The Golf

Measuring little over 6,200 yards from the championship tees, the Church Course at St. Enodoc is certainly not long but being a par-69 layout, golfers are usually at full stretch to reach the green in regulation. Not only is this true on the long par fours but also when approaching greens such as the third, which is set beyond a stone wall in close proximity to out-of-bounds. Other excellent holes on the outward journey include the par-five opener, where the crumpled fairway stretches uniquely into the distance and the par four, 6th, where your approach to the green is a blind shot over what is widely regarded as the highest sand hill in English golf.

The slightly shorter but no less interesting par-34 homeward journey begins with the magnificent 457-yard, 10th hole, which is rated as the most difficult on the course. As fine a natural hole as one is likely to encounter, its narrow fairway is set between a high grassy bank and treacherous marshland, while the green proves an elusive target in regulation. Some of the other notable holes on the pilgrimage home include the short par four, 13th, with its narrow fairway and green set in a quaint little crater; and the 450-yard closing hole, which requires a longish carry over a big bunker below and an approach to a plateau green directly under the clubhouse window.