During the last six days of May, I was on a fact-finding, photo-taking, editorial golf trip in England’s two most southwesterly counties of Devon and Cornwall. While there, I played seven rounds of golf in six days.
Of the seven courses that I played, five were authentic, championship links golf courses where the actual course is the “link” between the nearby Atlantic Ocean and the mainland. Those types of golf courses are used to conduct the (British) Open Golf Championship each July.
Those five links courses were the West course and the East course at the Saunton Golf Club (Braunton, Devon); the Royal North Devon Golf Club (Bideford, Devon); the St. Enodoc Golf Club (Rock, Cornwall); and the Trevose Golf & Country Club (Padstow, Cornwall). The other two courses were the Carlyon Bay Golf Course (St. Austell, Cornwall) and the Bovey Castle Golf Club (North Bovey, Devon). Each course was its own memory maker.
According to six-time major champion Nick Faldo, if the 36-hole Saunton Golf Club was in a more populated part of Great Britain, it would be on the (British) Open Championship roster. Saunton is one of the top golf venues in all of Great Britain. Here, many locals say the West is the best, and the East is the beast. Frankly, both are brilliant, authentic links layouts.
The Royal North Devon is England’s oldest links golf course. In existence since 1864, it is nicknamed “Westward Ho!” and was the home course for five-time (British) Open winner J.H. Taylor back in the early 1900s. At Royal North Devon, wild horses and sheep graze peacefully in the rough. Every golf lover should make the trek to Royal North Devon.
There are very few, if any, adjectives that fairly describe the brilliance and beauty of the St. Enodoc Golf Club, which is ranked as the 82nd best golf course in the world, according to Golf Digest. The 18-hole Church Course at St. Enodoc overlooks the Camel Estuary, which feeds into the nearby North Atlantic Ocean. St. Enodoc is the home of the Himalayas bunker, which is the tallest sand bunker in Europe.
Trevose has been described as England’s most laid-back and coolest golf destination. From any part of Trevose, you can always hear the sound of the surf crashing into the rocks along the nearby seashore. Trevose’s green complexes are brilliant.
The Carlyon Bay Golf Course is a coastal golf destination. Perched high above the cliffs that tower over Crinnis Beach and Shorthorn Beach, this golf course provides an enjoyable golf experience as you look out across the St. Austell Bay.
My final round was on the Bovey Castle Golf Course, which is perched in the middle of Devon’s Dartmoor National Park. This round was a stark contrast from the links golf that I played earlier in the week. Playing golf in the shadows of an English castle was a memorable moment that can’t be replicated back in the U.S.
My accommodations provided lavish and stunning experiences. The Saunton Sands Hotel (Braunton, Devon) is an iconic Art Deco property overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and a vast, golden sand-filled beach. The Carlyon Bay Hotel (St. Austell, Cornwall) overlooks Cornwall’s south coast, with direct access to St. Austell Bay. The rooms are spacious, the in-house restaurants serve genuine Cornish cuisine, and the service is personal and professional. Bovey Castle, meanwhile, is an iconic AA Five Star luxury castle, which stands sentry to the stunning Edwardian gardens and the nearby River Bovey.
The quality of the cuisine at each destination was tasty, delicious and beyond compare. In Devon and Cornwall, the charming, historic pubs are family friendly. The seaside views from the coastal paths are rugged and real. The hospitality is genuine and welcoming. The Cornish pasties are delicious, and the afternoon teas are in a class by themselves!
England’s Devon and Cornwall await your arrival.
