number of exciting introductions to the estate, with a further £22m investment including a fine dining addition which is in the process of being built but does not detract from the grandeur of the existing architecture.

That is scheduled to open in early 2024, after which the next stage is a state-of-the-art spa, leisure club, conference centre and a 40-bedroom extension starting early next year to be completed by the summer of 2025.

Aldwark Manor offers so much more than golf – relaxation and splendour being at the top of the list. And all in the North Yorkshire countryside.

What more could you wish for?

For more information or to book a stay, visit https://www.aldwarkmanorestate.co.uk, call 01347 838146 or email [email protected].