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Ripley Castle reviews
17
0
Stunning - Course designer reviewing, please accept bias in my review
Reviewed:
Played on:Mar 22, 2024
Played the course:once
Pros:
- Incredible Landscape
- Challenging yet fair holes
- Massive Variety of shots
- Huge elevation changes
- Beautiful
- Challenging yet fair holes
- Massive Variety of shots
- Huge elevation changes
- Beautiful
Cons:
- Pads are under construction so just playing from grass on many tees at the moment. Should be finished before summer 2024
Other Thoughts:
Ripley is an incredible course and should be bucket listed for any traveller to the UK.
The front 9 are designed to play alongside a 9 hole beginner course but utilise different tees to bring the water into play that is avoided by the beginners.
You tee off the first under the ramparts of the Castle with a sweeping par 4 down towards the lake before cutting back up to a basket perched above a ditch in front of the Ha- Ha wall (it's a thing, look it up)
Your second is a par three straight across the water, have you got the stones to attack? If not there is an easy route round the side.
The first 9 continue on the side of the rolling hill before finishing back up under the Castle after the par 4 9th challenges you to thread the gap asking questions of what you want to achieve on your drive.
The front 9 are the more featureless holes on the course yet still incorporate elevation, water and mature parkland trees watched over by the herd of Deer that graze the whole area.
The back 9 is where the course really takes off. No longer held back by the need to produce a short layout to the same baskets the back takes place on the other side of the lake and starts with a long demanding uphill par 4 with multiple routes to play to a really tricky green above the old drovers path.
The 11th is the last "easy" par 3, a multiple route shot to a basket at the highest point of the course with views all around.
The 12th onwards goes into the best run of holes IMO in the country. It starts with a downhill 135 meter par three to a basket nestled between the stream and a small ditch, goes into two long and demanding elevation changing par 4's before finding it's way back up to the top again where the 135 meter par 3 15th tees off parallel to the 12th. This time asking for a shaped downhill shot through mature trees over the small stream to a uniquely featured green. Whilst 135 meters it is reachable with a mid or even a putter to the longer throwers and suits itself to this type of shape
The 16th is a mammoth downhill par 5 (gold 4 really) that plays down the length of the stream through mature woodland and takes you to the 17th, the ultimate decision maker and scoring separator with so many options in play to card the 2,3,4,5 or worse.
This leads us to the 18th another par 5 with two pin positions both under the watching eyes of the Castle. Play through the parkland trees and flirt with the water as much as you dare to finish off a memorable round.
In the words of Co-Designer Noah Smithson who has played extensively in Europe on the Pro Tour in the last couple of years "it's the best finish to a course I've ever played'
The only thing holding it back from a 5 star are the tees which are under construction as we speak, These should be ready by summer 2024.
Prepare for a long round, you will have got your steps in by the end here.
I think this is my favourite design now out of the 80 or so under the belt. Holes 12 and 15 are particular favourites and we've really tried to create drama in the run in whilst showcasing the incredible scenery and setting on offer.
I'm reminded of a cross between Konopiste, Waterworks and with the better bits of USDGC thrown in (hole 5 and 18 UDSGC vibes abound) All under the view of the Castle and around the roaring waterfalls that dominate the two ends of the lake.
We've really tried to create meeting points on the course so you're not just looping out and alone on the round but especially in tournaments can often check in with other groups to commiserate and compare scores, one of those intangibles of course design I rate highly.
For such a huge property with big gaps between features in places I think we've managed to really keep walks between holes to a minimum with only the walk between the front and the back 9's to contend with. Whilst i'm not a big fan of Mando's and generally try to avoid we have used four out on the course in the areas with larger spacing between trees. the use makes sense in the context and just cuts out the boring hyzer plays that would be possible otherwise
We've also made sure that apart from the B position on Hole 18 (likely to be competition only) there are no forced water carries and ways to play safely for those more hydrophobic players without losing the drama and risk reward elements. For those that want to attack though the water traps are set....
All in all it's a stunning course which opens this Easter and should be a must play for anyone travelling over here whatever your level of ability
The course is pay to play, I'm not sure of final pricing at the time of this review but I believe there will be a day rate and an annual membership offered.
The front 9 are designed to play alongside a 9 hole beginner course but utilise different tees to bring the water into play that is avoided by the beginners.
You tee off the first under the ramparts of the Castle with a sweeping par 4 down towards the lake before cutting back up to a basket perched above a ditch in front of the Ha- Ha wall (it's a thing, look it up)
Your second is a par three straight across the water, have you got the stones to attack? If not there is an easy route round the side.
The first 9 continue on the side of the rolling hill before finishing back up under the Castle after the par 4 9th challenges you to thread the gap asking questions of what you want to achieve on your drive.
The front 9 are the more featureless holes on the course yet still incorporate elevation, water and mature parkland trees watched over by the herd of Deer that graze the whole area.
The back 9 is where the course really takes off. No longer held back by the need to produce a short layout to the same baskets the back takes place on the other side of the lake and starts with a long demanding uphill par 4 with multiple routes to play to a really tricky green above the old drovers path.
The 11th is the last "easy" par 3, a multiple route shot to a basket at the highest point of the course with views all around.
The 12th onwards goes into the best run of holes IMO in the country. It starts with a downhill 135 meter par three to a basket nestled between the stream and a small ditch, goes into two long and demanding elevation changing par 4's before finding it's way back up to the top again where the 135 meter par 3 15th tees off parallel to the 12th. This time asking for a shaped downhill shot through mature trees over the small stream to a uniquely featured green. Whilst 135 meters it is reachable with a mid or even a putter to the longer throwers and suits itself to this type of shape
The 16th is a mammoth downhill par 5 (gold 4 really) that plays down the length of the stream through mature woodland and takes you to the 17th, the ultimate decision maker and scoring separator with so many options in play to card the 2,3,4,5 or worse.
This leads us to the 18th another par 5 with two pin positions both under the watching eyes of the Castle. Play through the parkland trees and flirt with the water as much as you dare to finish off a memorable round.
In the words of Co-Designer Noah Smithson who has played extensively in Europe on the Pro Tour in the last couple of years "it's the best finish to a course I've ever played'
The only thing holding it back from a 5 star are the tees which are under construction as we speak, These should be ready by summer 2024.
Prepare for a long round, you will have got your steps in by the end here.
I think this is my favourite design now out of the 80 or so under the belt. Holes 12 and 15 are particular favourites and we've really tried to create drama in the run in whilst showcasing the incredible scenery and setting on offer.
I'm reminded of a cross between Konopiste, Waterworks and with the better bits of USDGC thrown in (hole 5 and 18 UDSGC vibes abound) All under the view of the Castle and around the roaring waterfalls that dominate the two ends of the lake.
We've really tried to create meeting points on the course so you're not just looping out and alone on the round but especially in tournaments can often check in with other groups to commiserate and compare scores, one of those intangibles of course design I rate highly.
For such a huge property with big gaps between features in places I think we've managed to really keep walks between holes to a minimum with only the walk between the front and the back 9's to contend with. Whilst i'm not a big fan of Mando's and generally try to avoid we have used four out on the course in the areas with larger spacing between trees. the use makes sense in the context and just cuts out the boring hyzer plays that would be possible otherwise
We've also made sure that apart from the B position on Hole 18 (likely to be competition only) there are no forced water carries and ways to play safely for those more hydrophobic players without losing the drama and risk reward elements. For those that want to attack though the water traps are set....
All in all it's a stunning course which opens this Easter and should be a must play for anyone travelling over here whatever your level of ability
The course is pay to play, I'm not sure of final pricing at the time of this review but I believe there will be a day rate and an annual membership offered.
