The green up ahead again is surrounded with deep bunkers earning the reputation as one of Pleasington’s harder holes.

At this point in the proceedings it is extremely difficult to pinpoint which is going to be your favourite hole. The seventh is a cracker with a cleverly offset fairway leading you astray to the left and up the hill when the rest of the 527yard par 5 actually begins a new fairway to the right and with quite a severe drop too. A sensible lay up of 230yards will allow you the chance to float a 3 wood down the lower fairway to the green ahead but beware the large bunkers and scrubland either side!

When you pop your birdie down (not many on this hole I dare say) you can then enjoy the view. The splendid East Lancashire countryside surrounds this corner of the course beautifully. An ancient rock formation looms over a small settlement of typically colloquial dwellings that overlook the river below. The aforementioned train tracks glide over a high viaduct that Brunel would be proud of, all of which gaze effortlessly over the rolling hills and farmland to the right.

A hilly, undulating par five takes you up and over to the large green ahead and introduces you to the second of the par threes at Pleasington. Should the wind be blowing in your face you could be hitting anything up to a driver here as the 189yard 10th hole has only a small copse of trees behind the green for shelter.

Back across the tracks you’re faced with another long par five that begs you not to go right; the fairway slopes right – big time – taking almost everything with it. At 574yards it is almost impossible to reach in two especially with three bunkers burying anyone who attempts a little low scuttle.

I love a good par three and they don’t come much better than the 12th. The more commonly used yellow tee, whilst nice, is not a patch on the high blue tee behind you up the hill. A short climb will treat you with a fantastic view of the hole in its entirety egging you on to hit a career shot to the green across the valley. The raised green wedged into the other side of the valley will tempt those to hit more than one ball that’s for sure. High oaks and birches loom all around – the infantry to the forest behind – creating an amphitheatre to a beautiful hole of golf.



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