Saunton Golf Club - East Course Review

By: Golfshake Editor | Fri 05 Jul 2024

PETER DAWSON can claim a piece of golfing history. When he made the team at the 1977 Ryder Cup, he was the first left-hander to play for Europe. Dawson enjoyed a period of sustained success during the 1970s, winning the Double Diamond Strokeplay in 1975.

He spent several years working in France and Portugal and worked as coach to Denmark’s national teams before joining the Seniors Tour.

Now in his 70s, Dawson reviews The East Course at Saunton Golf Club.

Saunton Golf Club, The East Course, 6,779 yards, par 71, links

Saunton reflects golf as it was played 100 years ago with no evidence of today’s heavy machinery. It was built by men with shovels, horses, and wagons and I understand the club today is restricted in the way it manages its maintenance programmes to protect the unique environment.

Saunton Sands

The opening hole is 478 yards in length off the white tees, the longest par four on this wonderful Herbert Fowler designed course. No sounds of the M25 orbital road or airports here, just the wild life.

As we approach the second green we are faced with two pot bunkers. These are strewn all over the course. No fears at my age of hitting them in two but they are playing heavy on the mind for the third shot.

This is wonderful - no hills to climb, just gentle undulating fairways which help those of us with these titanium knees greatly!

At the third green we experience an upturned saucer green which requires pinpoint accuracy or will give us the first of many opportunities of taking a putter from off the green, this could be 1 metre or up 20 metres in length! Already the saying of ‘imagination is the route of creativity’ comes to mind! And after all our years of experience we have the imagination!

Arriving at the fifth tee we are confronted with the shortest par three on the course, 122 yards. It may be the shortest but a par would be good enough especially if there is a stiff breeze. Miss the green with the tee shot, take a putter accept a bogey and if you get lucky to make a par, make haste to the next tee!

The sixth hole is interesting, although 370 yards in length and apart from a ditch down the right there is no real trouble. However I thought the hole felt a little strange and it was only looking back from the green that I realised there were no bunkers. We do not do that enough on a golf course, look back at where we have come from!

These beautiful photogenic bunkers with their riveted faces may be small but thanks to these great architects the surrounding areas gather the ball to multiply their impact.

This course is fantastic for us old timers, putters from 20 yards off the green, bump-and-run shots with every club in the bag. Imagination, that is a fantastic thing to have here at Saunton!

Oh, how I dislike blind tee shots like the one on the eighth. It could be the Yorkshire in me but I am not comfortable seeing my £5 golf ball sailing over the sand dunes into the yonder. No bunkers needed on this hole; the approach is just a typical links green.

After a decent tee shot on the 10th, we are left with an approach of approximately 80-90 yards to this 337-yard hole. With a slightly elevated green a second shot fractionally too long gives an awkward chip back. The ball can easily roll off the front down the slope into one of the two pot bunkers. Anyone sitting pin high might be reminded of Wimbledon, the ball going from side to side! The shortest par four on the course but a potential card wrecker!

The 13th is another lovely par three, 145 yardsin length. Today was into the breeze, My playing partner's superbly struck seven iron pitched a few feet from the pin but with too much backspin. As he turned away thinking he had an outside birdie chance the ball started to trickle down the slope, gathering speed and slid off the green, finishing behind the pot bunker. A tight lie, a duffed chip into the bunker, one unsuccessful attempt at extracting the ball, he is now playing four, this time it comes out OK but two putts later a triple bogey. That is links golf!

Saunton Sands 15th

On to the 17th tee which is another challenging and lovely par three generally into the prevailing wind. I question if we have missed three or four holes as the round seems to have flown by. Good company and a course that is interesting and a feast for the eyes.

Sitting on the terrace directly behind the 18th green having some lovely food we witness our fellow golfers approaching. Having missed the green with their approaches two arrive with wedges in hand. They end up chipping from side to side, ping pong it was! Not much has been learnt from the last 4.5 hours!

Charles Darwin’s quote comes too late for these fellas: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change” next time perhaps.

Oh, how wonderful these venues are!