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I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have grown up on the Devon and Cornwall border.

The two counties that make up the far reaches of the West Country offer everything you could possibly need, from the finest golden beaches and spectacular rolling moorland, to vibrant cities and plenty of fine dining. (And that’s just the pasty shops…)

But with the likes of Fife, Kent, Northern Ireland and the so-called ‘Golf Coasts’ of both England and Scotland often taking all the headlines, Devon and Cornwall can sometimes be overlooked as a golf getaway.

The truth, though, is that the Atlantic coastline that stretches from the burrows of North Devon all the way down to the tip of the UK mainland in Cornwall offers some of the most jaw-dropping, inspiring, and varied links courses in the UK.

More importantly, they’re great fun.

So, please allow me to help you build the perfect South West links getaway…

The headline acts

Royal North Devon

Royal North Devon
Royal North Devon offers spectacular views of the Atlantic coastline. (Credit: Getty Images)

What a year 1860 was for golf. It not only saw the birth of The Open, but also marked the beginnings of the sport in England when Old Tom Morris travelled to Westward Ho! to begin sculpting his first creation south of Hadrian’s Wall. Nestled in the Northam Burrows National Park, RND, as it’s known locally, is about as unforgettable an experience as you will ever have on a course, which explodes into life with a run of holes from the third to the eighth that is as good as you’ll play anywhere. With expansive landscapes featuring little definition, you can see influences of the Old Course here. This is golf as au naturel as it gets. JH Taylor was born nearby, and the stunning par-3 fifth is overlooked by a mural of the five-time Open champion. Speaking of which, be sure to leave time to look around the clubhouse, which doubles up as a museum to offer a fascinating step back into golf’s illustrious history. A true golf pilgrimage.

Saunton

Saunton Golf Club is one of the finest 36-hole links complexes in the world. (Credit: Getty Images)

The views from the clubhouse at Saunton, the home of two courses – the East and West – is one of the finest you’ll ever soak in. The sand dunes of Braunton Burrows lie ahead, situated between the River Taw and Torridge Estuary, and they accommodate 36 holes of the highest-quality links golf. While the West is still highly rated, it’s the East that is generally considered the best in Devon, and it was here that Sergio Garcia won the Boys’ Amateur in 1997. The East’s strength is its par-4s – well, there are 14 of them – but the exposed 136-yard 13th is the real showstopper. A true links par-3 hole. Harry Vardon, the seven-time major champion, once said: “I would like to retire to Saunton and do nothing but play golf for pleasure.” Reviews don’t come much better than that. There’s good reason why plenty of people believe that, should the R&A ever venture to the South West to look for a new Open venue, the search should begin and end at Saunton.

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St Enodoc

St Enodoc is generally considered the best golf course in Cornwall. (Credit: Getty Images)

From the best golf course in Devon to the best golf course in Cornwall – maybe even the region. While St Enodoc, nestled on the edge of the small sailing village of Rock and overlooking the picturesque harbour of Padstow, opened in 1891, it wasn’t until 1907 that five-time Open champion James Braid added his magic touch to the links.
The entirely natural terrain weaves its way along the Camel Estuary before turning inland and looping around a 19th-century church and back to the waterfront. What results is a golf course that seemingly reinvents itself every time you step onto a new tee. The sixth hole is something of a collectors’ item, demanding a blind drive to a mid-sized fairway followed by a blind approach to a hidden green that must carry ‘Himalayas’ – a huge bunker carved into a sand dune that climbs some 75 to 100 feet into the Cornwall sky. It’s a hole you’ll be talking about for years to come.

Trevose

The 4th green at Trevose is one of the most dramatic you’ll ever play. (Credit: Getty Images)

With its superlative 18-hole Championship course, as well as nine-hole and par-3 layouts and accommodation options in the form of apartments, bungalows and chalets, Trevose is about as good as it gets for the travelling golfer. But don’t confuse this as ‘holiday golf’, this Harry Colt design is as tough as they come. With spectacular views across Constantine Bay and neighbouring Booby’s Bay and out to Trevose Head, there is no shortage of drama here. The showstopper here is the fourth. Recently overhauled by renowned architects Mackenzie & Ebert, the par-4 sweeps down and doglegs left into a green set back into the Atlantic Ocean. Get this in the right conditions, and you’ll be standing over your putts just feet away from the waves as they crash high into the air above you. The perfect base for any trip to this part of the world.

Other notable links

Bude & North Cornwall

Of course I’m having Bude here. It is, after all, my hometown and my home course. A quirky, thrilling course full of blind drives, plateau greens and rumpled fairways, Bude is as challenging as it is fun. The par-3 fourth is surely the only hole in the world completely isolated by roads, while the par-4 seventh, with its hidden raised green, is as good a hole as you’ll play anywhere in the country. The back nine offers more opportunity to unleash your driver and, if the weather is on your side, you can really make gains here. If you’re lucky, across the road from the fifth, there may be a match taking place on what is surely one of the UK’s most photogenic cricket pitches.

Perranporth

A personal favourite. The fact that this James Braid layout hasn’t changed since it opened in 1927 is testament to its design. A cliff-top paradise, you will find yourself reaching for your phone as one picturesque view across the town and beach is replaced by another.

Bude is worthy of a place in any Cornish golf trip. (Credit: Bude & North Cornwall Golf Club)

West Cornwall

The oldest course in the county and home to three-time major champ ‘Long’ Jim Barnes, West Cornwall has it all. Truly a tale of two nines, there are plenty of quirky twists and turns to be had going out before a true links test coming home. From holes that meander through dunes, to cliff-top thrills, and even a hole that runs alongside a railway line, WCGC is pure adrenaline.

Mullion

The club is perhaps most famous for receiving a letter from Augusta National to – ahem – politely request that it stops dishing out a green jacket to the winner of its annual Coverack Masters, but its course is every bit as newsworthy. If the opening hole, a long par-3 which crosses both the second and 18th holes isn’t bonkers enough, wait until you reach the sixth, a driveable par-4 played over a cliff-edge. The thrills and spills don’t stop there, with the signature tenth demanding an approach so accurate that, should you miss the green by even a few feet to the right, you’re on the beach. (Literally, not figuratively.) An absolute must-play.


author headshot

Alex Perry is the Associate Editor of bunkered. A journalist for more than 20 years, he has been a golf industry stalwart for the majority of his career and, in a five-year spell at ESPN, covered every sporting event you can think of. He completed his own Grand Slam at the 2023 Masters, having fallen in love with the sport at his hometown club of Okehampton and on the links of nearby Bude & North Cornwall.

Associate Editor

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