Royal Jersey Golf Club Channel Island, England
Royal Jersey Golf Club Channel Island, England
Rating: ****
Le Chemin Au Greves, Grouville, JE3 9BD
E-mail: thesecretary@royaljersey.com
Nearest main town: St Helier
There is some great golf to be had on the Channel Islands, but the best golf is on Jersey, where there are two cracking links, the Royal course and La Moye. Royal Jersey is a flat links that runs at sea level along the exposed links turf of Grouville Bay. The bay was such a favorite with Queen Victoria that she insisted it be called the Royal Bay of Grouville. Close by is the little fishing village of Gorey, and above on the headÂland is a 13th-century fortress known as Mont Orgueil, which commands attention from every corner of the course.
The opening hole at the Royal Jersey is one of the toughest in the British Isles. Fresh from the changing rooms, you are asked to thread your new ball on this 468-yard monster between the old remains of Fort Henry and two German pillboxes (the Germans occupied the Channel Islands for five years from 1939 to 1944). Any slight push on any part of the hole goes over the wall, on to the sand and – depending on the tides, which vary hugely from day to day – into the sea.
The first nine holes run alongside the shore, while the second nine have a more inland feel, with more evidence of bracken and gorse. The layout actually takes up a remarkably small plot of land and it has been tweaked over the years in order to ease congestion and improve safety. Plateau greens are a feature, not least at the finish, where the 15th, 16th and 17th are notoriously slippery to stay on.
Harry Vardon, the greatest British golfer of all time who won the Open six times, was born just a duffed chip away from the 12th and his spirit lives on here. During the same period, stories tell of him driving in his afternoon round into the divot marks he had made in the morning.
The demand for golf in the Channel Islands well outstrips supply, so if you want to play Royal Jersey in the summer be prepared for a crowded course.
Playing: Midweek: round £50.00; day n/a. Weekend: round £50.00; day n/a.
Facilities: Bar: 8am-midnight. Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner from 8am-9pm. Bar snacks.
Comments: Harry Vardon was born here… Short course but you always need to be good off the tee. .. Seaside links on blessed piece of land. .. Old club, a pleasure to play.
*** Free Golf Lessons ***
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