Andy Mortimer visits Driffield Golf Club, perhaps the region's prettiest and most testing parkland course . . .

Kenton taking five minutes out during the round

It has been estimated that the average age of a golfer in the UK is almost 60-years-old while the average handicap is somewhere around 20 so, as a nation at least, we are no Tiger Woods.

But if that is the case – and regarding the latter statistic, it certainly is for me – Driffield Golf Club, just south of the bustling market town and easily accessible from the A164 main road from Beverley, is the perfect venue.

A course built with its members in mind, it celebrates its 96th birthday this year and is run under the careful tutelage of current course professional Kenton Wright (44) and former Lincolnshire golf pro and current Driffield secretary Simon Collingwood (34).

I played a round with Kenton at the ungodly hour of 7.30am and, as I slowly rose from my slumber – for I don’t usually open my eyes much before 8am – he gave me a quick introduction to the intricacies of playing the 6,215-yard, par-70 course.

Kenton, whose younger brother, Stretton, is club pro at Hornsea Golf Club, said: “Driffield is a typical parkland golf course but it has been built for your average club golfer.

“The fairways are not overly long, there are no difficult walks and, in my opinion at least, the course set-up is absolutely fantastic.

“I wouldn’t swap this course for any other around here.”

A glimpse down the first fairway, however, went somewhat against Kenton’s initial description.

A long par-four at 438-yards off the men’s tees, it looked a bit of struggle, particularly so early in the morning, and my shortish drive into the rough on the right was hardly the start I was hoping for.

Even at my ball, I could see I had a further couple of hundred yards to go and despite marvelling at some wonderful parkland turf around me – soft fairways and light, fluffy rough – I had a couple of nagging doubts about how easy this “walk” would be.

Down by the green, however, I got more of an idea of what Driffield was all about – touch and tenderness around the greens.

At almost 100 years old, it has matured well, with high trees sheltering golfers from the wind and fringes around the greens a lovely, delicate feature. Using them to my advantage on this hole, I flopped my nine-iron bump-and-run just on to the edge and saw it finish close enough for a tap in for par. Kenton shot a five – I was the victor (for now at least).

“That was a fairly lengthy hole for Driffield but now on the second we are getting into what the course is all about,” said Kenton.

“The second is quite a tight dog-leg left (one of many on the course) and you need to be hitting fairly straight to the right-hand side of the fairway to give you an open shot to the green. The most important things at Driffield are accuracy off the tee, a good short game and if you get in trouble – get out of it quickly.

“This is not a hard course but it will punish you quickly for mistakes.”

One of the picturesque views at Driffield Golf Club

I was about to take heed of Kenton’s warning. Shooting a little too far to the right, I missed the fairway bunker but finished up in the rough and blocked off from the green by a group of short trees in front of me.

I could have risked fading a five-iron to the green but with Kenton pleading with me to play it safe, I chipped to the centre of the fairway and hit an eight-iron over the overhanging tree by the green for a two-putt. Boring but, according to Kenton, the correct way to play the course.

He said: “This isn’t the most difficult course on the East Riding circuit but we make things harder for our members in different ways. If you are in the rough and you can’t get to the green, get out of trouble straight away or you will lose shots and ruin your round in no time.”

Continuing through the course and the delights of Driffield were there for all to see. Short and pretty, the next three holes were all fairly straight par-fours, which, if you kept your ball in the centre of the fairway and away from the bunkers around the greens, you could score well from. In fact, my approach to the third was so accurate that I left myself just a 3ft tap in for a birdie.

But after this momentous high, I started to see the other side of Driffield Golf Club – the acres of sand!

Any shots that stray away from the line of the flag on the approach frequently dribble into the bunkers which, as soft and fluffy as they are, are a nightmare to get out of.

Many are deep and quite a distance from the flag, so accuracy is needed to get out. In Kenton, thankfully, I found a calming influence.

“Touch around the greens is very important but if you stay calm you will be fine,” he said, as I berated myself after another bunker escape.

“The problem with sportsmen in this country is that they focus on the bad parts of their game and forget all the good shots they have and all the times they save par or make birdie.

“The more positive you are about your shots, the better it will be in the long run and the more enjoyment you will get out of Driffield golf course. I just play to enjoy the game now.”

Finally relaxed in my company, the rather modest Kenton went on to talk about his upbringing in the game.

He said: “I was born in Bridlington but grew up in Hornsea, learning the game at the pitch-and-putt in the town when I was a young lad.

“I joined Hornsea Golf Club with my dad, Ron, when I was 11 and got myself to a good enough standard to be taken on as assistant professional at Hull Golf Club, in Kirkella.

“When I qualified, I moved to Wuemme, near Hamburg, in Germany, to become a professional over there. At the time, golf was flourishing in the country and it was the place to be in terms of being a teaching professional.

“I stayed there for six years before moving to Verden and then finally back home so my son could be educated in England and, more specifically, in Yorkshire, where I grew up.

“The job at Driffield came up and I was really happy to join. My wife, Linda, works with me in the pro-shop and she has a wonderful collection of women’s golf clothing on sale. We have a lot of lady members at the club – the course is short so very women-friendly – and it’s a nice partnership.”

Relaxing on the clubhouse patio after a round

Back to the golf and I was slowly finding the course increasing in difficulty.

The ninth, 10th and 11th holes were all very different in style but I ruined my good work earlier in the round fairly equally on each one.

The par-five ninth was not overly long but was incredibly tricky, with a huge tree blocking the route to the green and a dyke to the left pushing your tee shot towards a huge fairway bunker on the right.

Following this was a lengthy par-three – at 190 yards way too long for me to reach with my longest iron meaning I, unsurprisingly, fell into the bunker by the green – and the second par-five of the course, the signature hole 11.

With water in seven different places on this hole, it really was a case of threading the eye of a needle and while my final score of six wasn’t terrible, the shots were adding up.

The final standout hole for me at Driffield came at the 15th, a 120-yard par three.

As tight as you like with trees to the right, the 11th green directly behind and water to the left, it is not an easy tee shot and with one of the most undulating greens on the course, not an easy place to putt either.

By the end of the round I’d managed to card a respectable 90, equivalent to a 20-handicap or an “average club golfer”, if you take notice of the stats.

So did this average golfer enjoy the course? No, I fell in love with it. It’s as pretty a course as a parkland can be.

Simon Collingwood, secretary and former club professional at Boston West Golf Club, in Boston, Lincs, had a final word on the club when he said: “As well as a great course, we also have a very welcoming social section.

“All new members are welcomed with open arms and there is always a niche for them to fit in, whether they be ladies, beginners or elderly gents.”

Verdict: A very picturesque course, Driffield is perhaps the most beautiful round in the East Riding. Cultured fairways, mature trees, soft bunkers and true greens make it a delight while undulating fairways and plenty of bunkers mean you won’t come away with a low score without a bit of luck. The best holes are the par-five 11th and par-three 15th while the trout stream running by the 15th is a nice place to relax if you are finding the stress of endless bunker shots too much.