Magical St. Enodoc - pictures - BACK NINE ADDED

[Ed Tilley]

I had the great fortune on Monday to play golf at St. Enodoc. Situated in the small, but extremely expensive (the most expensive property prices in the UK of any place outside of central London) seaside village of Rock on the Camel estuary in Cornwall. I had played the course several times in my early 20's but hadn't been there for almost 10 years. It is an absolutely charming place but I was pleasantly surprised to re-discover the sheer quality of the golf course which often gets overlooked.

The 1st hole is a wonderful opener - a reachable par 5 which gradually reveals the spleandour of the setting. It has a wonderful, bunkerless, raised green that can be difficult to hit even with a very short club.





back to the tee



over the edge







The second is a long par 4 through a valley to a shelf green.









The third is another stout par 4, with a blind drive, curving round a very large dune. The green setting over a wall is fantastic.







from behind



The 4th is an absolutely brilliant short par 4. At under 300 yards it is reachable for the big boys but Out of Bounds is a very real danger. From the tee:



Anyone playing short and left is left with a very tricky pitch to an extremely narrow green hard by the OOB wall.



Anyone taking on the OOB wall and driving onto the upper level is left with an extremely straightforward pitch down the length of the green. A true risk / reward classic.



The 5th is a mid length par 3 over a marshy valley:







The 6th is normally the hole that St. Enodoc is remembered for, due to the enormous Himalaya bunker. However, the green site, surrounded by dunes is also a highlight.







The 7th is a mid length 4 with a semi blind drive to a flat fairway. There is hidden evil for anyone going long.







The 8th is a heavily bunkered short par 3 that can be fearsome in a wind as it is very exposed.





The good holes just keep coming with the 9th, a downhill par 4 with an inviting drive and a beautifully sited green.










I'll post the back nine photos later today.

[David_Tepper]

Ed -

Thanks for the pics. Can't wait to see the back nine.
I played St. Endoc in June, 2002 and enjoyed it immensely.
I think the course is close to the perfect combination of challenge and quirk, with great scenery as well.

DT

[Andrew Mitchell]

Magical indeed Ed.

I played there in summer 2006 whilst staying across the estuary in Padstow.  The course played much more fast & firm then but given the weather we've had this year it's no surprise to see it so green.

The front nine is superb with great ground movement but I recollect a couple of bland holes on the back nine (13, 14?).  Having said that I could content myself by playing there for the rest of my days.

[John Mayhugh]

Thanks for posting the pics.  Quite a few views that I've not seen before.  One more place I must see.

[Adrian_Stiff]

Lovely pics Ed.

[Ed Tilley]

10 is a hole that polarises opinions. I must confess that I'm not a big fan. It's a very natural hole, and quite spectacular, but it forces you to play the hole in a certain way. The only real play is to drive into the wide part of the fairway, which narrows drastically at around 230 yards. You are then forced to hit a 230 odd yard approach with OOB all the way down the left. I know that some think it is wonderful but I respectfully disagree.











11 enters very different territory and is definitely the weak part of the course. 11-13 are a notch below the rest - if only 3 more holes could have been found in the dunes (the 14th tee is very close to the 10th green). It is a tough par 3 of 200 yards against the prevailing wind with OOB left.





It started to get very dark and rain at this point which makes the 12th and 13th look a bit more gloomy than they actually are. 12 tees off by the beach and has an excellent raised green site, although you can't really see it in these photos.





13 goes steeply uphill and is a bit of a slog, although it has a nice skyline green with a steep drop off the right.





ST.Enodoc returns to its quirky best with the wonderful 14th - one of my favourite holes. There is a massive drop to the right of the fairway (down onto the 10th) and a brilliant green site - a lovely front dip making judgement of distance difficult and a 4 foot walled vertical drop off the right side. OOB awaits the too strong approach. Short but testing.







15 is a mid length par 3 with a steep drop from tee to green.



16 starts a vintage finish with a return to prime linksland. This shortish par 5 runs beside the bay. Controversially (particularly on here), the natural bunkerless greensite was recently moved back 30 yards and to the left as it was felt that the hole was too short. I was interested to see the new green and I thought it fitted quite nicely with the hole. The old green was directly in front of the first of the bunkers - you can still tell exactly where it was as the grass is a different colour.















17 is a 200 yard uphill par 3 with a beautifully sited green tucked in the dunes.







18 is a rollercoaster finish. Over 400 yards it requires 2 reasonable blows over wildly undulating land. A worthy finish to a high class course.

[Noel Freeman]

Paul Turner and I played here right before they did the work on #16 green.. I had visited St. Enodoc before but on that trip I obviously knew the green was marked for death.. I thought one of the coolest things about #16 was the fact that it had no bunkers and it fit the land perfectly.. Essentially, during the summer I believe the membership was unhappy because a big hitter could hit driver 8 or 9 iron and make an easy birdie.  So they moved the green to where you see it now.  I'm not really sure it was worth doing all that for 30-40 yards especially in the summer when it will easily be reachable no matter what for the Tiger unless into the wind.. Ed's pictures look better than the earlier ones of the redone green than I've seen but just seeing bunkers is a disappointment as the green's original placement in that ampitheater looked natural and perfect.

Also many people don't realize that the 5th is a Tom Simpson green..

On a perfect day in June, 2001 at the solstice, Russell Talley and I were the only ones on the course as the sun went down around 10pm.  Being the summer solstice, the gloaming flattened the plane upon which you viewed the landscape making the contours appear enormous.  If you've seen the Good the Bad and the Ugly when Tuco Ramirez is running around the graves with that fervor from greed, then that was what I was doing except I was dying to play golf on this playing field.. It was then Russell bestowed me with the nickname Tuco..

[Tony_Muldoon]

Thanks Ed.  Anyone care to suggest a list of the top 5 Cornish links?  I have possible visits this time next year and 2010.  Cant wait.

[Richard Hetzel]

Thanks for the pictures. Simply incredible! I could play there forever and be happy!

[Bill_McBride]

That punchbowl sixth green looks lovely - is it as good as it looks?  After the drive over the Himalaya bunker, what a hole!  It's easy to visualize a lengthy bump and run shot trundling over those contours and winding up on the putting green in that hollow.

[David_Tepper]

Bill -

Unless my memory is even hazier than usual (or unless the hole is REALLY playing downwind), mere mortals will NOT be driving over the Himalaya bunker on #6 at St. Endoc. It is probably at least 220 yards from the tee to the base of the dune that holds that bunker.

I have a vague recollection of hitting driver and then a 7-wood blind over the Himalaya bunker to that lovely green.

DT 

[Bill_McBride]

Bill -

Unless my memory is even hazier than usual (or unless the hole is REALLY playing downwind), mere mortals will NOT be driving over the Himalaya bunker on #6 at St. Endoc. It is probably at least 220 yards from the tee to the base of the dune that holds that bunker.

I have a vague recollection of hitting driver and then a 7-wood blind over the Himalaya bunker to that lovely green.

DT 

Got it.  That could be the most beautiful green I've seen in a long time.  But I am a sucker for punchbowls!

[Jason McNamara]

Ed, thanks for the pics.

Tony, a first stab at your playlist might be:  for sure add Perranporth and Yelverton (the latter in Devon, but just over the border), plus some combo of West Cornwall, Mullion, Trevose, St. Mellion depending on preference/scheduling.  Others can refine this list.

[Sean_A]

Bill -

Unless my memory is even hazier than usual (or unless the hole is REALLY playing downwind), mere mortals will NOT be driving over the Himalaya bunker on #6 at St. Endoc. It is probably at least 220 yards from the tee to the base of the dune that holds that bunker.

I have a vague recollection of hitting driver and then a 7-wood blind over the Himalaya bunker to that lovely green.

DT 

Got it.  That could be the most beautiful green I've seen in a long time.  But I am a sucker for punchbowls!

Bill I can't imagine many folks carrying the Himalaya bunker on #6.  I am thinking it has to be at least a 300 yard carry, probably more because of the height of the dune which is likely at its peak at about 250 out from the yellow tee.  If guys are hitting the ball that far and accurate they should be on the back tee which would I am going to go out on a limb and say is impossible to carry - it must be something like 350 to do so.  To be honest, St Enodoc is such a strong course (I think only Sandwich is in its class for English links - everything else falls well short) that the 6th is probably one of the second tier holes.  Its more a or less a layup with a fairway wood and mid iron approach in normalish weather conditions. 

The course gets a bit of flack for the 11-15 stretch, but I think this is unjustified because 12 and especially 14 are terrific holes.  The only hole I don't care for in the stretch is #13.  It was recently mucked about and not improved. 

I spose #s5 & 15 are similar, but both are decent enough.  The par 3 which bugs me is the 8th downwind.  There is just no way to stop the ball.  If the bunkers going to be there, the green needs to be twice as deep.  I will tell how bad it was.  I last played in about a 20-25mph wind.  We hit shots that obviously bounced long.  We hit a few more with the same results.  We the tried to bounce over the fronting the bunkers with no luck.  The hole just doesn't make sense they way it is.

I have become a big fan of #10 only because I think every course should have that one hole which is a bit crazy and flies in the face of par.  However, I spose most won't like it because the second shot is longer than the drive for most folks.  Plus, the second requires a sling hook aimed at the church with the hope it will turn some two dozen yards to the left - with the help of the topography.  Well, I like it.

Best links in Cornwall

St Enodoc

Perranporth
Trevose/West Cornwall

Bude (not really a recommendation)

Thanks for posting Ed!

Ciao

[Rob Rigg]

Bill,

Wow!

St. E's is absolutely spectacular, thank you for taking the time to post the pics.

Another course in eng-er-land to add to the list . . .

Seems like a great blend of quirk and originality, aside from 11 to 13 as you stated.

How imposing is the OB? Seems very tight indeed and could become very very frustrating if you were not on your game.

It would appear that one needs a strong constitution to take on St Enodoc.

[Bill_McBride]

Rob, I've never been there, those are Ed Tilley's photos and commentary.  I just hijacked one of his excellent photos!

Ed, thanks for the photo tour, my favorite feature of GolfClubAtlas.com.  And good to hear from you.  It's been too long since Beau Desert.

[Rob Rigg]

Apologies Ed!

I did not scroll to the top.

Props for posting the pics! 

[Phil McDade]

Great photos; wonderful tour of the course.

The hole that immediately caught my eye was #14 -- a semi-blind, skyline fairway, that drops off right, and a really neat-looking greensite. I even like how the green falloff reveals the town in the distance. Looks like a lot of fun to play.

[Ed Tilley]

Thanks Ed.  Anyone care to suggest a list of the top 5 Cornish links?  I have possible visits this time next year and 2010.  Cant wait.

I would broadly agree with Sean on this one. The only problem is that I haven't played Trevose.

St. Enodoc is far and a way the best Cornish course - and one of the best courses anywhere.

Of the rest, I am a massive fan of Perranporth. It is a wild and wonderful links in the sky that is borderline unfair but an absolute blast.







West Cornwall is very enjoyable and well worth a visit. It has some lovely holes but is not quite as fun as Perranporth.

Mullion, the southernmost course in England, is pretty basic, although it does have lovely views and some memorable holes. I have played this many, many times as we stay nearby on the Helford river and I always look forward to going back, which I suppose is as good a recommendation as any.

Other than these 4, and possibly Trevose, I wouldn't suggest going elsewhere - I've played courses like Falmouth and Truro and they're not worth diverting from the links.

[George Pazin]

Thanks for sharing, Ed. Looks like a pretty special place.