The Dartmouth Hotel, Golf & Spa (Championship)

Dartmouth Golf and Country Club is a friendly and relaxed resort, located in Devon’s sheltered South Hams. Four miles away is the historic town of Dartmouth, carved into the banks of the River Dart, where the views over the estuary are stunning. The medieval town has narrow streets full of restaurants and shops and is well worth a visit.

The Championship course opened for play in 1992 and is set in 225 acres of rolling, sometimes hilly countryside. The British golf course architect Jeremy Pern designed Dartmouth and many people believe this is one of his best creations. Pern is now based in France and has designed numerous courses on continental Europe; one of his most famous designs is the Wadi course at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, which is now called the Faldo course following a 2006 re-make by the 6-time major winner.

There are some thrilling holes on the Dartmouth Championship course, which makes creative use of the undulating terrain. A great deal of water comes into play and there are some tough, long drives from the tee. The first two holes break you in quite gently but the drama really begins at the demanding 3rd, a dramatic drop par three. Here, from the elevated tee, the prospect is daunting – the tee shot must carry across a lake (some 60 feet below the tee) to a green that is 50 yards long – three putting here is commonplace.

The hardest hole on the course, the 4th, continues the drama. This snaking par five, measuring 533 yards from the back tees, has a stream running along the left side and a steep bank and a rock face to the right, with out-of-bounds lurking beyond. An accurate approach shot is required to a green, which is well protected by two ponds to the left and trees and shrubs to the right. An incredibly tough par three concludes the round, measuring 244 yards from the back tee. Again, the forced carry is across water – a par here really will feel like a birdie.

We are by no means buggy-lovers, but the Championship course is set up for carts and some of the walks between greens and tees are long and steep. The club has numerous buggies for hire, so we recommend one in this instance.

Undoubtedly, the Dartmouth Championship course is tough – the layout stretches out to almost 7,200 yards from the back tees, but there is a great deal of excitement to be had here, even for the average golfer. This is a course to plot your way round – no two holes are the same and you’ll need every club in the bag. If you are in the area, make sure you play here. You’ll have lots of fun.