The Jack Nicklaus-designed St Mellion Championship layout remains
one of the finest tournament-calibre courses this country has to offer,
while, after much investment, the hotel and spa facilities make this
Cornish retreat well worth investigating, writes Carly Frost
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One of my lasting childhood
memories was going
to watch my first
European Tour event at St.
Mellion, just across the
Tamar, near Saltash, in Cornwall. I was
13 years old and had only recently started
playing golf but I already had the
bug, and as a treat my dad took me to
watch Europe’s top players in action.
They included the late, great, Seve
Ballesteros, who played with that distinctive
flair and exceptional feel for the
game that so enthralled the crowds. He
was to defeat another of golf’s legends,
Nick Faldo that year [1994], and it was a
real thrill to see them up close and in
action.


Fast forward nearly twenty years
and times have very much changed on
the European Tour. Visits to the UK
are, sadly, few and far between but the grandeur and stature that the Jack
Nicklaus Signature Course (the first of
its kind in Europe) first had still has
that same appeal.
While the tournament golfers may
be long gone, the conditioning of the
layout and the standard of golf it provides
remain the preserve of the lucky
members and visitors. ‘The course that
Jack built’ is not only one of the finest
championship courses built in the last
50 years or so but the centrepiece of a
true resort experience that is not
always easy to find.
The beauty of the course is in the
setting. It has literally been carved out
of a blessed stretch of Cornish countryside
and offers a variety of holes,
from those set in the lush valleys,
where tall pine trees and the fresh fertile
landscape gives you the feeling of
taking a walk through an Alpine forest,
to holes perched high on top of
the hills with views of the rolling
fields and featuring long wispy rough
grass that has more of a natural linkscourse
feel. Every single hole is unique
and exciting, from the uncompromising
left-to-right opening par four (that
favours a soft fade), to the nerve-tingling
drama of the 11th, played from a
raised tee over water to a shallow kidney-
shaped green, one of four outstanding
short holes. On my April visit the condition was first-class – and
that’s despite a winter of almost unrelenting
rain.
The once dated hotel at St Mellion
has been replaced with a swanky new
four-star structure. It has been sympathetically
designed to blend into the
landscape, as have luxurious lodges
dotted about the property, perfect for
golfing groups. Inside, the hotel has a
bright, modern feel, welcoming staff
and swish bedrooms which, if you pay
a little extra, have lovely balconies
with views over the 18th green.
A hearty cooked breakfast buffet, light
lunch and relaxed dinner is served in the
Bewdern Brasserie with a pub-style menu
offering a wide selection of meals to suit
every pallet. For an extra treat, a meal in
the resort’s fine dining restaurant, An
Boesti, is a must. Here you will find food
every bit as good as you’ll find in a top
London restaurant...at a snip of the price.
On my visit you could enjoy a sumptuous
three-course dinner for a very modest
£32. The menu is simply delicious,
the head chef sourcing his produce from
local suppliers. An Boesti’s front of
house manager is a fantastic young man
called Gareth, who charms guests with
his polite and friendly manner. He is also
very knowledgeable when it comes to the
selection of wines that are kept in the
resort’s own cellar.
Along with modern conference
rooms, a well-equipped pro shop and
fantastic function rooms perfect for
weddings, one of the big attractions
to St Mellion for me was the Elemis
Spa. As a typical lady golfer who loves
a little pampering the spa was a haven
of relaxation after a day on the golf
course. There are treatments galore to
choose from, whether your aching
golfing muscles need a full body massage,
or sore feet need to be treated
to an indulgent pedicure. For the
more energetic, and the non-golfers,
there’s a large modern gym, tennis
courts and a lovely big indoor swimming
pool, jacuzzi, steam room and
sauna. There are also two separate
kid’s pools, perfect if you have a
young family and want somewhere for
them to splash around in.
Don’t be misled into thinking that
the golf on offer here is only for the
seasoned player. There’s a second
course, The Kernow, that is every bit
the resort course in style, far easier to
play, yet still benefiting from that
lush country landscape. There are also
extensive practice facilities so if you
want to come and work on your game
in the summer then this is the place.
When St Mellion first opened its
doors in the 1970’s it was hailed as a
triumph – and rightly so. The resort
owners will no doubt admit that with
the loss of a tour date they lost their
way for a few years, but I can honestly
say that with the new hotel and firstclass
facilities on offer it is back to its
very best. @ho knows, perhaps another
Tour event will be on the cards in
the future. But in the meantime, let’s
keep it among ourselves – St Mellion
is back, and awaiting your arrival.
Reproduced with kind permission of Golf International Magazine

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