Located in Cheshire West, just outside the delightful little village of Tarporley, is the Portal golf complex. Comprising of 2 18 hole courses and a 9 holer, spread across conjoined plots of land, the 2 big courses were seemingly opened in the same year – 1990 -with clubhouses less than a mile apart, under separate ownership. The Premier Course, designed by Tim Rouse, was originally founded as Oaklands Golf Club, but was seemingly challenged from the start, with a rushed opening as interest rates spiralled to 16%.
A stalemate over the valuation ensued, with Arderne plc – owners of the Championship Course next door, taking over in 1995, before Macdonald took first partial and then full control. The Championship Course was designed by Donald Steel, and is ‘characterised by unique and distinctive holes; expansive water hazards and cascading waterfalls are among the tests’. It’s a fairly dull November day when we take it on, with glimmers of sunshine and blue sky, and ominous dark clouds overhead.
It’s been relentlessly wet for weeks, so initial thoughts are of gratitude, and admiration, for a course that’s not just open, but with greens of remarkable quality, and seemingly devoid of winter greens, tees, fairway mats or similar. It transpires that winter greens are actually – we suspect – in use after all, though rather than an old square of astroturf, they’re a mown tee box in front of the usual mound… a nice touch, though a clue to the new yardage would be the icing on the cake.
Now, no matter how good the green staff are, you need a lot of balls to play Portal in November… and not just because the Championship course is a rare par 73, or due to the wicked placement of water on the home stretch. If the sun being low in the sky doesn’t make it tough tracking a tee shot, and the soft fairways don’t completely swallow your ball, there’s around a billion leaves just waiting to provide refuge to even the best of drives.
One could be forgiven for thinking the Premier Course would be an inferior proposition, living in the shadow of its ‘Championship’ big brother. Based on our experience of playing both – albeit perhaps swayed by the contrasting conditions of our visits – this isn’t the case… in fact we lean more towards the Premier. The Championship is a more traditional parkland course, and much flatter, whereas the Premier is more dramatic, rugged, and hilly, designed around the ‘dramatic natural undulations of the Cheshire sandstone ridge’.
One thing’s for sure; both courses offer a solid test for a wide range of talents, are clearly well tended, and offer magnificent far-reaching views from their summits. Then there’s the ‘Arderne’ 9 hole course, that’s set up for quick practice rounds, and we’ll be sure to visit to complete the set. So altogether, 45 holes of fun, and we can’t wait to head back… in the Spring when the sun’s hopefully shining again!
Key Info: Championship
Holes: 18 (+27 holes across Premier and Arderne)
Par: 73 (Premier: 71. Arderne: 31)
Yards: White: 7,018. Yellow: 6,497. Red: 5,587
Slope: White: 137. Yellow: 133. Red: 120
Visitor Green Fees: £20-30 (Championship / Premier). £15 (Arderne)
Website: https://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/portal
Location
Prices correct at time of writing (November 2023).
Find out where this course ranks on the list of toughest courses in Cheshire here, see all of the county’s courses plotted onto a Google Map here, and try our fun quiz to find your perfect course here!
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