Thurlestone

Taylor. Colt. Hawtree. Steel. Those are just some of the names that have had a hand in the design at this Devon layout.

Thurlestone Golf Club, located on the shores of the English Channel at the southern tip of the country, has had some of the best in golf course design provide their knowledge and assistance.

The club dates back to the end of the 19th Century, but those big names have made changes throughout the following century to get to the course that you see today.

Visit Thurlestone’s website here.

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The founding of the golf club dates back to the late 19th Century. Charles Gibson laid down the original course in 1895, with Thurlestone Golf Club being officially founded two years later.

After more land was purchased to the north, five-time Open Champion JH Taylor was drafted in to create a new layout for the first 18-hole course at Thurlestone, doing so in 1911. Less than two decades later, Harry Colt was brought in as further land had been acquired. Colt remodelled Taylor’s existing layout.

Fred Hawtree then came to the Devon venue in the late 1960s, incorporating two new holes into the layout, with Donald Steel then adding the finishing touches with some new bunkering in the 1990s.

Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Thurlestone offers a mix of links and clifftop terrain. Expect quintessential Devon scenery and a clifftop course running along the stunning coastline of Bigbury Bay with breathtaking views from Thurlestone Rock in the east to Burgh Island in the west. Of course, it is affected by the wind but unlike some clifftop courses, these fairways are sufficiently generous to give all of us plenty of margin for error. At less than 6,200 yards, this could be a course that you feel like you can attack, but the winds and bunkers might change your thinking rather quickly.

Thurlestone begins with a pair of gentle par 4s. The first is drivable, if you are feeling confident on your opening tee shot. It is only 260 yards from the tips, but there is plenty of danger. A total of six bunkers are in play, while the green is long and thin, angled around the greenside trap. The safe play is an iron to the fat part of the fairway. The 2nd is longer, but still only 325 yards, but it does usually play into the prevailing wind. The green sits above you, so take at least one club more to account for that. The 3rd is one of the most picturesque holes in the county. This 165-yard par 3 has the English Channel as its backdrop, so don’t overhit your approach here...

You then move back inland via the 4th, where this 350-yard par 4 has a tricky green. It is 36 yards long and slopes from front to back. Do you risk flying your approach all the way there? Or do you let the natural contours do the work? You then come to back-to-back par 3s in the middle of the front nine at Thurlestone. The 5th is the longest of the 3s, pushing all the way back to 215 yards from the tips. Usually playing into the wind, and with three greenside bunkers, a par on here will feel like a birdie. The 6th is 70 yards shorter, but no less difficult. It requires a sweet strike to find its target, or you will be playing your second from sand. Eight bunkers surround this putting surface. The 7th and 8th play with the coast on their left. The former is only 340 yards, but the approach shot is uphill so it might require a bit more muscle. At 420 yards, the 8th is one of the hardest holes on the property. Again, it plays uphill and into the prevailing wind, so this will feel more like 450 or 460 in those conditions.

The church tower in the distance is a great aiming point down the 9th as the fairway slopes from left to right. OOB sits back left of this green, so short is better than long with your approach. The back nine begins with the Stroke Index 1 at Thurlestone. The 10th has room down the right, but as it plays as a dog-leg left, this will make it even longer than its yardage of 430. Longer hitters might try to take their drives over the bunker on the inside corner of the hole. The green is long and above the level of the fairway, so an extra club is required. A solid drive is required to get you to the top of the hill on 11, from which you get a good sight of the green and the four bunkers in the way.

You then come to a run of three par 5s in four holes. The 12th is another tough hole, despite being only 490 yards. Once more, a hole that plays into the prevailing wind, and with the extra addition of OOB down the left side, play this as a three-shotter to be safe. The second par 3 at Thurlestone of over 200 yards, the 13th is another tricky short hole. Four bunkers, including three down the right side of the green, are in play. The green falls away at the back, towards the wall and out of bounds. 14 is another par 5, and the difficulty here lies in the camber of the fairway – falling away from right to left throughout. Avoiding the two fairway bunkers is key if you want to go for it with your second. A bank to the right side of the green may well push any pushed approaches back down to the putting surface. 15 makes it back-to-back par 5s, and this hole features a wall running across it, like you would see at the Renaissance Club, for instance. At 500 yards, it is reachable in two, but a safe birdie chance if you lay up.

The temptation is there to cut the corner of the sharp dog-leg right 16th, and get close to the green, rather than aim for the marker post and try to find the well-protected target from there. 17 is the last of the par 3s at Thurlestone, and there is plenty of sand in view. Nine bunkers sit around the front and right of the green, which is 50 yards in length. This par 3 can be anywhere from 125 to 165 yards. The closing hole is another par 5, the fourth in the last seven holes. At just shy of 499 yards, it might be reachable, but the OOB down the left side thanks to the boundary of the property might put some off from going for it. Avoid the three fairway bunkers and you have a good chance if you do want to take the risk, but there is plenty of space to lay up to a comfortable distance for your third as well.

Where is Thurlestone Golf Club located?

Thurlestone Golf Club is one of the southernmost golfing venues in the United Kingdom, located on the south coast of England in the county of Devon. The western boundary of the property is on the coastline, overlooking the English Channel, with the club sitting just to the south of the village of Thurlestone. Kingsbridge is the nearest town – five miles to the east – while the city of Plymouth is 25 miles to the northwest of the golf club.

Newquay and Exeter Airports are the closest to Thurlestone, with the latter being slightly closer – 40 miles to the east of the venue. For a wider range of flights and destinations, Bristol Airport is 1010 miles to the northeast. Ivybridge is the closest train station, but that is still some 15 miles from Thurlestone Golf Club. Trains run via Ivybridge to the likes of Plymouth, Penzance, Exeter and Cardiff Central.

Are there any NCG Top 100s: England venues nearby?

There are a number of venues in the counties of Cornwall and Devon that can claim a place on the NCG Top 100s: England list. However, most of those are on the northern coastlines. Yelverton is the nearest venue to Thurlestone, but that is still 30 miles to the north. East Devon is slightly further to the east, with the likes of Trevose and St Enodoc a two-hour drive west.

What golf facilities does Thurlestone Golf Club offer?

Along with the seaside links course, Thurlestone also has a driving range with grass tees to get yourself used to the turf. There is also a short game area and a putting green for those finishing touches before you take to the course.

What are the green fees at Thurlestone Golf Club?

The price of a green fee at Thurlestone Golf Club changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.

For more information on current green fees at Thurlestone, visit their website here.