Darwen Golf Club

Darwen Golf Club has played over its present ground near Blackburn in Lancashire since 1893, making it one of the longer-established clubs in this part of the county. The 18-hole layout moves through two distinct types of terrain: the front nine sits on parkland close to the clubhouse, while the back nine climbs onto open moorland with more pronounced slopes and undulations, changing the character of the round noticeably as play progresses. From the higher ground, the course offers views out across Lancashire that on a clear day extend as far as Blackpool and the Fylde coast, along with sight of Darwen Tower, built in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and a well-known local landmark. The mix of sheltered parkland golf lower down and exposed moorland higher up gives members and visitors a round that changes in feel from hole to hole, with the closing stretch generally regarded as the more demanding half. Darwen itself sits in the Rossendale valley area of East Lancashire, and the club's elevated position above the town is part of what sets its course apart from the flatter parkland courses more common in the surrounding area.