Championship VenueLinks Classic

Saunton Golf Club — East Course

Braunton, Devon · Designed by Founded 1897; Herbert Fowler (1919) · Est. 1897

Saunton lies on the unspoilt North Devon coast, in the great dune system of Braunton Burrows on the edge of Bideford Bay and the Taw estuary. The club was formed in 1897, but the course took its enduring shape when Herbert Fowler — the architect of Walton Heath — was brought in to redesign it in 1919. By the early 1920s the East Course was being spoken of as one of the finest links in the country; many consider it Fowler's finest seaside work.

It is a big, muscular links of around 7,000 yards, par 71, that winds through towering marram-covered dunes, exposed to the Atlantic wind and demanding long, accurate driving. The land has real history: during the Second World War the burrows were a battle-training ground for the D-Day landings, with American tanks based in the dunes, and the course was painstakingly restored afterwards.

Saunton has two courses — the championship East and the excellent West — making it a superb two-round destination on a beautiful, quiet stretch of coast.

Holes worth knowing

1The dune holes through Braunton Burrows — Saunton threads towering marram sandhills, so driving lines and wind judgement decide the round on this exposed Atlantic links.
218th (par-4) — a strong two-shot finish back towards the clubhouse, fully open to whatever the Bideford Bay wind is doing.

Highlights

Herbert Fowler's finest seaside links (1919)
Through the towering dunes of Braunton Burrows
Two courses — championship East and excellent West
D-Day training ground restored to greatness

Good to know

→Braunton Burrows, which the course runs through, is one of the largest dune systems in Britain and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — it was a D-Day training ground, tanks and all.
→It is a big, exposed links: driving lines and wind judgement decide the round, so pick a target off every tee and commit through the Atlantic breeze.
→Play both courses if you can — the East is the championship test, the West a fine, more forgiving companion for a two-round day.
→Croyde and Saunton Sands next door are among the best surfing beaches in England, and the pubs and cafés of Braunton village are handy for a post-round meal.
→The South West Coast Path and the wild sands of Woolacombe are close, making North Devon a superb family-and-golf base; Exeter airport is an hour away.