Alwoodley Golf Club Key Information
Alwoodley is a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It wouldn’t feel out of place nestled among Surrey and Berkshire’s finest. A tough test of golf characterised by long carries from the tees, challenging heather and beautiful sweeping holes, all culminating in an incredibly strong finish and wonderful 18th hole.
The course - largely still MacKenzie’s handiwork with input from Harry Colt - continues to challenge the best today while also delighting golfers of all standards with its attractive bunkering, superb conditioning and far-reaching vistas.
REASONS TO PLAY ALWOODLEY
- A chance to experience the very first course on which MacKenzie showcased his design philosophies and skills
- Many memorable holes, including some visually strong par 3s
- A wonderful feeling of openness now in the middle part of the course following the clearing work of recent years
RANKINGS
UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2025/26 - 53
One of the finest inland championship tests and best golf courses not just in Yorkshire but also England, Alwoodley near Leeds has long enjoyed a near ever-present position in the top 60 of our Top 100 Golf Courses UK & Ireland rankings.
It is, famously, the first design project of surgeon-turned-golf course architect, Dr Alister MacKenzie, a founding member and the first secretary of the club in 1907.
The course - largely still MacKenzie’s handiwork with input from Harry Colt - continues to challenge the best today while also delighting golfers of all standards with its attractive bunkering, superb conditioning and far-reaching vistas.
The bunkering performs the ideal dual role of strategy and aesthetics as well as anywhere, and the tree-clearing work of recent years – a course of action so prevalent on heathand courses right now – has given Alwoodley a more open feel once more.
On my most recent visit, this more open feel really brought to mind Walton Heath in Surrey in some places, where you can often gaze across a number of holes. And you will almost certainly need your A game to score well here as, for average golfers like me, facing four closing par 4s of 400+ yards off the whites when the wind is the wrong way round can only be described as daunting. Maybe it's time to retreat to the yellows!
But I guess that's one of the reasons why Alwoodley has often been used as an Open Championship regional qualifying venue and, to be fair, there is plenty of risk-reward and variety among the holes in the middle part of the round.
It's perhaps true that Alwoodley is more about considerable strength in depth rather than individual standout holes. But special mention should go to the beautiful, long par-3 9th at the far end of the course - a massive 235 yards from the championship tee - and the truly testing closing hole back towards the distinctive clubhouse, where sand aplenty stares back at you as you contemplate the 484 yards that lie ahead of you off the tips. Thankfully, other tees are available!
What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said…
Dr Alister Mackenzie’s first golf course, and the routing of this traditional out-and-back design has never changed. After an intimidating drive made in front of a full terrace of hushed voices, the journey begins. The testing, narrow and blind short par four is next, before crossing a quiet country road to escape onto the serene and remote moorland that sits paradoxically only a few miles from the bustling city of Leeds. The course is a combination of heathland and moorland with sloping fairways on fine, crisp and springy turf. An album of very good holes and a good test that demands you to hit the ball long and straight.
This is probably the fairest layout I have played. All holes are immediately obvious and while one cannot always see the flag from the tees, it is clear and obvious regards routing. The bunkers are penal but conspicuous. The top lip is left a little woolly to animate the hole and announce the hazard through gentle wind-driven movement. The short holes are all guarded by sandy sentinels that frame the greens from front and side. The rear is backstopped by either a grassy mound or another bunker. This is a great club and course.
Alwoodley Golf Club Location
Alwoodley Golf Club Scorecard
Best Courses Near Alwoodley
Best Places To Stay Near Alwoodley
Village Hotel Leeds North - Book now at Booking.com
With an impressive leisure centre and a restaurant, Village Hotel Leeds North offers modern rooms with free WiFi. The hotel is situated in Headingley just over four miles from Alwoodley Golf Club and ten minutes' drive from the centre of Leeds.
Oulton Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort - Book now at Booking.com
Oulton Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort is an 18th-century mansion and has award-winning cuisine, a spa, and a 27-hole championship golf complex in its grounds. There is free WiFi, free parking, and Leeds train station is five miles away.
Alwoodley Gallery
ALWOODLEY HISTORICAL TOP 100 RANKING UK&I
- 2025/26 - 53
- 2023/24 - 54
- 2021/22 - 50
- 2019/20 - 50
- 2017/18 - 48
- 2015/16 - 52
- 2013/14 - 55
- 2011/12 - 62
- 2009/10 - 58
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Alwoodley the best golf course in Yorkshire?
For most golfers and observers there are three courses vying for 'best course in Yorkshire' honours - Ganton ten miles south-west of Scarborough, plus Alwoodley and Moortown to the north of Leeds. All three are in the Golf Monthly UK&I Top 100, with Ganton (32nd) currently ranked 21 places higher than Alwoodley (53rd), and Moortown then a further 16 places below Alwoodley in 69th place.
Was Alwoodley Dr Alister MacKenzie's first golf course design?
Yes, it is known as the 'Original MacKenzie'. Alwoodley Golf Club was founded in 1907. MacKenzie, a local GP, was one of the founders and he also designed the layout on Wigton Moor. He would go on to become one of the game's finest architects, creating the world-famous courses at Augusta National, Cypress Point, Royal Melbourne and many others.
