St Enodoc Golf Club ****

Rock, Wadebridge, PL27 6LD

Nearest main town: Wadebridge

 

Like so much of the natural beauty adorning the rugged coastline of Cornwall, the small yachting village of Rock and the nearby golf course at St Enodoc are little known north of the border or, as the Cornish would say, in England. But to the many discerning golfers of this proud county, the stretch of links that separates the Camel Estuary from Daymer Bay is the finest natural golf they know.

In his introduction to the official handbook on the history of St Enodoc, the poet laureate Sir John Betjeman, who lived at Trebetherick and died there in 1984, wrote that 'golf is a solitary game even if you are playing in a foursome. It makes you aware of the lie of the land, of the hills, outline, grass, flowers and sky.' At St Enodoc, you have it all.

It is by no means a long course - measuring 6027 yards - but its skilful design dictates that it will not surrender easily to just a brash, powerful game. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the 1st hole, a rolling 518-yard par-5 with a fairway of erratic folds and undulations. Your drive and lay-up are not threatened, but the green is set on a natural plateau, curved at the edges, and frustrating to hit no matter how short your third shot is.

Very few courses can shock you visually, but at the 6th you will be shocked. Known as the 'Himalayas' hole, what is believed to be the largest sandhill on any course in Britain rises some 80 feet above the fairways, totally eclipsing your view of the green, which lies amid dunes about 100 yards beyond. And at the 10th you encounter a little church dug out of the sand sixty years ago which stands as the centre piece for a magnificent stretch of holes that ends at the 15th.

You'll spend plenty of time in the dunes at St Enodoc, and you'll probably have more than a few encounters with the thick rough. Throw in an overgrown marsh, blind greens and a pond, and you'll come away from St Enodoc wanting to play it again.

 

Secretary: Mr T. Glagett

Tel: 01208863216 Fax: 01208862976

Professional: Mr N. Williams

 Tel: 01208 862402

Playing: Midweek: round £40.00; day n/a. Weekend: round £50.00; day n/a.

Facilities: Bar: 8am-11 pm. Food: Lunch and dinner from 11 .30am-10pm. Bar snacks.

Comments: Unmissable course for the serious golfer. .. Not for the beginner... Great fun - some very unusual holes and bizarre challenges...Good variety of holes and superb facilities... 10th hole is a beauty... Marvellous surroundings and variety on this unforgettable links... Could play every day and not get bored... Last three holes give a great finish... Sand dunes like ocean liners and the one on the 6th like the Titanic. . . A super course but spoilt by the attitude of some of the members.

 

Bude & North Coruwall Golf Club ***

Burn View, Bude, EX23 80A

Nearest main town: Bude

 

Secretary: Mrs P. Ralph

Tel: 01288 352006 Fax: 01288 356855

Professional: Mr J. Yeo                     

Tel: 01288 352006

Playing: Midweek: round £20.00; day n/a. Weekend: round £25.00; day n/a.

Facilities: Bar: 11 am-8.30pm. Food: Bar snacks.

Comments: Warm welcome inside... Not the best example of a natural links ... Top-class local course.