New Course - St Enodoc GC, Cornwall (L)
Mar 25, 2020 20:33:37 GMT
hammers1man, LKeet6, and 4 more like this
Post by paddyjk19 on Mar 25, 2020 20:33:37 GMT
One upside of self isolating is that I got to finish this finally, hope you enjoy!
St Enodoc's Church course is a James Braid design that enjoys a justified reputation as one of the West Country's finest links layouts. It may not look it but the par 5 1st is one of the easier holes even if you have to thread your way carefully between the sand dunes. Pars are harder to come by on the long par 4 2nd and 3rd holes. A real flavour of the course can be obtained by watching our course fly overs.
The 6th really sticks in the mind - a 378-yarder that kinks left at driving distance then climbs up to the green. A hidden fairway bunker may catch out longer players seeking a view of the green but laying up short and right leaves a blind shot over the cavernous "Himalaya" bunker you simply don't want to be in. Rumour has it that it is the biggest bunker in Europe but it does have a few rivals for the title. Use your head on this one because it's very easy to make a stupid mistake here.
The 10th hole is often described as the course's signature hole as it winds its way towards 11th Century St. Enodoc Church where John Betjeman lies buried beside his favourite course. It is Stroke Index 1 for good reason! A good drive needs to be followed by an even better second aimed at the church porch to avoid the lateral hazard which runs the length of the hole which creeps ever closer to the left side of the green.
Over the memorable final stretch it is hard to find the right club on the downhill par 3 15th, while the par 5 16th boasts a rollercoaster fairway and potentially distracting sea views all the way down the right. The hole has been lengthened to 560 yards with a two-tier green surrounded by deep bunkers and has now become a stern test particularly into wind and sets the tone for the closing three holes.
To finish well you'll need to conjure up your best strikes to make par on the long par 3 17th and fittingly tough 446 yard 18th. As you putt out in full view of the clubhouse, you'll probably have total recall of all the magnificent holes you've just enjoyed - a sign of a truly great course.
At 6557 yards it is not long by today's standards yet strangely the new course record is 65, only 4 under par so it is far from a push over. It is often said that many links courses are easy if there is no wind - even St. Andrews - but somehow that really does not apply to St Enodoc.
Over the years the club has hosted many top amateur events; including the English Ladies Amateur Championships in 1993 and 2002 and the English Counties Championship in 1989 and 2005.
Notes from the Designer:
This is my third LiDAR based RCR on TGC19 and probably the most enjoyable one so far. It's also my first links course as I try to bring lesser known gems to the game.
I have never played Enodoc but an old housemate of mine used to rave about it so though I'd download the LiDAR and have a look. Their website also has flyovers of each hole so this helps immensely in replicating in good detail.
I instantly fell in love with the layout, it's quirky, raw and still has some key design elements used by the modern day greats. The scenery is truly breathtaking and I've done my best to make this a reality for you.
It is best to leave the weather and time to DEFAULT setting but I highly recommend you set Terrain to VERY FIRM as the Highland Theme defaults to Soft which isn't very linksy!
The greens are set at 7.5 in the designer and you can crank them up to very fast if you so wish. I also highly recommend setting the wind to HIGH or VERY HIGH to get the real experience.
Hope you enjoy your rounds!
St Enodoc Golf Club (Church Course), Cornwall, England.
Ranked #10 in England
Ranked #10 in England
St Enodoc's Church course is a James Braid design that enjoys a justified reputation as one of the West Country's finest links layouts. It may not look it but the par 5 1st is one of the easier holes even if you have to thread your way carefully between the sand dunes. Pars are harder to come by on the long par 4 2nd and 3rd holes. A real flavour of the course can be obtained by watching our course fly overs.
The 6th really sticks in the mind - a 378-yarder that kinks left at driving distance then climbs up to the green. A hidden fairway bunker may catch out longer players seeking a view of the green but laying up short and right leaves a blind shot over the cavernous "Himalaya" bunker you simply don't want to be in. Rumour has it that it is the biggest bunker in Europe but it does have a few rivals for the title. Use your head on this one because it's very easy to make a stupid mistake here.
The 10th hole is often described as the course's signature hole as it winds its way towards 11th Century St. Enodoc Church where John Betjeman lies buried beside his favourite course. It is Stroke Index 1 for good reason! A good drive needs to be followed by an even better second aimed at the church porch to avoid the lateral hazard which runs the length of the hole which creeps ever closer to the left side of the green.
Over the memorable final stretch it is hard to find the right club on the downhill par 3 15th, while the par 5 16th boasts a rollercoaster fairway and potentially distracting sea views all the way down the right. The hole has been lengthened to 560 yards with a two-tier green surrounded by deep bunkers and has now become a stern test particularly into wind and sets the tone for the closing three holes.
To finish well you'll need to conjure up your best strikes to make par on the long par 3 17th and fittingly tough 446 yard 18th. As you putt out in full view of the clubhouse, you'll probably have total recall of all the magnificent holes you've just enjoyed - a sign of a truly great course.
At 6557 yards it is not long by today's standards yet strangely the new course record is 65, only 4 under par so it is far from a push over. It is often said that many links courses are easy if there is no wind - even St. Andrews - but somehow that really does not apply to St Enodoc.
Over the years the club has hosted many top amateur events; including the English Ladies Amateur Championships in 1993 and 2002 and the English Counties Championship in 1989 and 2005.
Notes from the Designer:
This is my third LiDAR based RCR on TGC19 and probably the most enjoyable one so far. It's also my first links course as I try to bring lesser known gems to the game.
I have never played Enodoc but an old housemate of mine used to rave about it so though I'd download the LiDAR and have a look. Their website also has flyovers of each hole so this helps immensely in replicating in good detail.
I instantly fell in love with the layout, it's quirky, raw and still has some key design elements used by the modern day greats. The scenery is truly breathtaking and I've done my best to make this a reality for you.
It is best to leave the weather and time to DEFAULT setting but I highly recommend you set Terrain to VERY FIRM as the Highland Theme defaults to Soft which isn't very linksy!
The greens are set at 7.5 in the designer and you can crank them up to very fast if you so wish. I also highly recommend setting the wind to HIGH or VERY HIGH to get the real experience.
Hope you enjoy your rounds!
