Todmorden Golf Club

Overview: Todmorden Golf Club plays on a moorland plateau at Rive Rocks, roughly 400 feet above the town in the upper Calder Valley. The nine holes are played twice from different tees, and the exposure makes wind a regular factor. Narrow fairways, testing rough and well-shaped greens reward accuracy, and the views across the Pennine hills are reason enough to make the climb. The course’s raised position is part of its identity: from the plateau the town and valley sit below the fairways, while the surrounding Pennine slopes close the horizon. Away from the clubhouse, narrow corridors and testing rough demand position over every tee shot, with little level ground to rely on when choosing a club. It is a compact walk, but the topography and exposure make it feel quite different from a sheltered town course.

History: The club was formed in 1895 and opened its first course at Todmorden Edge on 4 May that year under captain F. W. Horsfall. Around 1906 and 1907 it moved to Rive Rocks on Cross Stone Road, where the present nine-hole layout was established. Todmorden is also a member of the 1895 Club.

Did You Know? The clubhouse grew out of a farmhouse built in 1764, so the building predates golf at Rive Rocks by well over a century.