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‘Heaven
In Devon’
Golf on the North Devon Coast
SAUNTON GOLF
CLUB
At Saunton Golf
Club on the other side of the bay, black and white pictures in the
clubhouse suggest that, miraculously, little has changed here either
in this ‘other half’ of North Devon’s golfing paradise.
Naturally, traffic
builds up here in the summer months as holidaymakers (particularly
hopeful surfers) flock to the ‘main event’ - the beach. Not forgetting
the quaint satellite spots of Croyde and Ilfracombe – the latter,
incidentally, with its own stunning golf course that boasts a view
of the sea from all 18 tees – a surprisingly rare treat on a British
course.
Not that golfers
at Saunton are in need of such distractions. Forget the ‘holiday
golf’ tag for a minute; this links is no picnic. The East course
here is a heavyweight proposition, a man-sized golf course that
takes no prisoners. If the Open championship ever made a detour
to the South West, then Saunton would be the prime candidate. And
it is no doubt only for reasons of infrastructure that the R&A
has not extended the rota in this direction. Nevertheless, the club
has hosted its fair share of eminent and R&A amateur events
and Home internationals down the years, most recently the 1997 British
Boys Championship won be a certain precocious talent from Spain
- Sergio Garcia.
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The beauty
of Saunton indeed belies the ferocity of the test that was
legendary long before the 1966 Brabazon trophy when the great
amateur, R.D.B.M. Shade, was famously the only player to break
70 all week. Meanwhile,
mortal bogey golfers need to be on their guard.
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We can escape
punishment at much of RND but stray too far
off line at Saunton and there is no reprieve.
Take the first
four holes. The Aintree-style ‘elbow’ of dunes at the 1st;
the deep bowl to the left of the 2nd green, the jungle
rough flanking the ribbon of fairway at the dogleg 3rd;
and the ‘Scylla & Charybdis’ bunkers on the 3rd fairway,
all spell a dropped shot.
And we’re hardly
into the round.
Meanwhile, when
singing the praises of the 5th, Sir Michael Bonallack
suggested that “if you can’t reach the green here with a wedge you
shouldn’t be playing golf”. It may be only 112-yards but let’s just
say that the former R&A Secretary and five-time amateur champion
probably wasn’t playing into the prevailing sea breezes just waiting
to play havoc with your game.
Unusually, that
par 3 is the only short hole in the first 12 holes (even St Andrews
is kinder). But the perception of toughness is best captured by
the story of a former club secretary’s dog who retired after a career
haul of 20,000 golf balls - all found among Saunton’s colourful
gorse, willow scrub and buckthorn. History relates that most were
recycled through the club pro shop.
And you’d better
believe it. For while the casual holiday golfer can it knock around
happily from a forward tee, Saunton from the whites is a true test
of concentration as the golfer asked to confront every test in the
book.
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springing to mind is the 8th green, tucked cheekily
behind a dune; the wickedly double-tiered plateau at the 9th;
and the upturned saucer (appropriately named ‘Saddle’) at the
short 13th. All require exact irons - and that assumes
you’re in |
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| ‘Position
A’ off the tee. Your driving, too, will need to be on song with
four 400-yard holes in the last five, the exception being a
full-blooded long-iron to a distant green below you at the 202-yard
17th. |
Finally, a ‘power
fade’ at the last will leave you (at last) a mild enough mid-iron
into the large home green in front of the welcoming clubhouse.
It is indeed
Saunton’s consistency as well as its natural beauty that is responsible
for its reputation as the finest test in the South West. Only the
extreme dogleg 11th with its out of bounds bordering
a field at the right-angle, could be dubbed in any sense controversial
even by the strictest of modern tournament criteria.
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Meanwhile,
Saunton’s West course may be the younger brother but is by no
means inferior as with most ‘second’ courses. Originally built
in the mid-1930s, the course fell into disrepair after being
used for military training in World War II. Since 1975, however,
it has posed a fine alternative test to the East. Somewhat shorter
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with some extreme doglegs, calling for equally astute shot-making
as at the two more famous links on this wonderful coastline.
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Away from the
golf, Westward Ho! is most famous as the title of the controversial
anti-Catholic story penned by Anglican vicar Charles Kingsley while
living in nearby Bideford. Perhaps, more appropriately, it was also
the cry of those Wild West pioneers as they ventured across the
American heartland confronting everything nature threw in their
path.
And that’s a
useful philosophy for this particular golfing adventure, whether
you’re tackling Saunton, Royal North Devon or - like those few intrepid
members of both these great clubs – the wild No Man’s Land in between.
FACT FILE
Saunton
Golf Club
Nr. Braunton
North
Devon
Telephone:
01271 812436
Fax: 01271
814241
Website: www.sauntongolf.co.uk
Green Fees:
18 holes:
£40 weekdays £50 weekends and bank holidays
36 holes:
£40 weekdays £50 weekends and bank holidays
Visitors: accepted
after 9.30 am but ring for pre-booking and availability. Handicap
certificates should be produced.
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