Page 108 - Golf World (February 2020)

building the par-3 8th in 1922, St Enodoc was
really Braid’s baby, and he cherished it much like
Donald Ross did Pinehurst No. 2 in America.
Some will tell you the King’s Course at
Gleneagles was Braid’s masterpiece and while they
certainly have an argument, surely nothing beats
the charm, beauty, and variety of St Enodoc. The
Scot made his final changes to the course in 1937
when the fabulous 17th and 18th holes were added
following construction of a new clubhouse.
In 1949, the Duchy of Cornwall bought the land
following Dr Hoskin’s death and leased it to the
club, a situation that remained in place until 1987
when the club purchased the freehold. Two-time
Amateur Championship winner Peter McEvoy
added length, bunkers, and a new 13th green
in 2004, and three years later the 16th was
extended to 560 yards.
The course, number six in our England ranking,
is still essentially that which Braid devised,
however, and there are far too many notable holes
to describe them all here. Just play the mesmerising
opener with its beautifully-rippled fairway, the
superb 2nd with its enthralling approach between
the dunes, and the blind drive, downhill 3rd and
you’ll know exactly what we mean. It’s a quirky
start to be sure, but in the best possible way.
Actually, why stop there? The 4th is Braid’s
most brilliant short par 4, the 6th features the (in)
famous ‘Himalaya’ bunker dug into a sand hill
40 yards short of the green, the demanding par 4
10th sweeps to the left with the church (in whose
graveyard Sir John Betjeman – Poet Laureate from
1972 until his death in 1984 – is buried) on
the right, the wonderful par-3 15th brings you
back to the dunes after a brief absence at the 13th
and 14th, and the finish is full of drama, challenge,
and fun.
“The golf (at St Enodoc) had been described as
eminently natural, amusing, and dramatic in a
country of glorious and terrific sand hills,” said
Bernard Darwin after visiting the course for the
first time. “All this proved to be perfectly true, and
yet when I saw it I felt that full justice had not been
done.” The green fee is £95 in the summer, half
that in the winter. You may not have time to play
the club’s 4,082-yard, par 63 Holywell Course, but
it’s a blast. See www.st-enodoc.co.uk for details.
Trevose GC is a Harry Colt design that opened
in 1925 on sandy ground a couple of miles south
of Trevose Head with great views over Constantine
and Booby’s bays, and which has played host to
numerous elite amateur championships – it’s as
solid a list of ingredients as can be imagined. And
yet, Trevose has never been held in quite the same
esteem as St Enodoc, less than five miles to the east
as the kittiwake flies, or a 17-mile drive.
After a rollicking start culminating with the
fantastic, left-curving, par-5 4th hole, the course
turns inland and, though the ground remains firm

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