Delamere Forest Golf Club Preview — Plus We’ve Entered The Creator Cup

Delamere Forest Golf Club Preview — Plus We’ve Entered The Creator Cup

Nish 0:35

Every good story is about the journey. And this is the story of our journey trying to play the top 100 courses in the UK and Ireland in just ten years. This is the top 100 in 10 golf podcast. Episode 64. The Delamere Golf Club Preview. So we’ll do a little bit of chat. Go on, Chris. You don’t have to, no. This is New Year. I’m New Year, New Introduction. I’m hoping people know who you’re. But I’m cutting you out. I’m Chris. Yeah, well, he’s Chris playing Loch Lomond on his own. So he’s been he’s been zoomed from the uh from the intro. I’m Chris. Yeah, I’m Chris. No Jim. No Jim on this one either. Um yeah. Well, look, on that bombshell, the Jim not being here and everybody being cut from the intro. Uh look, if you are watching or listening to this podcast and you haven’t hit like or subscribe, please do so. It really helps us with the clubs because the first thing they ask us is how many subscribers and followers do you have? One million. And yeah, that’d be amazing, wouldn’t it? If we get to that. If we get to 100 mate, it’d be great. But you know, it’s I have to say, the numbers we’re getting now are mind-blowing to me. It’s absolutely mind-blowing. We’re getting it’s incredible as an actual market for people to want to listen to this. To listen to this. It was ridiculous. 2100 episode downloads a month as we speak, which you know, you look at it and you’re like, at what point does this go? No, it’s not happening now, like it’s stopped. It’s just going and going and going, which is uh is amazing, it’s incredibly humbling. And we have had some amazing emails actually over the we call it close season because we’ve not been playing golf, yeah. But we’ve had some amazing emails. One that comes to mind is a chap called Tom, and he sent an email just saying, you know, look, it I’m loving this podcast. I discovered it because I’m a member of Hankley Common. I heard your episode on it, and I’m so glad you like the course so much. Uh, which I’m glad about actually, because we’re a bit worried about how this was going to be received at the club, but uh, you know, there’s that, and then but also I’m loving the way you do it. It’s just like a post-round chat that we’d have with our mates, and it’s like, oh, okay, because we never hear that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, we’re just lost in our own little echo chamber, aren’t we? Of what we think is good. So it’s chat rubbish, it’s amazing to hear that and amazing to see those numbers. So um, it’s great to be able to then go, well, yes, we do have engaged listeners and followers, and and uh there is some genuine interest. And I’m I have to give my head a wobble about the names that we’re around, yeah. The names that we’re hovering around when you look at the rankings on Apple Podcasts, which is the only one you can actually see some rankings on, and it’s like you know, you get your your big hitters like Peter Finch and Rick Shiels at the top, and then you’re only like going down to 10, 11, 12, 13, and suddenly it’s like ours pops up, and then you’ve got good, good, which is further down, and you’re like, that’s a massive global podcast, and we’re in there, we’re in amongst them. Big dogs, mate, big dogs. It’s it’s mental, mate. It’s absolutely mental. I don’t know how to deal with it, so whatever, you know. But look, let’s get back to this episode. I’m excited about this golf course because I’ve actually played this. You have Delamere is a beautiful place to play Delamere Forest Golf Golf Club, I should say, but it’s a beautiful place to play golf. Yeah, I loved it the first time we played. Same person we’re playing with, mate of mine called Hookie, yeah, uh, and Chris, who we’ve we we all know. Not this Chris, another Chris. He’s on the intro, the other Chris. But um we’re we’re playing, we’re good, we’re calling it the duel at Delamere. So we’re actually gonna have to put aside our own rivalries and we’re taking on Hookie Chris, yeah, yeah. Okay, so that’s how we’re that’s how we’re badging it. So we’re gonna have to get along, mate. Well, I’ve ditched you from the intro, you’ve ditched me for Loch Lomond. Yeah, there’s animosity growing, and we’re gonna have to put those differences aside and channel it into a TV. Oh, it’s funny. He’s actually talking about that, and we’ve not brought this up yet. So, anybody who’s if you’re not if you’re listening to this and you’re in that kind of golf community and you’re in you follow stuff on Instagram, whatever. Everyone’s gonna know about Rick Shields, he’s like a worldwide name now. But him and Peter Finch, who actually is based just up the road, two miles up the road from where we are in Stockport. So they’ve made something called the Creator Cup or something like that. I think it’s called the Creator Cup. I’m not sure. I shouldn’t know this because I entered into it, but we’ve entered that, yeah, and like we could end up playing somebody, like so. We’re gonna have to guess start getting along, mate. We’re gonna start creating some stuff, we’re gonna have to start playing some actual proper golf somehow. So maybe I could use my golf balls, I could just drop, yeah, drop them in and uh a bit of marketing if we end up playing without Peter Finch, just a bit of like, oh, here you go, mate. Use my Callaway super soft. There you go. Um, yeah, so uh yeah, but we if we get somebody uh equally, we could be the big meal ticket for somebody else. They might go, oh, we’re playing the top 110, but no, that’s not gonna happen. It’s likely, mate. Right. Look, let’s talk about Delamere, let’s get back to that. So, like I said, the how the booking came about, it’s a friend of mine, uh, and he’s a very, very good golfer as well. So, and he’s a great guide. He was fantastic showing the Swatch golfer. He’s probably only off two or three, maybe, so he’s he’s pretty good. Yeah, uh, but as a result of that, he was telling us stuff as we were going round about the club. And he’s classic. Delamere a really traditional kind of golf club. Yeah, yeah. I’ve only got about 500 members, they keep it small deliberately. Yeah, but what permeates from those kind of clubs for me, from the limited time we played with with people who are at those kind of clubs, is how proud they are of their golf clubs, absolutely, yeah, and they really want to show it off when they get the chance. And like Hookie was like he knew every single blade of grass and every little angle and whatever, and he was always like, you know, the members do the thing, don’t they where they go, it’ll be alright over there. Yeah, great. Yeah, yeah. But then also he’s like, if you can, if you can, you know, that’s where you kind of want to be aiming because that’s gonna give you or this next T you’re gonna love the view from here. I mean, that’s just for me, it’s just amazing. Like, I love that. It makes a big difference, isn’t it? Yeah, I feel like you’re getting the best of the golf course, aren’t you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’re taking in the experience as it’s intended to be. So that’s how it came about. I’ve played it before, and it’s it was a a gorgeous course. We uh at the time, it’s sandy, so it’s actually playable all year round, and that’s one of their big selling points. Yeah, but it’s you can just play the whole time.

Chris 7:04

So, like, I know this isn’t my section, but I’m not gonna put it anyway because so like and I know you’d played it before, you kind of told me a little bit, but going in there, Delamere Forest, like I’ve been to Delamere Forest loads of times, ride the bikes with the kids through the forests. It’s like great, sounds like a great place to have a golf course, nice and foresty. It’s not it’s not foresty, no, it’s it’s a heat it’s a Heathland course, yeah. I didn’t even know we had any Heathland courses here.

Herbert Fowler: The Man Behind Five Top 100 Courses

Nish 7:28

That’s the big thing about it. It’s out of it’s outside that Surrey belt, yeah. In England, there aren’t any Heathland courses, and there’s suddenly one plonked in the middle of Cheshire, yeah, yeah, which is Herbert Fowler design, you know, it’s like big hitter kind of thing. It’s yeah, odd almost. And actually, I must say, dipping into Roma’s review territory here, I suppose maybe, but like I’m I’m we uh I think Hookie said it as well to us. He was like, It’s probably a really poorly named club, it should just be Delamere Golf Club because you feel like you’re gonna be in amongst trees all the time, and sometimes you’re then gonna really hit trees till you get towards the the the tail end of the round, right?

Chris 8:05

Yeah, yeah.

Nish 8:05

And it was like, Yeah, yeah, okay, no, that didn’t, yeah, didn’t didn’t realise that. But it’s a it’s a gorgeous place to play goals, yeah, yeah. Very secluded.

Chris 8:13

Okay, cool.

Nish 8:14

You know, you’re on your own a lot of the time, and and it’s you know, it’s you and the challenge and all that kind of stuff, which I love. Um, so we’re gonna we’re gonna have a great, a great time. We’ve got a great guide taking us around because he’s gonna be gonna be fantastic. So anyway, sorry, I’ve tread on your toes because that’s you might.

Chris 8:29

Sorry, I’d tread on your toes, it wasn’t my section. Now we’ve got these sections, it’s become very formal.

Nish 8:33

I feel like we’re I feel I feel like we’re reaching and reaching an accord here about our team teamwork as well. Um now there is one thing that I probably should maybe should have mentioned in the last preview, but we’ll do it now. Okay. So I set you a challenge last year, didn’t I? For your year ahead. I don’t know if do you remember what it was? I don’t remember. Just to get a hole in one at a top 100. Yeah, yeah, I do remember that one. So these two rounds, like your first goes at it.

Chris 9:01

I’m just gonna bash it out first round.

Hole In One Challenge & Manifest It, Chris

Nish 9:03

Just do it. Yeah, yeah. Get it, get the monkey off your back. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You know, I mean it will be on film, which should be great. Sweet. And yeah, imagine doing that. Imagine getting your first hole in one one at a top 100 golf course.

Chris 9:18

Dream it, live it, manifest it, Chris. I’m gonna get a hole in one this year, but not at a top 100 golf course.

Nish 9:24

That’s what you’d take that though, wouldn’t you? You’d take that, would you? Did it happen? No, I don’t know. Whatever. But but look, Delame, founded in 1910. We said it’s a Herbert Fowler design. Now, Herbert Fowler, to people who know about golf course designers. Herbert Fowler’s a really big name, and he’s from that golden era of golf designers like Braid and Mackenzie and people like that. Herbert Fowler has designed, these are all top 100 courses here, but Herbert Fowler has designed Aberdovey, we loved and we played that. Great course. Burnham and Berrow, we’re playing that in April, Society Day. Royal North Devon, they follow us on Instagram, they’re our first golf club to ever follow us on Instagram, Royal North Devon. Uh Saunton, down in Devon, I think. Saunton. The Berkshire, that’s blue and red.

Chris 10:10

Yeah, yeah. Supposed to be beautiful.

Nish 10:11

Beautiful golf course. Yeah, yeah. Walton Heath, which is where we’re gonna play. We’re gonna play the old and new. So he’s designed those Heathland courses. Um, and now I don’t know whether this is a good or bad thing for you, but he’s also designed Cruden Bay.

Chris 10:24

No, I’m not going.

Nish 10:25

I’m not going.

Chris 10:26

Ah yes.

Nish 10:28

I love it. Scratch it off the lid. As soon as I heard that, I was like, I can’t believe that. And that but that feels like it’s very different to the others. To the others, yeah. I mean even Abba Dovey, I suppose, because that’s that is links, isn’t it? But um, but his his main might be treading on you here, but his main thing was he loved that optical deception. Okay, yeah, yeah. So it was natural in the land, and actually it’s I feel like it’s an odd course. It’s having played it, it’s hilly.

Chris 10:54

Yeah, yeah.

Nish 10:54

Because it’s well, I don’t know, is it hilly cookies in the forest? I don’t know if that is that right thing or not, but it’s hilly, but it’s not like you don’t come off it and go like I’ve been hiking, like my legs are eighty.

Chris 11:06

When you are trading on my toes, but yeah, I’ll I’ll chip in anyway. You go, yeah. But yeah, I it’s so yeah, crazy elevation changes or something. So a lot of a lot of kind of ups and downs, but like so you like not necessarily that you’d be playing like up the side of a slope like you are at some, but like yeah, you just kind of constantly got up ups and downs, little dips and hollows and stuff that are kind of in the middle of the fairways, and you can hit one down the middle and you just sat down to see the green. Yeah, but also something that I’ve never seen on any of the websites or anything reviewed so far, infinity greens. Yes.

Nish 11:36

Well, they had like one that we saw, didn’t we? I feel that I’ve heard that phrase before.

Chris 11:42

I mean, it gives you a great chance to hit it, right? If it’s going on forever, like you can’t you can’t miss it, right? I’m pretty sure that’s what it means.

Nish 11:49

Yeah, oh brilliant, yeah, just constant greens in regulation wherever you go. I love that. That’s a great phrase, isn’t it? But yeah, yeah, just that I mean it it’s it’s um gotta use the word on. I don’t mean it in its negative const uh connotation, even though that there is only probably his only one on connotation for it, but it it doesn’t it’s like an it’s not a normal golf course, it’s weird, yeah. Okay, like it’s but but it’s not bad for that, it’s good for that. All the better for it. It’s it’s better for it. Like I know some unique, yeah. Yeah, Cheshire’s not really blessed with the most amazing golf courses around, and that’s more Mersey side and surprised that it isn’t like this should be.

Chris 12:28

That’s great land for it, right? Beautiful land, yeah, yeah.

The Clubhouse Terrace, Hunting Forests & Tudor History

Nish 12:32

Too many Lamborghinis and footballers and whatever that’s what it is. But um, sorry, Chris, I I have tread on your toes quite a bit there. But I’ll do your last bits of history. It’s making a mockery of this new structure. There’s no structure, there’s no structure. We’ll just go back to the old now. The the the history stuff, much the same as with Hillside, there ain’t that much on the Delame website history. So I’m not gonna give you that much either. But a couple of things that I do know, so obviously when it was founded, James Braid inaugurated the golf course when he played a match, which he won fix. Um, and he played that with a chap called Ted Ray. If you know Ted Ray, he was a very good friend of a guy called Harry Vardon, who’s a bit of a hero now of mine that I’ve been following a little bit more, might do an episode, I’m not sure. But um Harry Varden’s like a really big character in and and um big named decorated player, yeah, yeah, golfer. Uh, but might be a person that you’ve never heard of. But yeah, so he’s Ted Ray’s Harry Varden’s mate, so they they won that match. The clubhouse is designed by a member who’s called Alfred Powles, P-O-W-L-E S, and that would be polls. That would be could be bowls, wouldn’t it? It’s a polls. So yeah, but he uh made that famous way that distinctive Cheshire black and white kind of mock Tudory type style. That’s him. He was a Tudor. He wasn’t he was a yeah, yeah, yeah. Sir Henry Alfred Powles. Uh but that kind of Cheshire classic Cheshire styling, that’s that’s him. So he’s designed the clubhouse like that. And I must say, actually, the clubhouse is beautiful, like it’s stunning. Yeah, yeah.

Chris 14:08

Um but it’s not palatial or anything like that, but it’s just nice and you know I’ve got so obviously I’m doing the the the core stuff, but yeah, the top the top of my course list is it’s got an amazing drinking terrace.

Nish 14:21

Yes, it does. Okay. I didn’t have a drink then. Interested, but you see, uh it’s great because you can see all like I think you see like four or five holes from there or something like that. But certainly like I know the first and the tenth go off there. You see the ninth green and the yeah, you see, I think you see four holes. Yeah, yeah. And it’s like it’s just basically all laid out in front of you. It’s amazing.

Chris 14:40

So if I drive to Hillside, you can drive to that’s a good point, Telema. Yeah, maybe we should get Chris to other Chris to drive.

Nish 14:47

Can both get a leather clubhouse. Um yeah, it is yeah, it’s great. Yeah, it’s it’s it’s well um that that that it’s it’s well sold. Yeah, yeah. That drinking terrace. So we’ll just have a cup of tea or something, won’t we? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, minus five degrees. That’s exactly it, yeah. Um sorry, so Chris, you better tell us about the course then. I’ve already told you everything.

Chris 15:11

Is that it now? Yeah. The only thing I’ve got is actually a piece of feature. So it used to be an old uh king’s hunting forest, apparently. Did not know that. There you go. The king’s hunting forest. I don’t I’m not sure which king. I’m not sure if this is factually correct, if I’m completely honest. Um, but yeah, apparently it was an old hunting forest forest, even though it’s not a forest.

Nish 15:28

Even though it’s not a forest. Yeah. Yeah.

Chris 15:32

Take from that what you will. Filling you with all sorts of lovely, beautiful facts. Absolutely. Um one thing for you though, Nish, is I did see one person um who said it’s got Woodhall Spa vibes. And I know how much you loved Woodhall Spa.

Nish 15:48

I saw that and I didn’t agree.

Chris 15:51

Yeah, and I get the I think they were referring to unmanicured bunkers in a similar way that that that Right, okay. Fair enough.

Nish 15:59

Wood hall Spa has. Fair enough. Yeah, I liked Delamere and really did not like Wood hall Spa.

Chris 16:06

Yeah, I mean, I guess that I mean Woodhall Spa was just a tough, tough day, I won’t.

Nish 16:10

Yeah, what I mean it’s weird, was isn’t it? Like I I’ve I’ve in this journey that we’re doing, I suppose, you come across different opinions, and it’s a game of opinions, it always is. Um but there’s a lot of people who I I whose opinion I probably do value and I’ve seen just from following them on other stuff. That doesn’t include me, does it? Never fine. No, wait, mate, not at all. Why do you think I’ll cut you from the intro? Uh but the uh you know they’ve gone, oh what a wonderful golf course it was. And I I I wholeheartedly, with every fibre in my body, disagree with that. Yeah, yeah. That golf course does not deserve to be in amongst some of the cut the golf courses that we’ve played, yeah. And particularly being up in the upper echelons of that list, yeah. Like you are sticking it in around Trump International. Yeah. That’s a fucking joke. Like a proper fucking joke. Yeah. Like it that that’s playing a municipal compared to Trump International. Like, Woodhall Spa was Woodhall Spa’s put it legitimate golf court, it’s fine, it’s good, it’s a good golf course. I I liked Woodhall Spa, I know you didn’t, but yeah, not not giving it not giving it the the the respects it probably deserves.

Chris 17:25

Yeah, no, I I think I think you should go and play that again. I think if you play that again, it is worth it. I think you’d probably worth a go again.

Nish 17:30

Yeah, so Woodall Spar, if you want us to come back, yeah, yeah.

Chris 17:34

Um but yeah, again, signature hole, I’ve got the fifth par four, right? Oh, part four, right?

Nish 17:40

Language par four. Um you know what I’m looking for. I’m looking for some reviews, Chris. Okay. So I’m gonna give you some reviews here now. Um my goodness. The first one star review. So we’ve got the got the usual where you’ve got a couple. Actually, no, okay, looking at the reviews, look at the lowest reviews. We’ve got two one-star reviews. One of them just doesn’t have any words. Nice one, Nat. That doesn’t help anybody. There’s a two-star, then three star, three-star, three star, and then straight into four stars. So that’s that bodes well.

Chris 18:12

Is that normally not normally the way the star ranking system works? You go from one to two, three to four to four. Yeah, that’s how you graduate normally.

Nish 18:18

This one, this this first one star is a good one. The most pretentious, overrated dump I’ve ever had the misfortune of playing. They’re happy to take your money, but look at you as if some as if you’re something they stood in. Nice. Wow. That was three years ago. I think that was around about time I played, I think. Um the rough was punishing, especially as it was very windy. Signage on the course, very poor. That’s an interesting thing to moan about, isn’t it? If you were new to the course, it was difficult navigating the way around. That’s an interesting one. Don’t think about that, do you? I feel like sign posting.

Chris 18:53

You don’t really need signs, right? Like figure it out, can’t you? You instinctively know which way you should walk off the green to go to the next hole.

Nish 19:02

Yeah, I feel like if you need the sign, it’s because it’s unusual. Like they’re sending you to where it is where your eye wouldn’t naturally go or where you can’t see a path or whatever. I don’t think I’ve ever looked at a sign.

Chris 19:11

No, the odd occasion where you kind of get to the back of the green and go, I’m not quite sure where to go, and there might be a sign there. But that’s pretty unusual.

Final Thoughts

Nish 19:17

Yeah, shut up, Sandra. Don’t know what you’re talking about. Um okay. Graham, scenic views, we’re not looking for balls in disproportionately difficult rough. I mean, is that just good life advice, isn’t it? I think. But yeah, find it too hilly. Uh where do you go with that? And then we get into the four and five star reviews. So uh I think you know, we’ve obviously got a couple of people with an axe to grind. Yeah, you know who you are, uh Graham, Sandra, and the Rhymaster witness. So then that is I think I think calling it a dump might be a bit of a stretch, but I can’t even see that being a rival golf course because there isn’t one around. No, why would you call it that? But um, yeah, so again, we’re uh as with everything, we’re always excited to play a top 100 golf course. But when you’re playing it with a friend, when you’re playing it with a friend who’s a member, yeah. When you’re playing it with a friend who’s a member, it’s a very good golfer as well. That’s always a good thing. And then if you’re putting a match in there, then I think you’re only gonna you’re only gonna be onto good things there, aren’t you? Um so we would normally have a side bet, but Jim’s not here to give us a side bet. Do you think we should set ourselves one? I suppose we’re doing the match though, aren’t we? So I suppose it’d be a bit silly to add anything extra. Side better just for us to win the match. Just win the match. We’ve got to win the match, haven’t we? Yeah, yeah. Anything else on the course? It is, uh I mean, like I said, it’s it’s sandy or sand-based, yeah. So it drains really well. Yeah, it’s a good winter course, I think. Yeah, yeah. Very good winter course. Yeah, it’s playable all year round and you’re never off mats or anything like that, which is yeah, incredibly uh creditable. Um, and then I think it’s interesting because it’s like I mean, obviously, we’ve there there’ve been a couple of courses that have there been any courses that we’ve played so far that you’ve played previously. Uh where did we play? You played SNA, hadn’t you? You hadn’t played SNA. Do you play West Lanks? Did you play West Lanx?

Chris 21:12

Uh no, I’ve not played West Lancs before. I played Silloth before, obviously. We played Silloth before, yeah. Uh I played Carnoustie.

Nish 21:20

Oh Carnoustie, yes, of course. Yeah, God, of course. You’re forgetting about Carnegie’s night. Yeah. It’s funny, like again, as you’re contacting clubs, and and I’ve been fortunate where I’ve been chatting to like GMs and things like that. And then I’m wherever else have you played. And you kind of give you a list and you start and you do it in your order that you played stuff. So you go, oh, you played Silloth or Silloth or whatever. And then you go right at the end and it’s like, oh, shit, Carnoustie. You know, put it in like bold capitals, like you know, let’s not forget, we play like one of the most amazing courses in the world kind of thing. Um yeah, uh, this challenge, eh, Chris? This challenge, the places it’s taking us. Indeed. Um, cool. Would you like to talk about anything else about Delamere? I don’t think so, no. No, okay, so that was our preview of Delamere Golf Club. Next time on the Top 100 in 10 Golf Podcast, we will be reviewing our round at Hillside, which is our first round of 2026 on the challenge. And I’m expecting a bit of a disaster if I’m honest, but hey, let’s see how it goes. Uh, until then.