Mail Sport's golf writer completed a stay-and-play at The Belfry, the Royal Sutton Coldfield resort that has hosted the Ryder Cup four times, playing The Derby course before staying overnight and finishing with the Brabazon course. The Belfry, located about half an hour north of Birmingham in North Warwickshire, has three courses on site: The Derby, PGA National and the Brabazon.
The stay included dinner and breakfast in the Ryder Grill, drinks in Sam's Club House and the Brabazon bar, and a night in a hotel room overlooking the course.
The Derby course
The Derby served as a warm-up round and is a cheaper option than the Brabazon, where players such as Seve Ballesteros have played. It is made up mostly of straightforward par fours, with just two par fives and a handful of tricky par threes. A minibus takes players without a buggy to the first hole, which sits alongside a warm-up putting green and the 18th green.
After the 9th hole, the course crosses a road and does not return until the 18th. The 11th, a par four with a large dogleg right after an uphill drive, and the 12th, a downhill par three of around 200 yards, stood out as favourites. The course was praised for its value for money, wide fairways and rough where a lost ball can still be found.
The Brabazon course
The Brabazon features water on 14 holes. The fairways and greens were described as manicured to an exceptional standard, with doglegs, water hazards and bunkers guarding the greens throughout. The opening hole has a wide fairway despite the pressure of teeing off in front of other golfers.
The third hole, a roughly 540-yard par five, opens with a narrow drive toward a set of bunkers and a sharp left dogleg, giving players the option to lay up right or attempt to carry a stretch of water to the green. The fourth hole, a par four with a long bunker on the left and a water hazard protecting the green, had a flock of geese resting on the fairway during the visit.
The greens were described as fast, though not as quick as those at Centurion Club or The Grove, with more forgiving rough offset by water hazards at more turns. The 10th and 18th holes were named the standout holes, running parallel and sharing the same water. The 10th, a drivable par four at about 240 yards next to the halfway house, has a small green that Ballesteros famously hit in 1978 and 1985. The 18th forces players right off the tee to avoid water on the left, with roughly 100 yards to a layup area and another 100 yards from there to a green protected by water.
Staying at The Belfry
The resort's foyer displays photographs of Ryder Cup moments and features meeting rooms once used by the teams themselves, alongside the Ryder Grill restaurant. Sam Club House, a short walk from the Brabazon's first tee and the club shop, has multiple screens, a shuffleboard table and a separate seating area for food, and was busy with football fans watching Super Sunday.
Accommodation included a standard double room and the Muirfield Suite, a larger room with a living area, a second bedroom, a big-screen TV, a fridge and a large balcony overlooking the starting tee for the PGA National course. The Ryder Grill offers a buffet with a la carte options, including chicken, fish and beef with various sides, and the breakfast the next morning included a full fry-up ahead of a 10am tee time. The resort also has a Toptracer driving range on site for practice and club fitting.
What's next for the resort
Construction was under way during the visit on a new Leisure Club spread across two levels, which will include a large swimming pool with a family slide, a dedicated lap pool, indoor and outdoor hot tubs and a cafe. The development will also add four premium, glass-fronted studios overlooking the PGA National course, an extensive gym area and a large, high-ceilinged multipurpose sports space. The work is expected to be completed in autumn 2025.
Chris Eigelaar, Resort Director at The Belfry, said: "Ensuring our valued guests have an experience like no other is what drives us. It's extremely inspiring to see the Resort grow and I have no doubt that this exhilarating development will further enhance The Belfry brand and its reputation as one of the UK's most outstanding leisure and events destinations."
Prices
Green fees are £30 per person for The Derby, £55 for PGA National and £95 for the Brabazon. The Ryder Grill buffet costs £35.95. Hotel prices vary by date but start at £169 a night, including a full English breakfast. The Belfry has more than 300 bedrooms and suites, several restaurants and bars including the Ryder Grill and Brabazon Bar, meeting and events spaces, a leisure club and spa with a Fire & Ice Experience, and an adventure playground.