Club has gone to great lengths to improve itself

Clayton is another golf club which is determined not to stand still. It is much changed from the small, cramped course of a decade or so ago.

Now, at 6,260 yards, Clayton is one of the longest nine-hole courses in the country, longer than many 18-hole rivals, and there’s a strong feeling that this has raised the general standard of its golfers.

No longer is a drive and a short iron all that is required – as witnessed by the tough last hole, 530 yards to a very tricky two-tier green.

The fact that Clayton’s scratch team is in Division Two of the Bradford League – its highest placing for many years – and its 8-15 side has been Bradford champions for two of the last three years (and runner-up for the other year), shows that Clayton’s golfers are no longer at a disadvantage at long courses.

Ilkley Gazette: Clayton GC

But it’s not just length which has made Clayton, which was founded in 1908, come on in leaps and bounds in recent years.

The course is tricky, with tight fairways and awkward greens requiring accuracy off the tee and a deft touch with the putter. You’ll be hard pushed to find a straight putt on its sloping greens.

Behind the club’s resurgence is a forward-thinking committee, whose members have purchased land to accomplish course extensions and still have further improvements in mind – all self-funded.

The clubhouse, pictured, is undergoing refurbishment, with the kitchen and dining room done and the main lounge next on the agenda.

FACT FILE

Name: Clayton Golf Club

Address: Thornton View Road, Clayton, BD14 6JX

Website: claytongolfclub.co.uk

Telephone: (01274) 880047

President: John Kilner

Club pro: None

Annual fee: £425

Visitor fee: £16 Mon-Fri, £18 weekend

Course length: 6,310 yards

Par: 72

Signature hole: 7th – second shot up a steep hill to the green

Shop: No

Ilkley Gazette: Clayton Golf Club
Ilkley Gazette: Clayton Golf Club