The Course
Yorkshire parkland by James Braid.
Rolling tree-lined fairways and slick, well-kept greens. Par seventy from the white tees at 6,322 yards.
Aerial · EMP Foremost Golf
Rotherham’s course is the work of two giants of British golf-course architecture and the careful stewardship of one current designer. Sandy Herd laid out nine holes in 1903. James Braid extended the layout to eighteen in 1906. Jonathan Gaunt has recently remodelled the bunkering with China Clay sand, sharpening the strategic interest without changing the character that members have known for over a century.
The numbers
Par 70 throughout. White tees 6,322 yards, course rating 71.7, slope 128. Yellow 5,954 yards. Red 5,654 yards. Blue (championship) rated 72/130.
The character
Two chestnut trees stand near the eighteenth tee, planted by the Reresby family after the 1588 Spanish Armada victory. The fairways are narrow but fair. The greens are small, slick, and intelligently bunkered — punishment for the missed approach rather than the mishit drive. The course rewards a player who plots their round; pure length is rarely the answer.
The recent work
Jonathan Gaunt’s 2024–2025 bunker remodel has restored visual definition that had eroded over decades. China Clay sand drains faster and plays cleaner. The strategic shapes are James Braid’s; the modern finish is Gaunt’s.