pack your clubs n england’s atlantic links
For some of the finest seaside golf you’re ever likely to play, head down to the West Country’s Atlantic coast. Peter Ellegard packed his bucket and spade as well as his clubs inks golf: the mere mention can make sentimental golfers go misty-eyed and daydream about the likes of the Old Course, Carnoustie and Turnberry. Or 2011 and 2012 Open Championship hosts Royal St George’s and Royal Lytham. England’s West Country is very unlikely to figure, though. Which is a shame, because there are some wonderful links gems that more than match up to their famous counterparts. Some of the region’s top clubs are trying to change all that. Forming an alliance called England’s Atlantic Links, these five clubs offer six of the most historic seaside courses along the scenic Atlantic coastline of Somerset, North Devon and North Cornwall. And you would be hard-pressed to find a better collective test of golf in such magnificent settings anywhere in the world, let alone on your doorstep. You can play one or two of them on a short break, but to see the region in all its glory and experience the best of its traditional links golf, take a touring holiday to play them all while adding some sightseeing along the way.
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That is exactly what I did, starting at Cornish holiday resort Padstow to play James Braid classic St Enodoc and Harry Colt’s Trevose, then driving up the Atlantic coast to North Devon, where I played both Saunton courses and made a pilgrimage to Royal North Devon – England’s oldest links course – before completing my tour in Somerset to test my mettle against another Colt beauty, Burnham & Berrow. I did my tour in July, just before the annual summer school holidays. Sadly, the great British weather didn’t play ball all the time and I had to brave rain and wind on some days. Yet at other times, such as the day I played Saunton’s duo, the sky was wall-to-wall blue, and I couldn’t have wished for a more perfect setting.
tallest bunker In Padstow, I based myself at the imposing Metropole Hotel, close to the harbour. The fairways of St Enodoc line the cliffs across the Camel Estuary directly opposite and you can take a ferry from the harbour over to Rock with your clubs and walk to up to the golf club. I got there via a pleasant country drive. My drive on
England's Atlantic Links
n View to the Camel Estuary at St Enodoc
biosphere reserve Its 18-hole Championship Course (there are two other nine-hole courses) is laid out alongside a bay with views to the headland beyond over crashing waves or, as when I played, gentle swells. The course comprises two loops, the front nine holes hugging the coastline and sand dunes and the opening two holes playing down towards the sea, while the back nine heads back inland to finish with an uphill 18th. Trevose has welcomed golfers to its glorious links since Colt created it in 1925. It is a pedigree shared with exulted layouts such as Masters home course Augusta National, Sunningdale and Open venue Muirfield. If that doesn’t have the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end, the views and approach shots will, especially if the wind is up. From Padstow, I headed north to Saunton Sands in Devon. You can do the 80-mile journey in around two hours if you take the A39 Atlantic Highway all the way. However, it is worth diverting onto smaller coast roads at times for a more leisurely drive to take in villages, beaches and sights. Saunton Golf Club has two jewels threaded between dunes adjacent to Braunton Burrows, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that is Britain’s largest sand dune system
n Teeing off at Burnham & Berrow
Peter Ellegard
Seaside specials
the first tee of the undulating Church Course, however, was anything but pleasant, disappearing into dunes way off to the right. It was also a pity about the heavy overcast skies, as it is one of the South West’s most beautiful courses and gives wonderful views from its elevated tees, fairways and greens. Originally designed by Braid in 1907, the course is a par 69 that may not be long by today’s standards but is both a beauty and a beast, with tight fairways and thick rough. It takes its name from the lovely Norman church with its distinctive crooked spire encircled by the 10th14th holes. The feature that really grabs golfers’ attention, though, is on the par-4 6th. The infamous Himalaya bunker – reputedly the tallest in Europe – is a giant crater carved into a huge dune that towers over the fairway like its mountain range namesake. Hit a drive off target here and they may need to call out a search party for you if you try and find your ball. Despite it being high season, I encountered few other golfers on my round. I instantly recognised one – European Tour pro Chris Wood – when I walked past him at the par-3 8th hole, where he had been practising firing irons at the green. I’m glad he moved on before I tried emulating his perfect shots, all resulting in gimme putts, and found a bunker instead. It was like watching a darts pro hit repeated bullseyes before missing the dartboard completely myself. St Enodoc’s closing stretch, overlooking beaches, the Camel Estuary and Padstow, is divine, and I ended in seventh heaven after a rare birdie on the 200-yard, par-3 17th. On the other side of Padstow lies the family-owned Trevose club, which includes on-site apartments and lodges just steps away from the fairways.
Peter Ellegard
n Crashing waves off Trevose
England's Atlantic Links
pack your clubs n england’s atlantic links
n Bunker at Royal North Devon with Cape bunkers beyond
Peter Ellegard
88 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine
www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
Spring 2012
Spring 2012
tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
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