Golf Post

Love is in the air

The county of Cornwall in the far south-west of England is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the United Kingdom among the German-speaking population. More than 50 per cent of foreign visitors come from the D-A-CH region. The British bestselling author Rosamunde Pilcher, who has been captivating television audiences with her love stories for many years, plays a major part in this. German television Channel ZDF alone has filmed more than 170 episodes of her novels and short stories in the Herzkino series since 1993. 

We want to see for ourselves what it’s like in the region surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel and the Celtic Sea, whether love really is in the air there and what makes its top golf course so special.

Keep your eyes open in left-hand traffic

We decide not to take the plane to Newquay, but instead make our way to the island in our own car. After a two-hour crossing on the ferry from Calais to Dover, we immediately have to be very careful, because from here onwards we have to drive on the left. We get used to this just as quickly as we do to the unusual roundabouts, which are no rocket science. In contrast to driving, however, walking is a real challenge, because at the beginning I always look in the wrong direction when crossing the road.

On the journey to England’s most westernmost tip, we first spend a night in Salisbury and then the next day in Torquay, which is further south in Devon on the English Riviera.

From there, we travel right across Cornwall to the northern coast of the county. A first highlight is the village of Tintagel, where we enjoy the marvellous view from the steep cliffs to the green-blue sea in beautiful weather. Here are the remains of Tintagel Castle, where King Arthur is said to have been conceived. We reach it after crossing an impressive bridge and come across a 2.40 metre high Gallos sculpture. Deep down in the rock we come across Merlin’s Cave, the cave in which the infant Arthur was brought to safety by the wizard Merlin.

Getting out and running away is not an alternative

So far, the traffic has been relaxed. This changes abruptly when we leave the main road and have to take a small side road along the coast to our accommodation. We assume that we have overlooked the one-way street sign, as it is no more than three metres wide and is bordered by dense, tall bushes. But we are way off the mark. 

When an SUV comes towards us and I see another one in my rear-view mirror, almost glued to my bumper, my adrenalin level rises dramatically. I back up slowly and manoeuvre until I find a small niche at the side of the road. This way of travelling will become the norm over the next few days. Fortunately, we are quickly recognised as guests with our German number plates and meet with a lot of understanding from the Cornish people. We come to terms and make progress even in the narrowest lanes.

Where golf meets the Atlantic

The next morning we are greeted by typical British weather. Looking out of the window, we consider postponing our round of golf, but we don’t want to be hot showers, so we put on our rain gear and drive to St Enodoc Golf Club in Rock. 

The championship plinks course is situated on high dunes, directly above the huge bay of the Camel Estuary with breathtaking panoramic views of the Atlantic.

Its Church Course (a second is the shorter, less challenging Holywell Course) is considered one of the most beautiful in England. It was officially founded in the mighty dunes of the village of Rock in 1890, whilst famours golf architect James Braid designed the first full 18 holes that excist today in 1907. Adaptations have been made time and again to this day, although the original layout has essentially been retained. In 1987, the club acquired additional land from the Duchy of Cornwall. 

It is situated in one of the driest parishes in Cornwall whilst its location on sand guarantees excellent golfing conditions all year round. Thanks to the warm Gulf Stream climate, frost is a rarity.

‚A warm summer breeze‘

That’s how the marshal describes the current weather conditions. Well, it feel like 18 degrees and luckily there is little wind at the start. We are lucky because the humidity means that the greens, which are otherwise as fast as an arrow and as hard as concrete, are supposed to be ‘playable’.

As our weather app predicts heavy rain for later in the afternoon, we are happy to be able to start well before our booked tee time. There is a light drizzle and the wind is limited.

There are four different tee boxes, but on the marshal’s recommendation, I tee off from the yellow ones. From here, the par 69 course has a length of 6,108 yards. As usual, women start from red and have 5,657 yards to cover. The course only has two par 5s, but five par 3s, the longest of which measures 200 yards for me. 

The undulating, wide fairway of the hole #1, one of the two par 5s, stretches out in front of us. There is a pole on it that serves as a direction for the drive as the tee shot is completely blind. In the background we can see the sea, which has receded considerably at the start of our round due to the low tide.

The course is much hillier than expected; it is constantly up and downhill, on occasions with considerable differences in altitude. We lose our bearings as a result of some blind tees and don’t really know which way to hit the drive at first. The main thing is to get over the rough of the dune in front of us though we don’t always succeed.

Numerous walkers often cross the fairways on paths that are located at the edge, but also in the midst of the course. They have priority over golfers and must be allowed to pass until they are no longer in danger. 

In quite a few cases, they are accompanied by their four-legged friends. One of the dogs really helps me, at least on one hole, by picking up my poorly placed tee shot and putting it down in the middle of the fairway. Well trained indeed! But golfers can also take their pets onto the course as . is common practice in England even on a top course like this one in England. At special bins labelled ‘Dog Waste’, masters and mistresses can then dispose of their droppings.

Cave-like bunker

On the 6th fairway, we come across a huge bunker called The Himalaya. It is said to be the highest of its kind in England, and perhaps in Europe. Fortunately, I don’t go in it, but I do hit the dune on the left in front of it. After an unusual recovery shot, I continue on. 

Background to the course name

The most difficult and at the same time most impressive hole is the 10th, which competes with the 6th for the course’s signature hole. From the elevated tee, we play the ball over a frontal wall and a path into the not very generous landing zone. From there, you need to keep the ball to the right, as there is a risk of water on the left. Next to the green on the right-hand side, it becomes clear where the course gets its name from.  

Where else would you find a church and a cemetery between individual holes on a golf course? We pay a brief visit to the exposed 12th century Normannic church and once again pass it again from the elevated tee of the 14th behind. Sir John Betjeman, a renowned poet and poetess, has been buried here since 1984.

The following 15th is directly facing the Atlantic. As the marshal tells us, the choice of club on the sloping 152-yard par 3 varies greatly depending on the wind direction. It can vary between an eight iron and a driver. I take my seven iron and luckily hit the green.

When we arrive here, we are already completely soaked. We have long since stowed our dripping gloves in the bag. Unfortunately, the weather forecast has come true and it is pouring cats and dogs and the wind is now blowing strongly. We give it our all on the 16th, the second par 5, as well as on the following par 3 and on the final par 4.

We won’t forget a single moment of our round on this great golf course, which was ranked 74th in the world, 10th in England and 1st in Cornwall by top100GolfCourses.com in 2022. 

Padstow has a lot to offer 

On the other side of the bay is the harbour of the small town of Padstow, which has all the clichés of a Cornish fishing village. Although the great fishing days are over, fresh lobsters and crabs are still delivered to the port every day. 

The cheeky, giant seagulls seem to be afraid of nothing and characterise the acoustic image of this charming village. Pubs with flags, beautifully decorated little shops and a number of seafood restaurants line the streets here. 

The price level in Cornwall corresponds to that of a popular tourist destination. Both the costs for the selected overnight stays and for food and drink in restaurants are in the higher segment.

Mecca for Rosamunde Pilcher fans

One of the town’s flagship attractions is Prideaux Place Castle with its impressive 18-hectare deer park and 81 rooms. It is the only one of its kind that is both privately owned and inhabited but nevertheless, it is open to the public. The Prideaux family is an ancient Cornish family with roots dating back to 1066 and have lived here for 14 generations. The current owners moved here in 1988 and have extensively renovated the manor house. 

The magnificent building is known for its Elizabethan and Gothic architecture and its well-preserved interior, which have attracted various film producers. German television channel ZDF, for example, filmed the Pilcher episodes ‘The End of a Summer’, ‘Homecoming’ and ‘Woman on the Cliff’ here.

The extremely informative and humorous tour by German Hilde Mansfield, who naturally moved here for love and has lived in the region for 32 years, could not have been better. She is living proof that love is in the air here. A visit to this impressive estate is not only recommended for Pilcher fans but anyone who loves history.

We leave the region around Tintagel and Padstow and explore other highlights of beautiful Cornwall. These include among others the enchanting village of St Ives and St Mawes Castle in Falmouth, which towers high above the sea. Dew Genes Kernow (good bye Cornwall).

Juergen Linnenbuerger, July 2024