Saunton and the Senioe Amateur

[ward peyronnin]

Two threads herein. I am very excited that my friend Todd White, US Sr Am Champion, has just clinched the Sr Amateur at Saunton. I met Todd at the 2013 Walker Cup where he defeated the unbeaten 21 yr old Welshman Rhys Pugh on hole 15 to clinch the Cup fpr the US. He trained for that effort at my club in SC, Colleton River , where  he lived at our friends Kevin Kings, for a couple of years. He has numerous titles including the US Fourbal played with Nathan Smith another veteran Walker Cupper. He is a high school history teacher and golf coach and a real gentleman. Saunton seemed to pose a stiff test as the winning score was plus seven
Anyway I was motivated to examine the flyover of Saunton East course and it looked just wonerful AND hard.
I would welcom comments regarding if this course is adeqhuately regarded

[Richard Fisher]

Ward, many congratulations to your friend! Saunton has always been one of the courses on GCA for which there seems to have been more respect than love: not entirely sure why, but Jim Finegan in his book on England and Wales says that in the end the course doesn't have enough great, as opposed to good, golf holes. Braunton Burrows is an amazing stretch of duneland, and Saunton East and West may well be one of the best 36-hole seaside complexes in the UK, only a notch below (e.g.) Portrush. I think that what is one of the less atmospheric clubhouses in the UK (unlike its neighbour across the bay, Westward Ho!) maybe doesn't help matters. Anyway Saunton East is unquestionably the real thing and, off the back tees, a serious test for anyone. Will be interested to see the views of others...

[Tommy Williamsen]

I once had an overseas membership. The East Course can be a bruiser. The first hole is a 470-yard slap in the face. The par fours are all standouts. The course demands accuracy into the narrow fairways, while the greensites offend indifferent shots. The West Course is a lovely sister in bigger dunes.

[David_Tepper]

A tip of the cap to Randy Haag from the SF Bay Area, who finished T8.

https://www.randa.org/championships/senior-amateur-leaderboard

He is well into his 60's by now and has won over 100 tournaments in Northern California over the years. He was also once low amateur in the British Senior Open.
 

[Tommy Williamsen]

The guy that amazes me is Paul Simson of Raleigh, NC. He finished t17 at 72 or so. He has won two U.S. Senior Amateur titles (2010 and 2012) plus a runner-up finish (2017) along with Canadian and British Senior Amateur crowns (both in 2010) and more than 40 Carolinas Golf Association titles.

[Thomas Dai]

If there is somewhere I’d like to see put back exactly to how it once was, ie as Herbert Fowler laid it out and before WW2 trashed it, then it would be Saunton. I believe Bernard Darwin wrote very positively of its merits.
Atb

[Sean_A]

The East has a wonderful collection of two shotters.

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

The East has a wonderful collection of two shotters.
Ciao

I’ve played both the East and the West numerous times in various different wind directions and weather conditions and have always scored worse relative to par on the West, which is kind of a surprise given that it’s a shorter overall yardage course than the East.
The West does though have 5 par-3’s as against only 3 on the East and collectively the Wests are I would suggest more difficult especially for the shorter hitter. They also contribute to dropping the Wests overall comparative yardage.
Two damn fine courses though.
Atb

[David_Tepper]

Saunton sometimes shows up on the short list of what other GB&I courses might be able to host the Open. For those who have been there, could the East Course and the club stand up to that challenge?

[Tommy Williamsen]

Saunton sometimes shows up on the short list of what other GB&I courses might be able to host the Open. For those who have been there, could the East Course and the club stand up to that challenge?

I don't think so. It would take a beating. I suppose they could lengthen it a bit, but not enough. I don't know how well the property could handle all the fans.

[Thomas Dai]

The course itself, or maybe a combination course if they use some holes from the East and some from the West, is likely the least of the issues involved in holding a Men’s Open Championship at Saunton. It’s the logistics that would be likely be the real challenge.
While there’s a nearby airfield at Chivenor for the high rollers and the chosen few the local roads that go directly past SGC are narrow and in the summer season and at weekends are used by a great many holiday makers heading to/from the local beaches. While there a rail line to Barnstaple it links to/from Exeter. As for motor vehicles the North Devon Expressway that links the M5 motorway to Barnstaple gets very busy particularly in summer when it becomes anything but an expressway.
Then there’s the accommodation issue. I do wonder how deep the high tide water level is such that smallish cruise ships could enter and be moored in the Taw/Torridge Estuary but that would then require ferrying of folks in smaller boats to/from the shore and likely would be more for high rollers and the chosen few than the general attending public.
Still where there’s a will and a bunch of cash there’s usually a way and I’m sure the R&A have already done feasibility studies on the suitability of holding a Men’s or Women’s Open at Saunton.
Now if only Horace Hutchinson had got his way and the first Open Championship held in England had been held on the opposite bank of the river from what is now Saunton at RND/Westward Ho! rather than at RStG at Sandwich …….
Atb

[Garland Bayley]

Previous threads on Saunton have show a significant majority of posters opining here have preferred the West over the East.

When it comes to greatness for 36 hole facilities, Saunton can't even sniff Portrush IMNSHO.