Saunton Golf Club

The 36-hole Saunton course is one of the best this part of England has to offer. According to the latest Golf World rankings, both courses are among the top 70 in England. The East course is rated higher. The 16th hole, full of bumps, stands out from the otherwise flat fairways. The last hole is played just below the terrace of the large clubhouse. The West course ends unusually with a par 3.

The East is the headline act, a serious championship links that challenges you to the full. Firm turf, huge dunes, tight driving lines and enough gorse & thick marram grass to keep you honest. The bunkering is proper, the greens have movement without being silly, and there’s a real sense of journey through the round. You need to score on the front nine as the closing stretch is as tough as it is magnificent! The scale and subtlety of the East is impressive. You don’t conquer it, you just hope to survive, and then have another crack at it the next day. Saunton West is by no means a poor relation. It shares the same majestic dunescape as the East, just with a slightly more relaxed vibe and is a touch more playable, especially off the tee. The par-3s are varied and strong, and there’s a nice rhythm to the round, with 2 of the short holes coming in the last 3, bringing a fun ending to a close matchplay game. Both courses are worth the trip; can’t wait to get back here.

Saunton West Course only:

I've been a longtime visitor to the Saunton and Croyde area since the early '90s and must have driven by Saunton Golf Club hundreds of times but never played golf there due to being with my non-golfing family. I was lucky enough in 2023 to get an invite to join a few friends there, and we had a great day.

The course was dry and needed some rain, but it was everything I expected: high-quality links golf, a flowing course layout, and a real test for your golfing skills. The advice I was given was only to hit the ball where you can see, which is simplistic and obvious, but you'll be surprised how often you break that rule. Sticking to that idea made me think and plot my way around, and it enhanced the experience. OK, I still hit my fair share of bad shots, but that is golf. Plenty of quality links-style bunkers, heavy rough, undulating fairways, large and perfect greens, plus quality tees.

The clubhouse was new and maybe lacked an old-fashioned feeling, but it's not a big issue. The pasty was amazing, and it's a superb place to relax and watch the 18th green (East Course). The practice facilities seemed a bit disjointed in location from the center of the club. I believe there is a range, but I didn't use it. There are a few putting greens (the main one near both 1st tees).

I was lucky enough to get a free ride in a buggy as I had a bad ankle and preferred not to carry. The yellow tees played at very friendly yardages, but I think the whites can be brutal, especially if the wind is up. The views are mainly across the course from the north headland separating Croyde and Saunton, and to the south, Westward Ho! The high dunes block the sea views to the west, but you can hear it!

Really worth the trip and there are plenty of other great courses in the area to make a visit to south-west england worthwhile!

Played both 18 Holes Courses but this review is about Saunton East. Designed by Herbert Fowler who also designed The Berkshire, Delamare Forest and Walton Heath. I preferred a little over the West Course. It just plays a bit more smooth and ecstatically is a bit nicer then her sister course in the same club. It is amazing that both courses are really quite different but laying right next to each other.

I really loved playing the East Course it is a bit flatter then West and was actually considered to host The Open, they also have Open Qualifiers tournaments here. It is also important what tee you play of, we played the yellow tees (5708yrds) and it was quite playable from the whites (6444 yrds) and blues (6774 yrds(it is a different story especially with the wind and some rain this course can really show it's teeth.

One tip teeing of the yellows on 18 stay right of the marker, I hit a perfect drive exactly over the marker and it landed 30 yards long in the rough. Really nice staff and a great pro-shop where I ordered 2 PING wedges via their webpage/telephone who were wainting for me to use on these lovely courses (delivered there in 3 working days and £ 40 cheaper as in the Netherlands. The pro-shop is really nice with lots of nice (logo) stuff.

Saunton has two Championship 18 holes courses The East and the West Course. This review is about the West Course, originally designed by Herbert Fowler and later renovated by Frank Pennink. During WWII the property was used by American tanks to prepare for D-day but in the early 50's they restored into playing conditions.

The West course is quite technical and plays different then the East course, I asked a member for tips and one thing he told me really sticked, hit it where you can see it. I only hit one driver and for the rest I used my 5 iron to tee off normal distance is around 180 yards but in the fast, dry and firm conditions sometimes over 250 yards! If you lose your ball after a blind shot in the rough you can consider it gone, so the members tip is really valuable.

All though I really like both courses and the are both of excellent quality, If you have to choose and only have time to play one of them I would probably chose the East course. But if you can make the time playing both is an excellent links experience. The staff was super friendly and I can really recommend these courses.