St Enodoc Golf Club in north Cornwall is the ideal golf destination for holidaymakers as part of a winter staycation in the south west of England.
With fewer and fewer people now flying off to Europe for golf breaks, the staycation has rapidly increased in popularity and the predication is that this trend will continue for at least the next few months.
The Church Course at St Enodoc offers experienced golfers staying on home turf the chance to play one of England’s finest championship links whilst its second course, the Holywell, is a great option for beginners and youngsters as it is a great deal shorter and easier to navigate than the main course and is open to anyone, whatever their handicap, looking for a quick, yet testing round of golf.
What’s more the introduction of winter group rates in November – lasting until the end of March 2021 – means that individual green fees offer excellent value for a layout the calibre of the Church Course whilst the Holywell rates also remain extremely affordable.
If between one and four people play the Church Course, the price is just £42.50 whilst groups of between five and 12 pay only £40 per head and groups of 13 and over will pay just £37.50. A winter round over the Holywell Course meanwhile is a flat rate of £17.50 per golfer and just £10 for juniors.
This year St Enodoc has emerged as a classic example of three golf industry trends that have resulted from the outbreak of coronavirus, namely a boom in staycation golf, a surge in the number of younger people playing the game and a rise in demand for the shorter version of the game.
“We’ve been delighted to welcome a whole new host of visitors to St Enodoc this summer as holidaymakers flocked to the south west to enjoy staycations and made golf part of their vacations,” comments Simon Greatorex, general manager at St Enodoc.
“We have also witnessed many more youngsters taking to our fairways which follows the latest trend of this age group dominating the pay-and-play sector. The Holywell in particular proved popular for couples and families looking for a faster and more relaxed round of golf.
(Stuart Morley)
“With staycation bookings more than doubling over the summer and travel still difficult to many of the traditional autumn and winter golf destinations in southern Europe set to continue, we are expecting to see more UK golfers than usual in this part of the country over the next few months.”
Established in 1890, the Church Course at St Enodoc regularly appears in the top ten in the country in course rankings compiled by national golf magazines and websites. Most recently, for example, it was voted 23rd in Golf World’s Top 100 in UK & Ireland course rankings for 2020/21.
The unique location of the course high up on the sand dunes of the north Cornwall coast overlooking the Camel River and Atlantic Ocean means the Church Course has some of the most panoramic sea and estuary views of any 18 holes in the world.
Designed by revered golf course architect James Braid, this 6,557 yard course features a splattering of blind shots including one on the first hole, deceptive undulations on the fairways and firm and tricky greens.
It is perhaps best known for the magnificent Himalaya Bunker on the 6th hole, which is reputedly the highest in Europe. However it is the 10th that is referred to as the signature hole as it winds its way towards the 11th century St Enodoc Church, where poet laureate Sir John Betjeman lies buried beside his favourite course.
By contrast the 4,082 yard Holywell layout, made up of par 3s and par 4s only, is not overly long allowing for two hour rounds. Also originally designed in part by Braid, this charming track is certainly no pushover with its undulating fairways and fast-paced, target greens.
For more information on St Enodoc Golf Club, please visit www.st-enodoc.co.uk.
