Lyme Regis Golf Club Course Review

Lyme Regis Golf Club Course Review
GF Round: £45-£55; Day £80
Par 71, 6,264 yards
Slope 121
GM Verdict A beautifully positioned clifftop/parkland mixture with glorious coastal views
Favourite Hole The 515-yard 4th which heads right to left out towards the sea with stunning vistas of the Dorset scenery and along the coastline

If setting and scenery are high on your golfing priorities, then Lyme Regis on the western side of Dorset is a must-play. Perched on the cliffs above the town, there are fabulous views to the east over the Jurassic coastline and the lush green, rolling hills. The club was founded in 1893 and its 9-holer was extended to a full 18 in 1931. Coastal erosion led to various design changes in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the result being a clifftop course of great variety with some sensational panoramas out to sea and along the coast.

Standing on the 1st tee, you may wonder where the views are! Happily, there is not long to wait, and as you reach the brow on this testing opening hole, all is revealed.

Turning briefly inland and then out again, you get closer to the cliff-edge as you play the excellent par-5 4th that arcs its way out to the east.

The 5th is a dogleg par 4, back inland again, and this is followed by the two longest par 4s on the course at 6 and 7. Yet again lovely views abound, often inland over the rolling hills.

Your last glimpse of the coastline for a little while occurs at the 8th, as you then head back down and around the clubhouse area on slightly lower land. There is a 4-3-4-3 opening to the back nine with the holes a little more tree-lined in nature.

The call of the sea is strong, however, and consecutive par 5s lead you back to the edge. The first of these, the 14th, is straight but narrows severely as you approach the green. The 15th is not that dissimilar to the 4th as it angles its way down to the left.

The 16th is a tough uphill par 4, SI2, and it plays longer than its 386 yards. It also hugs the clifftop and so anything hit left will not be seen again. The 17th has a well-bunkered two-tier green, and the approach to the closing hole is tricky to judge as bunkers tend to obscure the view.

While Lyme Regis Golf Club offers a perfectly fine test of golf, it’s far more a course for those who want to play with a smile on their face. It’s a course with views and variety, and while the Top 100 courses around Bournemouth mean that it isn’t quite in the upper reaches of the best golf courses in Dorset, it’s still a wonderful course and indeed club to visit.