There are 31 golf clubs affiliated to the Cornwall Golf Union, which was founded in 1901. The oldest golf club in the county is West Cornwall at Lelant, dating back to 1889. St Enodoc, Newquay and Bude and North Cornwall were all inaugurated soon after.

The Cornwall Ladies' Golf Championship dates back to 1896, though we don’t know who organised the annual event up until the Ladies’ Cornwall Golf Union was established in 1912. A rival group called the Cornwall Ladies’ County Golf Association was formed in 1928 then, a couple of years later, the two organisations merged to form the Cornwall Ladies’ County Golf Association and this governing body continues to provide golf administration and development services to female golfers in Cornwall today.

Although there are relatively few golf courses on the Cornish peninsula, the quality of golf on offer is excellent. The glorious costal settings of many Cornwall courses coupled with fresh, local cuisine – popularised by Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant in Padstow – combine to make Cornwall a glorious golfing destination.

The best golf courses can be found strung out along the northern coast from Bude in the north to Lelant in the south. But for those wanting to play golf at the extremities of England, Cape Cornwall (England’s most westerly course) and Mullion (England’s most southerly course) will fit the bill. Cape Cornwall narrowly missed our biennial Cornish Best In County rankings but it’s a course that once played will never be forgotten.

Our Cornwall Best in County golf course rankings were updated in 2019. Click the link to read the story.