Laceby Manor Golf Club
You may never get to play the 17th at the TPC in Sawgrass. But that water hole which embarasses so many of the the world's top pros has its equivalent in Lincolnshire. It can be found at The Manor, Laceby in the shape of the par three, 16th. The island green, surrounded by a lake and a stream, is a real test of nerve and accuracy and requires the right choice of club. But thankfully the green is not as fast as the TPC.
The Club is situated fifteen minutes from the centre of Grimsby on the A18 in a rural countryside setting, completely surrounded by farmland and with views of the edge of the Wolds.
Work initially began in transforming farmland into a golf course in 1990. The first nine holes were opened by Sir Michael Bonallack in June 1992 and since then the course has been extended to 18 holes. The design and layout was undertaken by Mr Dewar Wishart from the Sports Turf Research Institute in conjunction with the partners of the course. Those who have played it find it both interesting and challenging to all levels of golfers.
The first seven holes of the course are all tree lined giving them the feel of a parkland course. As the trees mature, accuracy rather than distance produces the winning shots. Holes eight to sixteen are the new nine holes of the course and these have wider, more open fairways. Trees have been planted but not in such wide numbers, although gorse plantations and meandering waterways running alongside and through the fairways mean that concentration has to be maintained. The seventeenth hole brings you back to the original nine holes with a challenging dog leg par 4 and your round is completed with a very tight par 4 with out of bounds on the right near the green.
The course in the main is flat, but with plenty of interesting undulations. This makes for easy walking for golfers of all ages. All the greens have automatic watering and those on the new part of the course in particular have some very interesting borrows! Apart from four holes, the ladies have separate tees.