Moortown Golf Club hosted the second official Ryder Cup match between the USA and Great Britain in 1929, with team captains Walter Hagen (US) and George Duncan (GB). The British won narrowly, 7-5. Fred Lawson-Brown, inspired by Ganton‘s beauty, sought to create a similar course in Leeds. Acquiring 175 acres from Bramham Park Estate, and with the help of Dr. Alister MacKenzie, Moortown Golf Course was completed in 1910.
Moortown is a classic moorland course with peaty turf, giving a bouncy cushion effect. The fairways, though seemingly wide and inviting, present a tough challenge. This course proved demanding for the American team in the 1929 Ryder Cup, where Britain triumphed on home soil.
The club has hosted numerous professional and amateur events, with notable winners like Nick Faldo and Bernard Gallagher. In 1974, during the English Open Amateur strokeplay championship, Nigel Denham famously hit a ball into the clubhouse and then chipped it back onto the green.
Measuring almost 6,500 yards from the regular tees, accuracy is crucial at Moortown. The course opens with a short par five, followed by two challenging par fours. The signature 10th hole, “Gibraltar,” is a 158-yard par three with a green on a rocky plateau.
