Sand Moor was designed in 1921 by Henry Barran, with the course opening in 1923 and the golf club founded in 1926. Yorkshire-born Dr. Alister Mackenzie, who chaired the first AGM in 1925, was a major influence in the course’s creation. In the 1960s, Henry Cotton modified the layout, resulting in the loss of four original holes and the addition of new ones on the other side of Alwoodley Lane.
Recently, Andy Watson conducted an extensive audit of the course and recommended various improvements. Watson’s renovation and restoration efforts aimed to balance preserving original MacKenzie features and introducing new elements to challenge modern golfers. He noted that some original features had become irrelevant or obscured by encroaching trees, prompting selective restoration and new designs.
The newly refurbished clubhouse sits atop a hill south of Eccup Reservoir, with holes 1, 5, 6, and 18 running up to and down from this elevated position. Sand Moor’s first par three is the 8th hole, played across a gulley to a bunker-guarded green. The other three short holes are on the back nine, at the 10th, 15th, and 17th.
Frank Pennink listed Sand Moor in his “Choice of Golf Courses,” praising it as “one of the most beautiful courses in the north of England” with “wonderful, moorland turf.” He highlighted the scenic differences between Sand Moor and neighbouring Moortown, asserting that Leeds is fortunate to have three top inland courses: Sand Moor, Moortown, and Alwoodley.
