Longhirst Hall Hotel & Golf - The Lakes Course

From the terrible tee boxes, poor signage for the first few holes so didn't have a clue where to go, very poor greens, awful fairway condition and ungodly amount of goose mess literally everywhere, this place didn't impress at all.

Considering I played Bedlingtonshire recently, which was cheaper, it was head and shoulders better. In a totally different league.

I won't be returning to Longhirst, neither course makes me want to play again. Glad I've tried them though...

I played a round on 14/03/2026 and found the course to be in outstanding condition. The greens were among the best we have played in a long time—extremely well maintained and running very fast, which added an extra level of challenge and enjoyment to the round.

Water hazards feature on the majority of holes, creating a demanding and strategic layout. Every shot has the potential to be heavily punished, which makes good course management essential. As a result, scoring well on a hole feels particularly rewarding.

Unlike many courses where the tee shot is the primary point of danger, this course requires precision on nearly every shot approaching the green. Patience, careful planning, and disciplined execution are key to navigating the course successfully.

Overall, it is an excellent test of golf that can genuinely help improve a player’s game. The course is beautifully maintained and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a challenging and enjoyable round.

Course was superb considering the amount of rain they had the day before, fairways and greens were all cut perfect, practise facilities are all fantastic, top golf course will be playing a lot this spring/summer

Phoned to check if course was open to play due to weather to be then told yes it is but only to members, asked if I wanted to cancel the tee time or re book so cancelled and asked for a refund

Great course. Some decent par 3’s, the water adds some excitement to the course. Not as daunting as it looks online. Will definitely play again in summer, looking forward to playing with some firmer greens.

Real challenge for any golfer. I’ve played this course a few times and really enjoyed the challenge, however, the pace of play was terrible this time. 2 hours to get to the 7th hole on a Monday morning!

Having played the Dawson course a few times, and heard from friends that the Lakes was far more challenging (even hard), I was looking forward to this round and it wasn't disappointing. Pretty much every hole has adjacent water, as you'd expect. The course is challenging but not unfair, and rewards accuracy. It was in great condition. There are some really memorable holes, thoroughly enjoyed it.

Spacious, well kept course with interesting layout and challenging features.

Recommended

Got there a bit early , warmed up and still got away 10 minutes early , the course in excellent condition ,

Pace of play was slow , a lot of 4 balls out , and not a lot on the fairway , but still enjoyed and would go back .

First time playing the Lakes course for us - it's significantly shorter than the Dawson course but more technical due to tighter tee and approach shots - we felt that it's probably the easier course out of the two due to the reduced yardage and will be relatively easy to post a low score once you are familiar with it. The review would easily have been 5 stars but for the following - quite a few of the greens and aprons are currently damaged with some areas GUR and some that should be GUR - inconsistency of the greens was a major frustration for us + inconsiderate members teeing off without a tee reservation and trying to hassle everyone else to hurry around the course made for a somewhat unpleasant atmosphere - all things considered the £35 green fee feels a bit o.t.t. at the moment - £25 would probably be nearer the mark until the greens are properly rejuvenated.

Only played 9 holes as we got stuck in the middle of the competition and they wouldn't let our two ball through.

Difficult course, very tight in areas and unforgiving. Excellently presented couldn’t fault the layout. Slightly slow play due to it being extremely busy.

Great round at the lakes tee off just after 6 and nobody on the course perfect.