- Play Hard
- 28th Aug 2026
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Here’s how to spend the perfect Sunday at Matfen Hall, Northumberland
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Matfen Hall is Northumberland’s first and only five-star country hotel, spa and golf estate set within 300 acres of Northumberland parkland, under half an hour from Newcastle, and this summer it’s given us a real reason to make a day of it.
A Sunday lunch at The Keepers, the estate’s golf clubhouse restaurant, followed by a game on the new Himalayas putting course, has become the perfect combination for a relaxed Sunday out. It costs little, asks nothing of your golfing ability, and works just as well the other way round, putt first, lunch after.
START WITH LUNCH AT THE KEEPERS
The Keepers is Matfen Hall’s golf clubhouse restaurant and bar, with plenty of natural light and views out over the course and the surrounding Northumbrian countryside. There’s a mezzanine bar, an outdoor terrace and a balcony looking over the grounds, so you can watch the golfers below with a glass of wine in hand.
Sunday lunch runs from 12pm until 3pm, a generous window that means you can arrive, settle in and not feel rushed through your roast. It’s served as one course for £20, two for £28 or three for £45, with children under ten paying £9 for one course and under threes eating free.
Starters include soup of the day, chicken liver parfait and oak smoked salmon, with a falafel option for anyone eating vegetarian. Mains centre on the classic roast: a choice of chicken, sirloin of beef, leg of lamb or a vegetarian sausage, all served with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, glazed vegetables, cauliflower cheese and gravy. To finish, there’s sticky toffee pudding, chocolate brownie, crème brûlée or a selection of artisan cheeses.
Tables fill up quickly on a Sunday, especially now the putting course is drawing in more visitors, so it’s worth booking ahead.
THEN, TAKE A PUTT AT THE HIMALAYAS
Once the plates are cleared and the roasties have had a moment to settle, head outside to The Himalayas. Named with a wink at the undulating contours of its greens, this new 18-hole putting course offers something different from a standard round of golf. It’s playful, sociable and low pressure.
You don’t need a membership, a set of clubs or any prior golfing experience to take part. For £5 per person, you can hire a putter and a ball and set off around the course, which typically takes somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes depending on how competitive your group gets.
It’s long enough to feel like a proper activity, but short enough that it doesn’t feel like too much on top of a big lunch. The Himalayas suit a family with young children taking their first wobbly swings, a group of friends after something fun to do on a lazy weekend, or grandparents keen to join in without worrying about etiquette or handicaps.
WHY THE COMBINATION WORKS
Lunch alone can feel like the day is over by mid-afternoon. A walk around The Himalayas afterwards stretches the outing out, gets everyone moving and gives the day a shape: food, fresh air, a little friendly competition and then home. For those who fancy working up an appetite first, starting with a putt before settling in at The Keepers works just as well in reverse.
Either way, the plan doesn’t ask for a full day booked out, a tee time committed to, or any real golfing ability. It just asks that you turn up with people you enjoy spending time with, and let a good lunch and a putting green do the rest.
THE DOUGLAS: MATFEN HALL’S NEW CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE
The Himalayas isn’t the only new arrival at Matfen Hall this summer. The estate has also opened The Douglas, its new championship course, which combines nine newly designed greens with the character of the original layout.
As part of a wider overhaul of the golf facilities, Matfen Hall has built eight new greens on the former Douglas course and one new green on its Standing Stone course, then merged the two. The result takes in dry stone walls, natural water obstacles, the River Pont and some of Northumberland’s finest countryside. The estate’s other course, the nine-hole Dewlaw, remains unchanged.
Later in the summer, The Academy will open too, bringing a 15-bay driving range with Toptracer technology, a Power Tee system and an all-weather 18-hole putting course to the estate.
MAKE A WEEKEND OF IT
Matfen Hall sits within 300 acres of Northumberland parkland, around 18 miles west of Newcastle, and is home to a five-star hotel and spa alongside its golf courses and dining options. If a Sunday visit leaves you wanting more, the hotel’s rooms make it easy to turn lunch and a putt into a full weekend away, with the spa and the wider grounds on hand the next morning.
Booking ahead for lunch is recommended, especially as word about the new courses continues to spread.
Matfen Hall, Matfen Village, Northumberland, NE20 0RP
Rachael Ellis
Head of Content
After gaining a first in her BA Media and Journalism degree at Northumbria University, Rachael worked at Newcastle’s leading regional newspaper with her stories being picked up in national and global newspapers. She spent two very successful years giving a voice to those communities across the North East who otherwise…
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