Trevose GC (PICS)

[Paul_Turner]

This course gets mixed reviews, from something like: "fine natural, subtle, links" to "playing on a sloping field".

The NAFFER and I played it on our recent tour and we leaned far more towards the former.  Even allowing for my transparent Colt bias.  In fact I think our trio of St Enodoc, Trevose and Perranporth ecompassed just about the full extent of links golf:  With Trevose being the subtle, Perranporth the crazy and St Enodoc the sublime.

Bad, misty, light unfortunately, since the course has a spectacular setting with its rugged coastline.

Please comment! (Dullish or subtle?)


A general view with Trevose Head and Booby Bay just about visible in the fog.


Careful placement of the tee shot and you can see past this bunker to the green.


Big false front and a knob, front right, to complicate matters.


2nd approach.  Typical rippling terrain.


Superb par 3, 3rd.  Used to be bunker on the left edge.  NAF hopped over it for a close birdie putt.  The green is a beauty.


The famous 4th.  Tee shot, dogleg left.  Definitely the most spectacular hole.


Blind second.


Green.  Great view on a good day!


Approach at dogleg 5th.


Skyline green.


Fairway 6th.


Trciky green 6th.  Used to be a bunker just short.


Super 7th.  Green looks wide and shallow, but it's really:


Long, skinny and hog backed.


Tougher than it looks.  8th with crowned green.


Skyline 9th green.


Lovely 10th green.


From 11th tee.


V tough par 3 11th.




one of the best holes, the 12th.  Central bunker really makes the approach interesting.


Closer.


Looking back.

The 13th is OK but not a photography hole: almost off the links land here into pasture.  The 14th has cross bunker and a decent green even if the tee shot is a bot straight forward (unless you hook!).


Ridge at 15th.


Fall away, back portion of the green.


V. tough par 3 16th.  Lot of humps and hollows in dead ground behind the bunkers.


17th tee.


Green across a stream...and heavily sloped.


18th tee.


Approach shot.


Don't miss left.

A subtle design, but not dull; just don't go there hoping for a spectacular course like St Enodoc... also  I think this might be the only links I've played that has no revetted bunkers (other than RCD).

[Jeff_Mingay]

The natural simplicity gives me the chills. I wish more North American courses exhibited the same character. I mean, every town should have a Trevose. What more does a "real" golfer need?

[David_Tepper]

Paul-

As usual, your pictures are excellent. In fact, they make Trevose look far better than I remember it being when I was there in June, 2002.

Yes, the holes out along the coastline (#'s 3, 4 & 5) are quite good, but I remember more holes than just #14 being open field/pasture land in feel.

St. Endoc is far, far superior. Unfortunately, those were the only 2 courses in Cornwall I got to play. Did you take pictures of Perranport? Will you be posting them?

I am also interested in hearing about West Cornwall and Bude & North Cornwall if anyone has played them.    

Thanks as always.

DT

[Paul_Turner]

David

I just added a comment about not expecting a "St Enodoc".  But then that's a really special course.  

I did post a long thread on Perranporth with pics.  You should find it with a search.



Noel and I both liked the greens, in particular, at Trevose.  I think Colt did a good job with modest links land and decided to go the minimalist route because the course was always to be geared for the holiday golfer rather than "championship".  We played with no wind so it was pretty easy,  but it's very exposed and I'm sure is usually breezy.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Paul,  

As you know, I found Trevose rather less whelming than St Enodoc, but I still reckoned it worth putting it in my old Globetrotter book.  It's good holiday golf in that an average player is not going to get beaten up.  Your pictures show the greens to be more interesting than I remember.  I think it's the lack of definition on many holes that made it less interesting for me (a criticism I should also level at parts of Conwy, my home club), but that doesn't make it any easier.

David,

West Cornwall is really interesting.  It's on the short side (5,884 yards to a par of 69) and there are only two par 4s in excess of 400 yards but it is full of character.  There are some big dunes and fabulous seascapes.  The ground undulates considerably giving many really fascinating shots.  It was laid out by the local vicar, F.F. Tyack, his 18-hole course of 1896 replacing a 9-hole one of 1890.  The course has had little alteration since.  Jim Barnes, 1921 US Open Champion, learned his golf here.  The only problem is that it is a very compact site and it is possible to be hit by stray balls in parts of the course.  Stand out holes include the 1st, 229-yard par 3 with OOB all down the right; 2nd, 382-yard par 4 with big dunes on right and narrow entrance through dunes to raised green; 4th, 352-yard par 4 with the possibility of driving into OOB church graveyard tight to the fairway on the right and tricky approach over cross bunkers to green sloping away with 4 bunkers at back; 5th, 6th, 7th 'Calamity Corner' described by the club as 'a triangle of card wreckers' - 3 holes played on the far side of the railway, beside the beach; 9th, a stern 406-yard par 4 playing much longer because it is uphill to a hilltop green with awful trouble if you miss the green on the right (racing downhill towards the railway) yet the approach must be made from left to right to allow for the angle of the green; 11th, 362-yard par 4 with fierce approach shot played over high, rough-covered ridge; 13th, 264-yard par 4 played from tee on top of dunes - driveable, but wicked rough awaits the slightest mishit; 14th, 446-yard par 4 calling for big carry to curving fairway and a difficult green to hit and hold; 15th, 135-yard par 3 with 12 bunkers; 16th, 521-yard par 5 but the hardest hole on the course with a sloping fairway and gentle rise all the way to the green, which must not be missed on the right as the ground falls away severely.  Full of character!

Bude and North Cornwall is less spectacular than West Cornwall at its best but the setting is equally inviting, playing over a patch of linksland right in the town centre.  It's full of humps and bumps, crossing a burn and paths and roads.  Again there is no great length, 6057 yards to a par of 71, and there are only two par 4s longer than 400 yards, but this time thera are two short par 5s, the 447-yard 9th and 453-yard 18th.  There are some good natural holes making full use of the undulating land.

[Philip Gawith]

thanks for the pictures paul. i am sorry i missed it when i was in those parts recently, choosing to play st enodoc twice instead - in part influenced by GCA views that trevose was dull and inferior. i don't think lack of definition need mean dull - brora and royal north devon are both very open in parts, but not dull. i like the openness - psychologically, if that is not too strong a word, the course is a different proposition from so many more claustrophobic courses we play. and if it is all like the other courses i mentioned, then open need not mean it is easy.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Absolute subtle genius.  Like Jeff Mingay says, I wish there were more Trevose's throughout the world.

Not trying to bash Fazio and others, but could any of you see them building a course like this ever throughout there careers?

[NAF]

He knew the ocean mists that rose
And seemed for ever staying,
When moaned the foghorn from Trevose
And nobody was playing

-Sir John Betjeman

Trevose is like Muirfield just an open field to the eye.  But look closer and look for introspection and you'll find not a hidden gem but a course with a deeper character intact mostly due to Colt's use of the land in certain spots.

What I loved-

3rd thru 5th holes.. great par 3, par 5 and par 4.. 3rd is like the Postage Stamp into a straight slice wind off the ocean.  The left to right tilt that Colt build the hole into is spectacular and the right bunker finds a lot of balls into its clutches.

The 4th while famous and short for a par 5 is spectacular in 2 areas.  The drive is semi blind from the championship tee, especially if you cut off the mountain of the buffering sand hill on the left(you can't tell how much wind will effect the ball) and the landing area is extremely bumpy and full of ripples---like any great links.  There are no easy lies here and the second shot is uphill and blind dead into the teeth of the wind.

The 5th is very much a sense of place like the 12th at St. Enodoc--with the Bay behind you and the doglegging left aspect of the hole.  Hitting the skyline green is a joy to behold.

The wavy potato chip green on the 7th is almost worth the price of admission at Trevose.  One can ask Paul, but I reckon it would be on a top 18 list of his best greens.

The 9th is another skyline green on a short par 5.  It is extremely narrow in width however and hitting it downwind is a challenge even with a wedge. I would have been more impressed here if I hadnt seen an earlier skyline green and 10 the previous day at Perranporth.

The terrain on the back is not as spectacular as the terrain on the front but you never really get bored even when you get into flatter/marshier land.  Colt's ingenious greens and use of plateux and ridge are incredible.  The stretch from 11-12 and 16-18 can hold its own on any links course.  The 11th is a plateau to plateau Colt special that Paul's one iron failed him on.  It may be the toughest green to hit in regulation and it has a very wavy ridge running thru it too that appears like a false front.  The 12th again is a tough visual hole on the approach with its bunker short of the green.  It really tricked me the overclub my approach.

Overall I'd say Trevose is a 5 on the Doak Scale but I'd definitely like to play it on a day the foghorn isnt in play for a delightful nice round of golf.  I know I'd walk off with a smile on my face.

[Pete Lavallee]

Thanks for another great set of photos Paul. After hearing
the comments on how dull this course is, it looks like most people did miss
alot while they were there. I will definetly add it to my itinerary on the next trip to
Cornwall, as it seems to make the ideal compliment to St. Enodoc and Perranporth.

[George Pazin]

Thought this was worth a bump.