If you write about it, they will come. That’s the attitude that Wellington-based golf writer Mike May is taking as he prepares to travel to England this month to play golf on the Atlantic Links, a group of six championship links courses at five golf clubs located in the southwest of England.
The six championship links are Trevose and St. Enodoc in Cornwall; Royal North Devon, Saunton East and Saunton West in Devon; and Burnham & Berrow in Somerset. These six courses, clustered along the northern coast of the southwest of England, overlook the North Atlantic Ocean.
May’s trip through the Atlantic Links begins on Friday, June 16, where he has a tee time at Burnham & Berrow. May will conclude his first day by spending the night on the premises of Burnham & Berrow in the Dormy House. This structure, a one-minute walk from Burnham & Berrow’s first tee, can house eight people in four twin-bedded rooms.
“It is a simple and convenient place to stay when playing this championship links course,” said Karen Drake, managing secretary at Burnham & Berrow. “Those who stay in the Dormy House have the chance to get fully immersed in the Burnham & Berrow experience.”
May’s next round of golf will be over the championship links designed by the great Harry Colt at the Trevose Golf & Country Club near Padstow, Cornwall on Monday, June 19. That evening, he will stay at Trevose in one of the top-rated self-catering apartments or lodges that are located on-site.
The following day, June 20, May will drive north into Devon, where he will play a round at Royal North Devon. That evening, he will spend the night at the Saunton Sands Hotel, which is adjacent to the club and overlooks a sandy beach that stretches for miles.
On Wednesday, June 21, May will remain in Devon and play 36 holes at Saunton East and Saunton West. After that day, he will enjoy fish and chips for dinner at Squire’s Fish Restaurant in nearby Braunton. This restaurant is considered by many to be the top fish and chips restaurant in North Devon. He will conclude his journey along the Atlantic Links by playing 18 holes at St. Enodoc, a James Braid layout, located in Rock in north Cornwall, on Monday, June 26.
“We are pleased to host Mike on this editorial tour through the Atlantic Links,” Atlantic Links’ Helen Heady said. “Mike’s proven qualities as a writer and his passion for golf are why we are delighted to have him as a guest at our courses this June.”
Another benefit to playing the Atlantic Links is that there are many non-golf sightseeing venues in the area, such as Stonehenge; the remains of the Roman baths in Bath; one-of-a-kind seaside villages such as Clovelly in Devon; and countless coastal communities in Cornwall.
“For years, golfers from around the world have been flying to Great Britain, where they have made a beeline for Scotland to play courses like St. Andrews, Turnberry, Royal Dornoch, Carnoustie, Gleneagles and others,” May said. “Now, with my stories about the Atlantic Links, I’m focused on educating golfers about the great golfing opportunities in the southwest of England. In Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, the weather is better, the cost of golf is affordable, the quality of the championship links golf courses is as good, tee times are more accessible throughout the year and it’s a shorter commute to the courses from London.”
In many respects, this golf expedition to the southwest of England is a homecoming of sorts for May, who lived for four years in the late 1970s/early 1980s with his family in St. Ives, which is in western Cornwall. While in England, May graduated from high school at the Truro School in Truro, Cornwall in 1981. He then returned to the United States to attend the University of Florida, which he graduated from in 1985.
At the end of his journey along the Atlantic Links, May plans to return to his former hometown of St. Ives, where he will play once again at the West Cornwall Golf Club, which is the oldest golf club in the county of Cornwall and arguably one of the most scenic golf courses in the United Kingdom, with views of the beautiful St. Ives Bay from 16 of its 18 fairways.
He also plans to play the Perranporth Golf Club in Cornwall, a links course designed by James Braid, as well as the nine-hole Isles of Scilly Golf Club on the island of St. Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly, which is roughly 30 miles off the southwest coast of Cornwall.
For more information about the Atlantic Links, visit www.atlantic-links.co.uk.
