Golf has been played at St Enodoc since 1888. The current course can be attributed to James Braid who laid it out in 1907. It plays 6243 yards from the medal tees, with a SSS of 70. The difficulty is increased by having only 2 par 5’s and 5 par 3’s. Tom Doak said it best:”St Enodoc is a roller coaster ride you’ll never forget!”. The front 9 is played through pure linksland and then like many great courses, you leave that environment for 6 holes which circle the old Norman Church. The sense of adventure in leaving the dunes for a completely different environment is no doubt a significant part of the course’s charm. The last three holes return to the dunes for a stunning finish. The Club did install fairway irrigation in 1998, luckily it’s used sparingly and only to keep the turf from what the members refer to as:” turning white”. Visitors are reminded that this Club is quite busy with over 800 members and is also popular with the many holiday makers who frequent the Cornish Coast.
The 1st is an ideal starting hole, a 518 yd par 5. It can be difficult to keep the drive out of the dunes in stiff crosswind, they are steep and a pitch out is the best one can hope for.
Here’s the view of the second shot.
The 2cnd plays through a dune valley to a nicely plateaued green, 438 yd par 4.
Here’s a feature sorely lacking in modern golf, the blind drive, it’s 180 to the barber pole.
The second shot on this 436 yd hole must cross this old stone wall and a road.
Here’s a closer look, the road leads to some houses at the other end of the course.
The 4th is an all world short par 4 at 292 yds. The L-shaped fairway presents out of bounds to the right and a marsh to the left. Players who can drive over the cow pasteur and get to the right side will have a pitch and run from level ground to the green. Miss left and you have a difficult pitch from below over bunkers. The visibility of the danger is what gives this hole that terrifying edge.
The 5th plays 161 yds over the marshy area.
Just when you think it can’t get any better you reach the 378 yd 6th. A shot of about 230 yards off the tee will leave you short of the largest bunker in England and about 150 yards to the green.
However you will now have this blind shot over the Himalaya Bunker!
The tee shot on the 394 yd 7th is partially blind over these rugged dunes.
The well bunkered par 3 8th, 155 yds.
The drive must be kept short of the big mound which can easily be reached 296 yards off the tee on this downhill hole 393 yards.
One of the finest natural holes that I have played the 10th is great at 457 yards whether one calls it a par 4 or 5 (it’s a 4 on the card these days). In order to have an iron into the hole you must challenge the steep hill on the right and stream to the left. The landing area pinches to about 10 yards wide.
The next shot must avoid the stream valley to the left of the green.
Here’s another view from on high.
The 11th plays 205 yds, again with the stream valley to left over the hedge.
After teeing off with the beach directly behind you, this is the second to the par 4 12th, 386 yds.
The 13th climbs steeply uphill, 360 yards, with moguls guarding the right of the green.
The view of St Enodoc Church, with its' wonky steeple, the 11th green, 12th tee and Daymer Bay from the 14th teeing ground
The 14th also plays uphill, at 355 yds.
The green has a sheer fall of to the right, shored up by a stone wall. My second shot rolled to the back right, only 6 inches from the edge. The only shot I had was a left handed putt with the back of a 3 iron; the most gratifying up and down of the trip! Notice the ramp to access the green from the right side.
The drop shot par 3 15th is 156 yds long.
Back to the linksland for a birdie chance on the 495 yard par 5 16th. This is from 200 yards from the green.
The 17th is a strong par 3, 206 yards uphill.
The 446 yard par4 18th makes for a great finish, through the dunes back to the clubhouse.
