Jeremy Ellwood heads down to the renowned championship links at Burnham and Berrow in Somerset for a stay and play break
Burnham And Berrow Stay And Play Review
On course Burnham and Berrow
Championship course: par 70, 6,475 yards (Spoon course - each set of tees has its own name) Channel course: par 70, 5,852 yards (twice round 9 holes) Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside, us golfing Brits. So it’s great that a number of our top links also offer comfortable, cosy accommodation. This means you can get straight out of bed on to the 1st tee… perhaps preferably stopping off for a hearty clubhouse breakfast en route.
The Championship course at Burnham and Berrow , ranked 30th in our UK & Ireland Top 100, starts with a narrowish uphill par 4 between the dunes. The 2nd is then just a superb rollercoaster links hole.
You get great views of the Bristol Channel from the elevated 4th tee before tackling a simply gorgeous short par 3. Then it's on into the late front-nine marsh holes where, unusually for a links, reeds and rushes line the fairways.
The 9th, worryingly christened ‘Wreck, is one of a quartet of well-bunkered par 3s at Burnham and Berrow.
Other great links courses with dormy accommodation Formby Royal St David's Royal Porthcawl
On to the back nine
You’ll remember the par-5 13th with its long, slender green, and the short par-4 16th, where the green boasts plenty of interesting movement.
The links finishes strongly with the excellent par-3 17th and a testing par-4 finale doglegging round to the left.
You must also find time for the excellent nine-hole Channel course, which plays very strong second fiddle.
The first four holes hug the watercourse edging the marsh. Coming home you climb up on to the dune ridge from the 6th, with every hole memorable from here to the end.
Off course The dormy house at Burnham and Berrow - the red-brick building on your left as you enter the car park - offers six comfortable, airy twin rooms.
Those needing to keep up to speed with work or who like to take a photograph or two out on the links will be pleased to know that there is a more than adequate number of well-placed electric sockets, including USB options – something that is most definitely not always the case.
The dormy house has a garden area too, so you can enjoy your own little bit of private space in fine weather.
Before you head for the links, take advantage of Burnham and Berrow’s fine practice facilities. These include a long driving range and an excellent short-game area by the path leading down to the Channel course.
