It may be the little sister of Cottingham Parks Golf Club, but Skidby Lakes is certainly no pushover, as Andy Mortimer discovers in the latest in his series of reviews of the region's golf courses . . .

A challenge and a pleasure to play at Skidby Lakes

In 2000, the England cricketing legend, Ian Botham, officially opened Skidby Lakes Golf Club, in Woodhill Way, Cottingham. And for a man affectionately nicknamed “Beefy” for his aggressive style of play, the course he had the pleasure to play first proved to be a challenging and lengthy test.

Eight years later, and after being taken over by the Cottingham Leisure group that owns the neighbouring Cottingham Parks Golf Club, it has matured into a highly-enjoyable and accessible venue.

To take a closer look, I went for a round at the par-70, 6,158-yard course with perhaps the most influential trio at the club – Karl Worby, the course professional; Frank Killen, the general manager of Skidby Lakes and Cottingham Parks, and Cottingham Leisure company director Rob Wiles. A fearsome four-ball if ever there was one, it was going to be a competitive game!

We met on the first tee which, I have to say, is a major disappointment; certainly not the best introduction to what is to follow. It’s a short, simple-looking, par-four, with the fairway running parallel to the driving range with a collection of short trees to the right and the smallest green on the course – only eight yards wide – directly in front of you.

It may have been the conditions on the day, but it all looked a bit plain and as we teed off, with Karl and I sliding to the left and Frank and Rob to the right, I wasn’t so sure how the course would pan out. Wanting to learn more, I quizzed Karl about the high points of the club, of which he has been the professional since it first opened.

“I moved here from Cave Castle in 2000 and I have been happy ever since. Although it’s a young course, in my opinion it’s very impressive and on the front nine, in particular, the drainage is fantastic, meaning the course is open nearly all of the year. There’s also a good mix of holes for players to contend with,” he said.

“However, if people are to score well, it’s on the first five that they need to card good scores because after that it gets much harder.”

Skidby Lakes clubhouse

I left Karl to wander in search of his drive as I took my approach to the green. My five-iron off the tee had left me with a good angle to the green and I was comfortable enough at only 140-yards away to take out my eight-iron and ping it towards the flag. It landed softly, just past the hole and sat nicely – certainly no inconsistent bounce, which was a plus point at such an early stage of the season.

The other players all made their way to the green with similar ease, two of us holing out for pars and a couple for bogey. An easy if uninspiring start, it was to be at the second where I would find where Skidby Lakes gets its good name from.

Rob (36) told me: “Along with the third, 10th and the 18th, the second hole is one of the signature holes at Skidby Lakes because of the pond. It’s a beautiful view, but it’s pretty deceiving as well and if you stray right you are in trouble.”

Looking down from the elavated tee, the 150-yard hole has a deep green guarded by a bunker on the left and a huge, cavernous pond to the right and back. Looking much more impressive and challenging than the first, the four of us teed off, all determined not to be the first to find the water.

Thankfully, we were all more or less on line, with me erring left again while the others all edged nearer the water without ever getting into trouble. As we paused momentarily by the tee I took in much of what Skidby is all about – the view.

Although built on former farmland, the course has been nicely-sculptured into something akin to a valley, meaning while at the bottom you are nicely sheltered from the conditions while when you shoot high, all sorts of wind conditions can affect your ball.

A number of ponds and lakes have been added (hence the course name) and they all come into play, particularly the one on the second that later resurfaces, jutting in front of the green on the 10th hole.

After the opening four holes, which are all relatively easy and under 400-yards in length, you really have to batten down the hatches for the next five as many progress into a strong prevailing wind. Karl explained that this is where the Skidby test begins.

“The wind at Skidby is typically towards Cottingham Golf Club and you often face a strong head wind on the fifth, seventh and eighth,” he said. “These are some of the hardest and longest holes on the course and I’ve seen good players hit a driver and a three-wood on the par-four eighth and not get near the green. This collection of holes will determine your score for the round.”

Of course, with his experience, none of this was a concern for Karl. One of the youngest professionals in the country when he qualified, aged 16, in Norfolk, he is, today, one of the finest and most respected pros in Yorkshire.

“When I first moved here the course wasn’t even open but I was doing tutorials and a lot of teaching,” he told me. “Today, it is a really nice club and contains a course that tests many aspects of your game. The small greens are a real test for some people, although the long holes into the wind are what really gives the course its problems.

”My personal favourite hole, however, is the third. The aim off the tee is to the right because of trees on the left but aiming right forces you to go over the lake on your approach to the green.”

Karl Worby, club pro and his assistant, Alex Boyton

It was the long holes, however, where I was struggling. Not the longest or straightest off the tee, I lost a lot of shots and from being three-over-par gross after five I shot up to 11 over-par-gross after nine.

One man enjoying his golf by this stage was Frank Killen who was loving playing into the wind, shooting a couple of pars and then a birdie at the par-three ninth. The former Hull ice hockey professional (he was net-minder for the Sea Hawks, forerunner of the current Stingrays) who has also worked behind the scenes for Hull City, Hull FC and Hull KR, certainly enjoys his golf.

“Although I never played golf when I was playing sport I took it up soon afterwards and I’m down to about an 18-handicap now,” he said. “The ninth hole (where his birdie came) is one of my favourites on this course and it is a really nice-looking hole. I also enjoy the 18th and if we could have the tee moved so players were shooting over the lake it would be one of the best holes in the area.”

Moving on to the back nine we came to what is, in my opinion, the best hole on the course, the par-four 10th.

The tee is located next to the clubhouse and 18th green and features a short fairway, with the lake from the second 300-yards in front of you and gorse to the right. The lake stretches to the front of the green while a steep drop behind the hole prevents you over-hitting and a bunker to the right punishes any soft, sliced, shots.

I have to say I didn’t cover myself in glory. Teeing off with an iron, I then landed my second shot short, into the water. Frank did the same thing but I don’t think either of us really minded as we looked back at probably the best hole on the course.

Following this is a short – if slightly soggy – par-four 11th and a mammoth par three 12th, over 200-yards long, which for a par-three is difficult to say the least. Then comes perhaps my only major complaint about the course, as the next five holes meander back and forth without any real differentiation or test.

Most are around 350-yards long and, if spaced sporadically through the course, would be decent holes. Instead they are rather lumped together and it does get a little boring.

One person who certainly wasn’t complaining was Rob who miraculously – for I don’t think even he believed he did it – eagled the 13th with a 100-yard-plus approach shot. The first Journal eagle – shame it wasn’t from me!

The next great hole comes at the 17th – a mammoth, 550-yard, par-five. At the top of the course, high up near a ridge, it is almost as if you a playing down a funnel and offers a really true, but tough, test for the golfer. For my part, I’ve never come close to achieving par . . . but that won’t stop me from keeping trying.

We ended our round with the beautiful 18th hole that overlooks the final “Skidby Lake”. With a three-wood in hand, such was the ferocity of the wind, I looked back before my tee shot on what is not the hardest but one of the most enjoyable of the region’s courses. And, as Rob explained on our walk to the green, it is set to get even better now that his company has taken over the lease.

“The past year has been one of observation to see how the course would stand up to the conditions as, of course, it was our first year here,” he said. “We reshaped a few fairways and bunkers but other than that we wanted to see what we could do to the course before rushing into anything.

“This year we want to get the playing conditions to a higher standard as we do the drainage. The first nine is one of the best in the county for keeping dry but the second nine struggles and we want to work on that.”

Verdict: The little sister of Cottingham Parks, Skidby Lakes has a lot to offer a good amateur golfer. A nice range of holes and attractive water features make it a good summer course although it does get a little tiresome towards the end of the first nine with a heady collection of long par-fours. The best holes come at the beginning and the end with the 18th the real standout – shooting 180 yards, downhill and over a picturesque lake.