St Enodoc Golf Club celebrates 125th anniversary

One of England’s oldest golf clubs, St Enodoc in north Cornwall, is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year

One of England’s oldest golf clubs, St Enodoc in north Cornwall,  is celebrating its 125^th anniversary this year.

To mark the occasion, the club will stage a Festival of Golf Week, comprising various tournaments and social functions, from June 28^th to July 5^th.

The highlight of the week promises to be a Hickory Shaft Tournament with competitors carrying a set of fully-restored hickory clubs in replica leather and canvas bags over a composite course of club’s Church and Holywell courses.

First laid out in 1890 by acclaimed golf course designer James Braid, St Enodoc’s Church Course is considered one of the best championship links in England, coming in at number 36 in the Golf Monthly Top 100 GB&I course rankings.

Its location on the high sand dunes of the north Cornwall coast overlooking the Camel Estuary, with Padstow to the west and the Atlantic ocean to the north, makes for ideal links golf and for some of the greatest sea and estuary views of any course in the world.

This alluring 6,547 yard-course, characterised by undulating fairways, firm greens and a number of blind shots, may not be long by today's standards yet the course record stands at 65, just 4 under par, indicating just how challenging the course remains to this day.

Testament to its enduring quality, the Church has hosted numerous amateur golf events in its 125-year history, including the English Ladies Amateur Championship in 1993 and 2002, the English Counties Championship in 1989 and 2005. Just last year, it was chosen by England Golf to stage the English Women’s Amateur Championship.

To add to its golfing narrative, St Enodoc has lured a host of Open Champions to its fairways, including James Braid, Henry Cotton, Jim Barnes and Tom Watson.

St Enodoc also boasts a second course, the Holywell, which is set to the north side of the present clubhouse. The Holywell is more manageable in length and carries than the Church and so ideal for beginners, juniors and seniors as well as for experienced golfers looking for a quick round.

Though just 4,082 yards, the Holywell still boasts some demanding holes with small, testing target greens making it a challenge for golfers of all skill levels.

As a club today, St Enodoc offers excellent practice facilities, while the clubhouse was refurbished last year in time for its anniversary celebrations.

Visiting golfers are able to play the Church Course for £75 – or just £45 in winter, while a round on the Holywell Course is just £25 all year round.