Royal West Norfolk - Golf at High Tide

[Robin_Hiseman]

Golf at Brancaster is a lifetime highlight in any circumstance, but I've always had a desire to play the course at high tide, with the sea inlets full to the brim.

The 2017 tide times for the course show a high tide range of 6.7 - 9.2 metres. I wonder if any of you know what the minimum high tide height is that actively fills the inlets out at the far end of the course?

I've not contacted the club yet, but a google search has proved fruitless.

If any of you share my ambition and would like to experience it in 2017 then do let me know. The unusually big daytime tides tend to fall in the final week of the summer months. The only problem is that the time of day in which they peak may make road access impossible unless one is there very early indeed.

[Scott Macpherson]

Hi Robin,


I agree with you that RWN is a really great golfing experience. The experience is also enhanced when the tide is in (see my photos taken on 18 Oct 2012). I am not sure how high the tide was when I visited the course for my book on the royal clubs, but as regards filling the inlets at the far end of the course, I thought these would be the first to fill as the tide rolls in. If so, I suspect even a low high tide may be enough to fill them.


Scott

[Tom_Doak]

Robin:


Brancaster is high on my list of courses to get back to -- I haven't been there since I took Bruce Hepner in 1995.  I'd go at the end of November, when we're at Woodhall Spa, if that works for you.


Personally, though, I like it better when the hazard in front of the 9th is sand, not water!  For me one of the attractions of the course is going down into the edge of the hazards to play back out, something that you seldom see anymore in American golf with our desire to control Nature and impose black-and-white penalties.

[Tim Gallant]

I've never played Brancaster, but it has been high on my list for years. November works for me.

[Thomas Dai]

Somewhere I've long wished to visit and play so I'd be keen to participate.


A reminder of the course - James phototour -  http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,46901.msg1044072.html#msg1044072


Atb

[Robin_Hiseman]

Tom

That sounds like it could be a date. Let's keep it in mind. The tides need not be a consideration then.

Scott

Many thanks for putting up the photos. That's exactly how i'd like to see it.

When we had the golfclubatlas get together there four years ago, the tide was far out and if I remember rightly, it was a neap tide, so the inlets stayed dry throughout the day. It would be fun to play the course twice in a day and experience the inlets at both ends of their spectrum.

What other courses are so dramatically affected by tides? I remember the 1st hole at the tiny Lochcarron course in the north-west highlands of Scotland transforming into a near island green by the tide, but i'm not familiar with other examples. Some of the low lying holes at Rye perhaps?

[John Mayhugh]

Hard to believe it's been four years since Tony's outing at Brancaster.  I would love to get back there.  My favorite course in England, and probably the first place I would show to someone if I were trying to explain what I love about golf.

I like the variability with the tide, but for my game, tide out is challenging enough.

[Scott Macpherson]

Robin,


When I played there, I had to be at the clubhouse before dawn to beat the tide coming in. Only about 10 people were on the course that day, and we all had to wait for the sun to come up before we could play. The early morning bacon sandwiches were stomach and time fillers. Once you're on the course, as you'll know, you're stuck there till the tide goes out. I loved the course and old clubhouse and at lunch found myself at a table with a number of members from 1 family that spanned 3 generations – brilliant!


No other UK courses immediately leap to mind that have a tidal extravaganza like Brancaster, but do you know if Westwood Ho! can, at times, be impact by high tides?


Let me know if you find a date in November for a visit to RWN, I'll see if I can make it.


Scott

[Thomas Dai]

There are combination of effects as well - high tides, wind blowing from offshore-to-onshore plus rainwater torrenting down streams/burns towards the sea - although not necessarily all at the same time - plus there's the natural water table to consider.
As examples, I've seen Cruden Bay's 13th hole and the 1st, 2nd, 17th and 18th holes plus a big area west of the 1st at Westward Ho! covered in water or seriously wet from some combination of the above. I believe that sometimes the burn across the course at Brora rises so high that the far end of the course is cut-off. The 3rd fairway at Royal Porthcawl has an underground catchpit and pump system.
Atb

[David Davis]

Wow, indeed 4 years ago is hard to believe. Brancaster is a great course. If I remember correctly we played 36 that day. But it was the afternoon round that was the most fun when the hard rain and wind came. My formidable opponent proved to be a bit of a fair weather player    but made my life difficult teaching me how to press the hard way. It still feels like the card game in Stripes.


So let me get this straight, I won 7 of the 9 holes on the front 9 and I'm 2 down going into 10 ha ha?


We certainly didn't see this course with the island green as shown in the photo would be cool to see that sometime.

[jeffwarne]

Wow, indeed 4 years ago is hard to believe. Brancaster is a great course. If I remember correctly we played 36 that day. But it was the afternoon round that was the most fun when the hard rain and wind came. My formidable opponent proved to be a bit of a fair weather player    but made my life difficult teaching me how to press the hard way. It still feels like the card game in Stripes.


So let me get this straight, I won 7 of the 9 holes on the front 9 and I'm 2 down going into 10 ha ha?


We certainly didn't see this course with the island green as shown in the photo would be cool to see that sometime.

From what I remember, you learned how to handle the presses pretty quickly.....
Only a guy who plays a links all winter in The Netherlands would consider me a fair weather player.
To be fair you only won 6 out of 9 and were only one down

[Tom_Doak]

No other UK courses immediately leap to mind that have a tidal extravaganza like Brancaster, but do you know if Westwood Ho! can, at times, be impact by high tides?

I played at Westward Ho! right around a high tide last fall.  The water was very nearly up to the green at the par-3 8th at the far end of the course, but that was the only hole that seemed affected. 

[Scott Macpherson]

Tom,


That would make sense, the 8th hole at Westwood Ho! is named 'Estuary'!


Scot

[Tom_Doak]

Tom,


That would make sense, the 8th hole at Westwood Ho! is named 'Estuary'!

I didn't remember that hole from previous visits, but I had played then at low tide, and the beach seemed to be a mile deep.  I think they have also lengthened the 8th substantially ... there is a tee back in the dunes that I never noticed, which makes it more dramatic.

[Sam Krume]

One of my favourite favourite courses. The sense of isolation, being at one with golf and nature just puts a smile on my face. It's fantastic.

[Andy Stamm]

I would be very keen to give Brancaster a go.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

I played. It in September at high tide and all the inlets were full.
It was great, played behind a club match playing foursomes with two dogs who were having a blast running t brought the water filled inlets.
One of those very special days, weather was terrific about a club and a half wind, pace of play was perfect behind the club match to hit a few extra shots and dabble around the greens.
Love the place from the very special walk through the memorial gate all the way to the walk back through it....a very very special place

[James Reader]

I played Brancaster for the first time this week and loved it. 
One specific thought; even though I’d read all about it, and seen plenty of photos, I hadn’t appreciated just what a great - and unique (or at least i’ve never seen anything quite like it before) - hole the 8th is.  It struck me that it would seem an ideal candidate to have become a template hole.  Any thoughts as to why it didn’t?  Was it considered just too difficult in its day?

[Tom_Doak]

It is pretty hard to find properties where you could use a template hole that's based on a tidal feature.


I suppose you could substitute water hazards but, as I said above, the sandy areas when the tide is out are more forgiving to most golfers, and therefore more appealing.

[Tim Martin]

The par three 3rd hole at Kittansett is much more friendly if the tide is out. The landing area to the right of the green on the beach side is shrunken dramatically at high tide.

[James Reader]

It is pretty hard to find properties where you could use a template hole that's based on a tidal feature.


I suppose you could substitute water hazards but, as I said above, the sandy areas when the tide is out are more forgiving to most golfers, and therefore more appealing.

I wasn’t thinking of the tidal aspect really (the tide was way out when I played, but it certainly didn’t detract from my opinion of the hole), rather the carry to a narrow fairway on an angle from the tee, and then another similar carry to the green. 

[Guy Nicholson]

For me one of the attractions of the course is going down into the edge of the hazards to play back out, something that you seldom see anymore in American golf with our desire to control Nature and impose black-and-white penalties.

I was there a few weeks ago.

I was there a few weeks ago.

Wonderful experience for all the usual reasons, but especially this one. On the 8th, I made birdie the conventional way: driver, fairway metal near the green, got up and down. But my playing partner drove into the first leg of hazard, which was dry. He bladed one through the fairway into the next leg of hazard. Then, he blasted his third to a spot about 50 yards left of the green. He holed out from there; we halved and had a great laugh about it.