I've spent most of the 48 hours since I walked off the 18th green at St Enodoc thinking about the experience.
I certainly went there expecting a lot. It was a gorgeous day and I was off second group alone with plenty of time to explore the holes and take lots of pics.
While I thought the greens and green complexes on holes like 1, 4, 6, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17 and 18 were amazing, and probably the highlight for me (as well as the quality of the surfaces), there were elements of disappointment.
From the gushing praise I have read on here, I suspect I might be alone, or at least in a minority, but here goes anyway.
Too much blindnessI thought blindness was overused as a feature. Going back through the round, I can recall 12 blind or partially blind shots. 9 of the 13 drives and the second shot on the two par fives and the 10th. I thought it was simply too much, and felt reducing/removing the blindness of a few drives - 6 and 9 and possibly 7 - would enhance the experience.
The 6th has the amazing Himalaya bunker and that magic green complex, if you lower the dune in the left of the fairway you open up the safe landing area a bit more while also providing greater temptation for the big hitter to try to thread the needle down the left.
The 9th, I felt, was just overkill off the tee to have that as a blind tee shot after knee-trembling tee shots on the previous two par fours and immediately preceeding the 10th hole. I'd have liked to see the 9th play as more of a good breather hole like 14 at The Addington, with such great drama sitting either side of it.
I think judicious blindness like you see used at Deal, Zoute, Addington, NSW and Newcastle is thrilling and fun. In most instances on those holes that blindness is coupled with width, but to me, the use of blindness at St Enodoc bordered on self-indulgent.
Too narrow in partsFor the winds that crack across that site coupled with the blindness of so many shots, I thought holes like 2, 3 and 10 ranged from a bit too narrow to crazy.
You could extend the fairway left on the 3rd, let a drive behind the dune be found and create an amazing blind rescue shot. On the 2nd, which plays directly into the early morning sun, there were three lost balls in as many groups from drives that were no more than 20m off the centre of the fairway. For a hole that length, I think it's a bit much.
I measured the fairway at 250y from the tee on the 10th at eight yards wide with a creek left and a steep hill covered in lost ball rough to the right. And your reward for threading the ball into such a claustrophobic spot? 200y over water to a green you can't really see. I can hear the replies of "forget par and just play it", but as a safer three-shotter there is even more blindness, it's a comparitively boring 6i, 6i, wedge and it's still tighter than... a very tight thing!
If they maintained the near side of the hill on the left of the fairway as fairway, it would kick more drives down to the landing spot and give more players the decision of launching a long iron over water or laying up or out to the right of the green. I think that would improve the hole immensely and lead to more brave golf with more players trying a driver from the tee (granted I only watched three other groups play the hole, but only one of the 9 players in those groups hit the big dog).
Where that blindness and narrowness came together was where I found myself thinking some holes probably wouldn't be a lot of fun for many golfers.
The 1st, I think, is the perfect mix of blind shot excitement and width. On my lifetime composite course, it is hands down the opening hole I would include.
I also thought the 4th had a ridiculously small neck for a hole that is driveable, and bordered as it is by OOB on the right and deep bunkers and rough to the left. The tempation just was not there for me, especially compared with a hole like the 14th at Trevose, which I'd played the previous day.
So I still really enjoyed the experience and wouldn't hesitate to play there again were I to return to Padstow, but to me it wasn't what I have seen some people on here building it up to be. Having said that, I am but a GCA neophyte, so feel free to step forward and tell me what I am missing, or why my ideas for improving the above holes are utter shite
