Modern appeal of age old Matfen

Aug 28 2007 by Richard Williamson, Liverpool Daily Post

MATFEN HALL dates back to 1830 – an era when Britain was awakening to the possibilities of a public steam railway service while the first police officers were taking to the streets of the country’s major cities.

But despite a history spanning nearly 180 years, the most dramatic transformation at the north east country house has come in the past decade.

The fact that it has gone from being the host to one of the country’s most famous charities to an award-winning ‘small’ hotel before winning similar accolades in the ‘large’ category offers the biggest clue to the changes that have been undertaken.

So instead of gently slipping into disuse once the Barnardos charity decided that the ancestral home of the Blackett family no longer met their needs and moved on to a new purpose-built home, Matfen Hall has been revitalised with vision and style under the stewardship of owners Sir Hugh and Lady Blackett.

It now boasts 52 sumptuous bedrooms, a leisure club, a spa, is the setting for a unique wedding venue and can provide fine dining, with two AA Rosettes as a seal of approval, in the hushed splendour of the Library & Print Room. Oh, and a championship 18-hole golf course to boot!

The trick in weaving these many and varied uses together is never the twain shall meet - if that is how you want it. So golfers can play, eat and drink out of sound, if not sight, of the main Hall in their own Keepers Lodge, which also houses the pro’s shop, while anyone enjoying a facial, work out in the gym or their wedding day need not cross paths. No chance, then, of the bride’s big day being marred by an unfortunate encounter with a mashie niblock on the way to the wedding breakfast.

It is this marriage of the commercial need to keep the numbers up without losing any sense of individuality that is a hallmark of any visit to Matfen, 25 minutes deeper into the Northumberland countryside above Newcastle.

Plenty of effort has gone into providing the most modern facilities while retaining as much of the building’s historic fabric as possible. The rooms, not surprisingly, echo the theme of quality and individuality.

But while throwing back the curtains and enjoying a view of the morning mists clearing from the holes spread out in front of you will no doubt whet the appetite of the golfing visitors, the true test from a sporting perspective comes once the clubs come out.

And the experience is every bit as rewarding as a mouth-watering dinner or relaxing Indian massage.

The designers have had plenty of natural material to work with and have come up with holes that represent broad brush strokes on a canvas of sweeping Northumberland fell.

The opening shots on the vast majority of the holes have all the generosity of confetti throwers at a wedding.

It means there can be few complaints if you get yourself into trouble from the tee, which offers players of all standards the opportunity to enjoy the course at its best. And at 6,650 yards from the whites it does not require brute strength to overpower it.

The more exacting tests of golfing prowess come with the pick-and-mix of varied challenges as the greens home into view.

The first captures the mood of the course straight away. It tiptoes into par 5 territory at 495 yards with a sunken dry stone ‘ha-ha’ wall dissecting the second shot. Mustering all the wit of a Christmas cracker joke writer, it goes without saying that it is no laughing matter if you dump your ball in the hazard. No ho-hos in the ha-ha.

The green gently ebbs away from you up the hill but it still represents a chance to get your scorecard off to a decent start.

The second is only just a par 4 at 292 yards but the green is protected by the same ha-ha wall, but this time rising above ground like a mini Hadrians Wall, the real thing being just a few minutes’ drive from the course.

The fairway runs quickly downhill to the foot of the wall, with the green perched on the other side offering a target which, if missed, will see your ball spinning away into the greenery. So the tee shot is all about getting your ball into right area, leaving you with a comfortable yardage to pitch over the wall and into the flag.

The tee sits above the ha-ha wall at the 383-yard three so you can at least have the last laugh by flying it on your way to the green with the fourth switching back over the gentle rump of fell, but offering a more testing 445 yards.

The first short hole weighs in at 200 plus with the added carry of it being all uphill to a green bordered by a mini skirt of fairway.

The 550-yard sixth offers the first of many great views back to the Hall and an early skirmish with the river running through the course. The fairway ripples as if the surface has been broken by a small stone being skimmed across a pond, but keep to the high ground down the left and you can keep the water out of the equation.

The 352-yard seventh, too, skirts water, this time the large pond that figures in the next three holes. The tee shot should avoid the water, but needs to find the right portion of the slope ahead, which is bordered by trees to the left and slides away towards the eighth hole on the right. To make the trickily placed green you need to carry the dip that threatens to sap the strength from your shot.

The eighth starts tucked into the trees, the hole billowing out so that the green is on the fringes of the lake but offers a tempting target at 173 yards.

The 423-yard ninth, too, edges up against the water down the fairway. Trying to play safe down the left can lead into a game of hide and seek behind the trees or trying to avoid the long bunker that snakes through the grass, so the straighter the better from the off.

The back nine starts with a compact 140-yard par 3. There is water down the left, with your tee shot emerging from the trees to find a green which keeps the water in the frame and the need to treat the yardage with respect.

The 11th (349 yards) and 12th (440) have you marching back out to the highest points of the course - with the bunkers at the 12th gathering round the green like mothers at the school gate at going home time.

Thirteen offers an appetising par 5 at just 479 yards. Find the crest of the rise with your tee shot and the downhill run to the green is as tempting as a plateful of cream cakes. But it is all too easy to get caught in the bunkers that thicken the waistline of the green so don’t get too greedy.

The tee shot at the 442-yard 14th must be threaded between the bordering trees, while the large green is protected by a stream which adds to the pleasure of safely finding the putting surface.

The 15th comes back the other way and again it is the second shot at the end of the 377-yard hole to find an angled green that will test your mettle.

The 16th is another par five but at 491 yards will again have the higher handicappers contemplating the glories of making the green in regulation. The drive is to a dogleg left, with bunkers at the elbow and your second is towards a green that sits atop a short, sharp rise in the land. The bunkers filling the approach look like a gaggle of shoppers besieging the store doors at sale time – and making your way through the crowd is no mean trick.

The course’s signature hole is the 17th, a par three that squirms from your grip. It is 219 yards from the back, and you have to fly the River Pont which undercuts the green. To add to the conundrum the green slants across you, narrowing the eye of your target as if squinting into the sun. If you decide to go for safety to the right of the green, the landing area has been bunkered with all the sneakiness of the class tell-tale.

The final hole has the river running down the left, but there is plenty of room down the right, where the Hall stands watch over your closing efforts. You don’t want to be flirting with the river in any case because the green is another narrow sliver running away from you and bracketed by trees on the left.

Also part of the package is a nine-hole par three course and driving range in adjoining land close to the hotel while a further nine holes in keeping with the feel of the present course have recently been opened. The additional flexibility provided by 27 holes will add to the reputation of Matfen Hall as one of the country’s growing number of impressive hotel and golfing destinations.

FINAL VERDICT

Given the backcloth of the magnificent Hall and the natural splendour of the Northumberland countryside, this was a site rich with golfing potential. And it hasn’t gone to waste.

FactFile

Address: Matfen Hall Hotel Golf Course and Spa, Matfen, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, NE20 ORH

Men: SSS 72 Par 72 Yards 6,700

Ladies: SSS 73 Par 73 Yards 5,569

(All details relate to white tees)

Course Record: 63

Description: A regular venue for professional and county amateur events, Matfen Hall's 18 hole golf course is rated as one of the finest in Northumberland. Sympathetically laid out on a classic parkland landscape, the course incorporates challenging water features and unique obstacles such as the dry stone ‘ha-ha’ wall. It offers an enjoyable test for golfers of all abilities.

Founded: 1995

Designer: Mark James (former Ryder Cup captain) with architect Andrew Mair

Signature Holes: Matfen's signature hole is the long par three 17th with its narrow green sited teasingly just over the river.

The picturesque and fast flowing River Pont comes into play at several holes including the 14th.

The dog-leg 16th is the pick of the par fives

Contact Details: 01661886 400 - non residential 01661886500 - residential

Director of golf: Craig Parkinson

Director of coaching: John Harrison

Visitors: Every day, subject to availability - members only until 10.00am Saturday and Sundays

Cost: £35 midweek, £40 weekend

Societies: Yes

Dress Code: No jeans or collar less tee shirts

Website: www.matfenhall.com

E Mail: golf@matfenhall.com

Details correct at the time of going to press