Occupying
the extreme westerly tip of the British Isles, with mood and scenery unlike that
found in any other part of England, Cornwall is more Celtic than Anglo-Saxon
and, as any Cornishman will quickly tell you, is the region of Britain with the
likeliest claim to King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.Even the
route here from London, traversing some 250 miles in a southwesterly direction,
is steeped in ancient history. Among the sites are 5,000-year-old Stonehenge and
the beautiful city of Bath, with its fascinating display of Roman and
Georgian architecture.
Cornwall’s
extensive coastline comprises an intriguing mix of craggy, windswept cliffs,
pristine beaches, secluded coves and quaint but bustling harbors. One of the
most colorful ports is Padstow, situated on the north coast of Cornwall beside the wide
mouth of the River Camel.
There,
you will find Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant, one of England’s finest
gastronomic treats. The instant you step outside the restaurant and walk toward
the edge of the quay, your eye will be drawn across the Camel Estuary toward the
village of Rock and its impressive range of sand hills, within which lies a
quite extraordinary golf links.
St.
Enodoc Golf Club was founded in 1891. If Prestwick, North Berwick and Cruden Bay are among your favorite Scottish
layouts, you will be enchanted by St. Enodoc, which is epitomized by humpy,
hillocky fairways that twist and tumble through spectacular dunes. It has pot
bunkers aplenty plus one truly gargantuan fairway cross bunker.
There
are tiny greens that sit on elusive plateaus, meandering streams and, à la
North Berwick, ancient stone walls come into
play. There’s even a nearly thousand-year-old church within the confines of the
course. Five-time British Open champion James Braid is the architect of record,
but St. Enodoc is fundamentally a natural links—the terrain and setting are
exceptionally dramatic and the golf course simply blends into and makes the most
of its environment.
A
relaxed, Saturday-afternoon type of atmosphere greets visitors to St. Enodoc.
Since 1982 the club’s golf complement has been 36 holes, with the aptly named
Church course joined by the altogether more benign 4,165-yard, par-62 Holywell
course. Both 18s are very popular, and in the summer months prior arrangement is
strongly recommended for those seeking to play the Church.
The
hole everyone remembers on the front nine is the 6th, “Himalayas.” This is where you must hit over what Bernard
Darwin described as “the highest sand hill, to the best of my belief, I have
ever seen on a golf course.” The Himalayas is every bit as wide as the “Sahara”
or “Cardinal” bunkers at Prestwick, and at
least as tall and deep as its namesake hazard to the right of the 4th fairway at
Royal St. George’s.
