A true Wuthering Heights

There can be no finer way to spend part of your time or stay in the land of the famous Bronte family than to visit one of the most exhilarating upland heath golf courses in the country.

Just five minutes drive from Haworth, the heart of the Bronte country, Branshaw lies high on the moors overlooking the valleys and gives breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding hills and moorland.

Experience the raw beauty of this truly outstanding 18-hole course, the landscape of which over many centuries has inspired some of the nations finest authors and writers.

Follow in their footsteps and enjoy a golf course which is sometimes serene, often bracing, constantly challenging, always exhilarating and never boring on the senses.

Branshaw was formed in March 1912 as a nine-hole course, but it wasn’t long before members’ ambitions saw them lease more land from the Duke of Devonshire and in 1925 it became an 18-hole course.

Since then the course has gone through many changes and the land was purchased from the Duke. Other purchases, most recently in 2003, have added to the quality of the course.

Branshaw is able to boast not one but two former Ryder Cup players – Bert Jolly and Alex Caygill – as former professionals of the club.

The ambitious spirit of its founders remains evident. In 1995 the club got a £93,000 Lottery grant which enabled a major drainage project to proceed, which members today benefit from as the course is rarely out of play.

The clubhouse, an ideal venue for private functions, has also evolved from a wooden building to the modern and spacious facility which opened in 1979. The Branshaw Suite provides a perfect facility for all functions.

FACT FILE

Name: Branshaw Golf Club

Address: Branshaw Golf Club, Sykes Head, Keighley, BD22 7ES

Website: branshawgolfclub.co.uk

Telephone: (01535) 643235

E-mail: enquiries@branshawgolfclub.co.uk

President: Steve Smith

Club pro: Simon Jowitt

Annual fee: £635

Visitor fee: £20 Mon-Fri, £25 weekend

Course length: 5,888 yards

Par: 69

Signature hole: 13th – three pot bunkers protect a testing green

Shop: Yes

Wharfedale Observer: Branshaw Golf Club
Wharfedale Observer: Branshaw Golf Club