Saunton Golf Club (East)

Welcome to the latest of our regional updates for England as we now move into the more southern parts of the country. Following our recent revision of three counties in the northeast, we now focus on six counties in the southwest, namely Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Over five million people live here in an area extending to over nine thousand square miles, with easily the longest coastline of any English region. More than two hundred clubs are registered with the various local golfing authorities and we feature courses from nearly half those clubs across the six county listings. Five counties retain the same number one but there’s a new top dog to contend with in Gloucestershire. We’ve also added twenty-five new tracks which now means we profile almost a hundred in this region. If there’s somewhere we’ve overlooked then please let us know – we don’t do “ultimate” or “definitive” lists so please get in touch and we’ll check out any recommendations. Cornwall The Church course at St Enodoc Golf Club (pictured above) entered our World Top 100 chart at #87 in 2018 and it’s since risen to #74 in that esteemed global listing – with that in mind, it’ll be no surprise to learn that it’s still our #1 for Cornwall. A recent reviewer summed up the golfing charms of St Enodoc pretty well when they wrote: “an exceptional course, matched by a lovely clubhouse with great service, in a stunning part of the country.” Trevose Only two courses make upward moves in the revised standings and the foremost of these is the Championship course at Trevose Golf Club, advancing one place to the runner-up spot. Tom Mackenzie has completed a renovation project at the club, rejuvenating most of the holes on the layout, and such is the quality of the work undertaken, a reviewer has posted that the rankings of St Enodoc and Trevose should, in their opinion, be switched. The Harry Colt-designed 18-hole layout at Newquay is the other Cornwall climber, and it also rises by one place to #6. St Austell The highest of our six new entries for Cornwall is the course at St Austell Golf Club, arriving at #10. The club was established in 1911 with an 18-hole layout in play three years later. James Braid visited in November 1926 to advise on course improvements but it took more than a decade before his plans were implemented, with the remodelled layout opening on 25th September 1937. The other new entries for this county are St Mellion (Kernow) at #12, Truro at #13, Looe at #14, Lanhydrock at #15 and Carylon Bay at #16. Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Cornwall. Devon The East course at Saunton Golf Club (pictured above) remains our #1 for Devon and it also ranks very highly in both our English national chart (at #24) and our Britain & Ireland chart (at #53). A reviewer from a couple of months ago was impressed, writing: “a spectacular piece of land greets you at Saunton… but don’t let the terrain be what you judge the East on as the layout of the course is spectacular in itself, with hole after hole of golfing splendour!” Eight courses advance in our new table, with all of them making just a one-place improvement. The highest of these climbers is the West course at Saunton (at #2), swapping places with the old links at Royal North Devon Golf Club.  Honiton There are two newcomers to the Devon chart and the leading course is the 18-hole layout at Honiton Golf Club, making its first appearance at #19. The course dates back to when the club was founded in 1896, starting out with nine holes but quickly becoming an 18-hole track, and it occupies a compact property of around 90 acres, with glorious views across the Blackdown Hills. The other Devon new entry is Ilfracombe at #22. Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Devon. Dorset Retaining its status as number one course in Dorset, the short 18-hole heathland layout at Broadstone Golf Club (pictured above) is an old Tom Dunn design from 1898 that Harry Colt remodelled during and just after the Great War. Like Saunton (East) the course is well regarded in both our English (#36) and Britan & Ireland (87) Top 100 charts. Unfortunately, it’s a little too short to host most elite amateur or professional events but it has staged other important tournaments in the past, including the English Women’s Amateur (three times) and the Women’s Amateur back in 1951. Knighton Heath Progressing two spots from #10 to #8, the course at Knighton Heath Golf Club was described in a post a few weeks ago as “great fun and well worth finding the time to play… it may be built in a compact area of just 90 acres but there is little feeling of holes being squeezed in… the clever bunkering is a feature and the mainly flat greens are a dream to putt on.” Came Down The first of five new entries for Dorset is the course at Came Down Golf Club at #10. Set out by Tom Dunn in 1896, when the club was called Dorchester Golf Club, the original 9-hole course was extended to eighteen holes by J.H. Taylor before Harry Colt was engaged to redesign the course in the late 1920s. The other four Dorset new entries are Lyme Regis (at #11), Rushmore (at #12), Meyrick Park (at #13) and Weymouth (at #14). Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Dorset. Gloucestershire We have a new #1 for Gloucestershire and it’s the 18-hole Cherington course at Minchinhampton Golf Club (pictured above), where Fred Hawtree laid out eighteen holes in the mid-1970s then his son Martin added another eighteen in 1995. The Cherington and Avening courses utilize a combination of holes from father and son, with a composite course used in the past for Regional Open Qualifying. Cleeve Hill The biggest jump in this county re-ranking is made by the course at Cleeve Hill Golf Club (up three to #3) which Old Tom Morris laid out in 1891. Another Tom, architect Tom Doak, had this to say about the course a while back: “here is a chance to appreciate golf as you may never have understood it – an energizing walk over glorious open countryside, with some unique hazards to overcome along the way.” Lilley Brook The first of three new Gloucestershire entries in this updated county table is the course at Lilley Brook Golf Club, where Alister MacKenzie fashioned a new 18-hole course for the club shortly after it was established in 1921. For some reason, the layout was remodelled in 1964, so that only nine of the original holes from the Good Doctor are still in play today. The other two newcomers in this county are Cirencester (at #17) and Henbury (at #18). Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Gloucestershire. Somerset The Championship course at Burnham & Berrow Golf Club (pictured above) is still our #1 in Somerset. Also ranked #26 in England and #62 in Britain & Ireland, this 18-hole track has been refined down the years by a number of eminent golf course architects, including former members Herbert Fowler and Hugh Alison. Currently, Tom Mackenzie is overseeing a long-term upgrade project on the course. Minehead & West Somerset The best upward move in this updated county chart is made by the 18-hole layout at Minehead & West Somerset Golf Club (up two to #8). The course was laid out as a 9-hole affair by Royal North Devon professional John Allan in 1882 before it was expanded to eighteen holes in 1901. Nowadays, it plays to just over 6,200 yards, with par set at 72. Oake Manor The first of thee new Somerset chart entries, the course at Oake Manor Golf Club enters at #10, slightly ahead of Mendip Spring (Brinsea) at #12, Burnham & Berrow (Channel) at #13 and Farrington (Duchy) at #14. An early 1990s Adrian Stiff design, Oake Manor features water hazards at half the holes on the scorecard. Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Somerset. Wiltshire Retaining the Wiltshire #1 spot that it first captured in 2016, the course at Bowood Estate (pictured above) is an early 1990s Dave Thomas design that is now designated as the PGA Official Golf Course and Academy Course for the South West of England. It can be stretched to just over 7,300 yards from the back tees, where the old Standard Scratch Score is 76 (against a par of 72) so choose your tees very carefully if you decide to tee it up here. High Post The course at High Post Golf Club makes the greatest headway in the new Wiltshire standings, shooting four places up the chart to #5. Located on chalk downland, the layout is a J.H. Taylor and F.G. Hawtree production which celebrated a hundred years in operation last year. Many of the original design traits, like grassy hollows and subtly contoured greens, are still very much in evidence here. Ogbourne Downs The first of the Wiltshire new entries is the course at Ogbourne Downs Golf Club, arriving at #10. It’s another Taylor/Hawtree co-production that was built when the club moved to its current location in 1929. Initially founded as North Wilts in 1907, the club changed name to Swindon Golf Club before it finally became Ogbourne Downs in 1995. The other Wiltshire new entries are Upavon (at #12), West Wilts (at #13), Chippenham (at #14) and Marlborough (at #15). Click the following link to see the newly updated county rankings for Wiltshire. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

South West England – Best in County Rankings 2019 It’s a case of “six down, one to go” with the publication of this latest news release for our English county re-ranking exercise. The South West is the penultimate region to be considered in our 2-year chart refreshment cycle, covering the six counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. With over five million inhabitants, it’s an area that extends to more than nine thousand square miles, with by far the longest coastline of any English region. It’s also home to two national parks – Dartmoor and Exmoor – and four World Heritage Sites, including the world famous prehistoric monument at Stonehenge. There are just over two hundred clubs affiliated to the golfing authorities in the South West and we feature almost a third of their golf courses across our six county listings. Currently, fourteen of these layouts occupy positions in our national Top 100 and a handful of those are good enough to make our elite Great Britain & Ireland standings. Cornwall The Church course at St Enodoc was one of a dozen new entries in our World Top 100 when we last updated that particular chart in December 2017 so anybody expecting it to retain its position at the top of the Cornish rankings will be pleased to learn that it’s still the county’s #1 layout. Designed by James Braid in 1907, this delightful old links has been entertaining golfers for well over a century now. St Enodoc Golf Club - Church course Our International Correspondent David Davis had this to say about it earlier this year: “the routing is extremely varied with eighteen totally unique holes played over what can often be called crazy landscape… plain and simple the course offers up endless fun and must be one of the most creative routings in the world… it’s a must-play and given its location a bit of a hidden gem for most. I really think a golfer’s education can’t be complete without experiences like this.” Cornwall Top 10 Golf Courses 2019 Rank/ Devon The East course at Saunton remains at No. 1 in a county chart where the first six courses hold onto the same position. This year marks the centenary of Herbert Fowler’s redesign of the original layout and this mighty links on the North Devon coast has certainly stood the test of time, thanks in no small part to C.K. Cotton’s restoration work in the early 1950s. Saunton Golf Club - East course In the lower half of the Devonian listings, the 18-hole layouts at Torquay (rising three places to #14) and Bigbury (climbing four spots to #15) make admirable upward moves, whilst the Kigbeare course at Ashbury – the best of seven courses at the UK’s largest golf complex in Okehampton – squeezes into our standings as a new entry at No. 20. Devon Top 20 Golf Courses 2019 Dorset Our No. 1 course in Dorset is still Broadstone, which was laid out by the prolific Tom Dunn in 1898 then redesigned by Harry Colt sixteen years later, though the new layout wasn’t actually completed until the introduction of the par three 6th hole in 1922. Four reviewers this year passed favourable comments on their playing experiences such as: “the scenery and the routing are wonderful… great course with some excellent holes… a classic heathland course… an absolute delight with some memorable holes.” Broadstone Golf Club Six miles to the southeast of Broadstone, the seaside heathland course at Parkstone moves up one place to the runner-up position in the county chart. Laid out by Willie Park Junior in 1909, the course was later redesigned by James Braid, though not all of his far-reaching recommendations were implemented. Braid’s trusted contractor John R. Stutt liked the area so much that he moved to Poole, becoming a member (and subsequently president) of the club. His son, J. Hamilton Stutt, who was a past captain and club trustee, also carried out a little renovation work during his time at Parkstone. Parkstone Golf Club Dorset Top 10 Golf Courses 2019 Gloucestershire Ross-on-Wye Golf Club was founded in 1903 but the club’s 18-hole layout – our #1 in Gloucestershire – is of a more recent vintage, having been inaugurated by Frank Pennink, when he was President of the English Golf Union, in 1967. Designed by C.K. Cotton, the fairways of this rather unsung gem were literally carved through a hilly woodland site, where accuracy both off the tee and with the approach shot is of paramount importance. Ross-on-Wye Golf Club We’ve added another five courses to this county, with another couple of Minchinhampton’s three 18-hole layouts – the Avening (#5) and Old (#8) – now joining the Cherington course in our new Top 15 table. We hold our hands up and admit that we previously overlooked these two courses, so we’re now happy to correct that inadvertent oversight. Gloucestershire Top 15 Golf Courses 2019 Somerset The Championship course at Burnham & Berrow has been the No. 1 course in Somerset since we first established county lists and, truth be told, it’s in no real danger of being ousted from the top spot as things stand. Starting out as a basic 9-hole layout in 1891, the links developed during its formative years with the assistance of Herbert Fowler and Hugh Alison, who were both club members, but it was Harry Colt who, in the words of the club, “produced a blueprint to turn the course into the challenge it is today.” Burnham & Berrow Golf Club - Championship course All four player posts for the course this year have been scored as 5-ball reviews, with reviewer remarks such as: “nothing better in the south west until you get down to Saunton… the course was excellent and had many stand out holes... serious test of golf with high dunes… the ambiance and overall feel of the course reflect and uphold the traditional values of the game.” A new entry arrives at No. 9 and it’s the course at Taunton & Pickeridge in the Blackdown Hills, where Herbert Fowler was a founding member. Fowler laid out the original 9-hole course in 1892 then returned thirty-three years later with design partner Tom Simpson to extend the course to an 18-hole layout. In the mid-1960s, the course was further enhanced when Fred Hawtree carried out some remodelling work after additional land became available. Our editor-in-chief Keith Baxter was here recently and reckons T&P is "unheralded, understated and underrated". Taunton & Pickeridge Golf Club Somerset Top 10 Golf Courses 2019 Wiltshire The 18-hole layout at Bowood prevails at the top of the Wiltshire county standings. Our Midlands and North of England Correspondent Brian Ward was “pleasantly surprised with this typically big and bold Dave Thomas design” when he played here recently, adding that “there’s an unexpected mature feel throughout the routing with numerous impressive tree specimens and historical water features (previously introduced by Capability Brown) often coming into play.” Bowood Golf & Country Club The Blue and Orange nines at Cumberwell Park enter our Wiltshire Top 10 at number 7 and this layout is the newer of the two 18-hole courses at the club. Our editor-in-chief Keith Baxter was here a couple of months ago and his verdict was “there’s not a lot not to like.” In particular, he thought “the greensites are well done and the bunkering, while not exceptional, is good enough.” In his opinion, the club has more than enough to keep golfers satisfied during a 36-hole all-day outing. Wiltshire Top 10 Golf Courses 2019 The final region to be investigated in our biennial re-ranking exercise for England is the South East, consisting of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Sussex. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

South West England - Top 20 Golf Courses 2017 This release for England’s South West is the fifth of seven regional updates that will feed into our high level rankings later this year. The South West region is where you’ll find England’s Atlantic Links, a dramatic stretch of linksland that runs from Somerset in the north to Cornwall in the far southwest. There may be no Open Championship venues in this region, but three highly respected links courses head the table. This trio is ably underpinned by a strong collection of Dorset courses and the granddaddy of all English golf courses at Westward Ho! falls firmly into the must-play category. Two years ago, we surveyed every club in England and we issued individual news releases for each of the thirty-six English counties we’ve defined on the Top 100 website. This time we’re issuing just seven English regional news releases for: East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West, South West, East and South East. For the first time we’re producing a ranking list on a regional basis and these tables are underpinned by a complete re-evaluation of each English county. England’s South West region incorporates the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. It’s the largest of England’s nine “official” regions in terms of land area, extending to more than 9,000 square miles. More than five million people live in the South West and their golfing needs are served by more than 220 golf clubs in this region. Selecting the best 10% for our inaugural Top 20 was surprisingly challenging. Our new South West regional Top 20 features five courses that are currently ranked in our GB&I Top 100, and fourteen that are listed in our current English Top 100. The South West is the second strongest golfing region in England (based on the number of nationally ranked courses) behind the South East. Three golf courses, each laid out in the 19th century, head our South West table. The stirring Church course at St Enodoc (#1) is widely considered to be James Braid’s finest design. St Enodoc’s thrilling golfing ride is akin to the big dipper and here at Rock in Cornwall you will find some of the best and most dramatic holes in English links golf. Fergal O’Leary recently commented: “The Church course really is streets ahead of most other links courses in England and I can’t believe it took me so long to play here!” Devon’s well-loved East course at Saunton (#2) is shielded from the Atlantic by the Braunton Burrows biosphere reserve, England’s largest sand dunes system. It’s perhaps the most demanding course in the South West region, with fourteen par fours (from the yellow tees), some of which stretch out beyond 400 yards. The East can’t compete with St Enodoc in terms of variation and sheer drama, but it’s undoubtedly an exacting and high quality golfing test. The Championship course at Burnham & Berrow (#3) is Somerset’s undisputed jewel which doesn’t receive anywhere near the love it deserves. A veritable who’s who of Golden Age architects have left their mark on this out-and-back links, which Darwin poetically described as “ringed round with sandhills”. The holes around the turn are perhaps not as solid as the opening and closing holes, but there’s no denying whatsoever that Burnham & Berrow is peerless in the county of Somerset. Originally laid out by Tom Dunn and then redesigned by Harry Colt when a glorious tract of heathland later became available, Broadstone (#4) is laid out on a grand scale. Ed Battye, founder of Golf Empire and a regular Top 100 Golf Courses reviewer, eloquently describes the 7th, which is one of a number of outstanding holes at Broadstone: “As you walk onto the tee at the seventh you are stopped dead in your tracks with the beauty and breadth of the hole. Before you even strike a ball you wonder in amazement at just how you are to reach the green some 422 yards away that glimmers in the distance on the other side of a huge ravine. It’s a true jaw-dropping moment.” Remedy Oak (#5) opened in 2005 and it’s one of the finest new courses to open in England recently. I played here for the first time just ahead of Open Championship Regional Qualifying being staged at the club in June 2017. It’s a wonderful expansive site where there’s an ideal mix of short, mid and long par fours, a couple of reachable (in two for the low handicap golfer) par fives and one-shot holes that vary in length from more than 200 yards to less than 150 yards. This configuration offers engagement and variation throughout the round. Still in Dorset, Parkstone (#6) is full of surprises. It’s one of England’s unheralded heathland courses which consistently receives very positive reviews, Ed Battye commented as follows: “The main reason I rate the course so highly is because of the exciting terrain and the plethora of wonderful green sites. The undulating, twisting nature of this mature coastal property is a dream and encourages all sorts of daring shots; descending drives and approaches to elevated greens are two things that feature time and time again.” I’m an ardent admirer of England’s oldest golf course. Royal North Devon (#7) condition-wise is far from polished, but its golfing spirit is palpable. My playing partner recently described the links at Westward Ho! “Bohemian” and there’s no denying its unconventionality, which is not to everyone’s taste. “To go to Westward Ho! is not to make a mere visit of pleasure as to an ordinary course;” wrote Darwin in The Golf Courses of the British Isles. “It is, as is the case of a few other great links, a reverent pilgrimage. Was it not here that Mr Horace Hutchinson and J.H. Taylor, besides a host of other fine players, learned the game?” The Old course at Ferndown (#8) is the antithesis of Westward Ho! Polished to perfection and set in an oasis of pine and heather. It’s an inherently pretty golf course that was laid out by Harold Hilton (one of the finest amateur golfers of all time) just before the First World War. The club is coming to the end of a five-year programme to return the course to its heathland roots. Many deciduous trees have been cleared leaving stately pines flanking immaculately groomed fairways and bunkers have been attractively fringed with heather. Ed Battye reckons: “Ferndown is one of those golf courses that simply looks the business, the bees knees, the mutts nuts… I could go on.” Its older sibling often overshadows the West course at Saunton Golf Club (#9). The West may not have the tournament credentials of the East but it has more variety and it’s now much improved following a recent makeover under the watchful eye of Tom Mackenzie. It’s no longer a short course, measuring around 6,700 yards from the new back tees and the addition of extra bunkers combined with fairway alterations have improved the West’s visuals. Saunton Golf Club is undeniably the custodian of the best 36 links holes in England. But then again, I can’t think of another English club that can boast two 18-hole links courses. Mackenzie and Ebert are also engaged at Trevose Golf Club where the Championship course (#10) continues to improve year on year. The much-photographed par five 4th hole is renowned for its glorious greensite location, set hard against Boobys Bay, but many felt the hole failed to live up to its spectacular backdrop, so the hole was recently overhauled with new tees, bunkers and a massive new undulating green. Changes to the 2nd, 9th and 13th holes have also been completed as part of the club’s five-year master plan. Just outside the South West Top 10, two Cornish courses are like chalk and cheese. St Mellion’s Nicklaus course (#11) is set between Dartmoor and Bodmin and it’s a bold, memorable and challenging tournament layout at a popular stay and play hotel venue. On the other hand, Perranporth (#12) is an exciting and rather lunar James Braid lie-of-the-land links course that tumbles up and down the dunes high above Perran Bay. Perranporth’s coastal lodges and caravans cater for golfers who prefer more modest accommodation. Ed Battye reckons Perranporth is; “crazy, radical, wild, raw, eccentric, indulgent, fun, frenzied, frantic, quirky and exhilarating. Above all else… it’s a truly amazing golfing experience.” The Purbeck course at Isle of Purbeck Golf Club (#13) is positioned on a high heathland plateau from where the 360-degree panorama across the Solent and Poole Bay is magical. It’s a hard course to classify but it’s more in the heathland mould than links and it’s certainly not parkland. Synonymous with Enid Blyton and touched by Harry Colt, the view from the elevated 5th tee is spellbinding and alone is worthy of the green fee. A trio of unheralded Golden Age delights from Devon occupy the next three positions in our new South West rankings. East Devon (#14) is laid out on high ground, 400 feet above the sea, close to the clifftops, where the sweeping panorama of Lyme Bay is in view. Both Herbert Fowler and Harry Colt left their marks on this unsung heathland course which is still largely unknown outside the region because it suffers from being set off the beaten golfing track at Budleigh Salterton. Bovey Castle (#15) is set in the Dartmoor National Park and was originally designed by John F. ‘Aber’ Abercromby. The strong outward nine features the meandering trout-filled River Bovey, while the back nine takes on a more open moorland aspect. A firm favourite of Bernard Darwin in the days when it was called the Manor House: "We stand on a high place, and there, far below us, something over two hundred yards away, is that blessed Bovey guarding the first green. How the Bovey contrives to be so ubiquitous I cannot pretend to say; I merely state bald facts.” Yelverton (#16) has flown under the radar for too long and according to Peter Alliss: “This is heathland golf of a high standard over a course similar to Walton Heath but without trees and some 600 feet above sea level. Situated on the edge of Dartmoor, the members would give you an argument if you claimed more beautiful views were to be found anywhere else. If Walton Heath was architect Herbert Fowler’s masterpiece, Yelverton is really only inferior in terms of sheer length.” Ross-on-Wye (#17) is the most northerly course to be listed in our South West Top 20. “There is immense variety at Ross,” wrote Frank Pennink, “and although it has more short par fours than most courses of its quality, they have exceptional features. The 2nd, 10th, 14th and 17th are really severe two-shotters, Peter Townsend once describing the 10th drive as more suited to a firing range. To make up for four short par fours, there are only three par threes, varying in length from 128, 143 and 212 yards. The 6th and 8th are genuine three-shotters. Altogether this is probably the finest new inland course constructed in these islands since the 1939–45 war and is a must for the connoisseur.” The prolific course designer Tom Dunn did a fine job squeezing 18 holes into a tight tract of land between the town and the coastline at Bude & North Cornwall (#18). The first five holes at Bude are nothing to write home about. The fun starts at the 6th. Those that admire greens hidden in punchbowls, greens raised onto plateaux, blind drives, blind approaches, stirring topography and hard and fast surfaces need look no further than this quirky and fun pure links course. There is a lovely feeling of peace and spaciousness in Wiltshire at Bowood Golf Resort (#19). The course opened play in 1992, to much acclaim. Despite its agrarian beginning, it’s a solid course where the late Dave Thomas made good use of the estate’s mature woodland. There’s a fair amount of water at Bowood too, but rarely does it come into play. And finally, back in Devon, the Championship course at the Dartmouth Hotel & Spa (#20) concludes our inaugural South West Top 20. Jeremy Pern designed Dartmouth, opening for play in 1992 and set in 225 acres of rolling, sometimes hilly countryside. The English architect used the undulating terrain creatively, designing some genuinely memorable and thrilling holes. South West England - Top 20 Golf Courses 2017 Rank/ Click the following links to see in detail our latest Best In County rankings for the three North West counties: Cornwall Top 10 Golf Courses 2017 Devon Top 20 Golf Courses 2017 Dorset Top 10 Golf Courses 2017 Gloucestershire Top 10 Golf Courses 2017 Somerset Top 10 Golf Courses 2017 Wiltshire Top 10 Golf Courses 2017 Keith Baxter Top 100 Golf Courses