June marked a double celebration at England’s Atlantic coast as two fine links golf courses, Burnham & Berrow and St Enodoc Golf Clubs, reach their landmark 125th anniversary in the same year.
Founded back in 1890, two of England’s finest championship links are associated with some of golf’s most famous names: renowned architect James Braid designed St Enodoc’s Church Course and is down as one of the American Tom Watson’s favourite courses.
Today’s layout at Burnham & Berrow (pictured above) is largely the work of the celebrated Harry Colt whilst the club’s first professional was the legendary JH Taylor, five times an Open champion, who once described the course as “one of the most sporting courses conceivable”.
“Burnham & Berrow is delighted to be celebrating its 125th anniversary and to be sharing it with St Enodoc, a fellow member in England’s Atlantic, makes it that much more special,” says Karen Drake, Secretary at Burnham & Berrow. “The club decided it would be appropriate to mark the occasion by inviting the other Atlantic Links clubs along to be part of our 125th anniversary match.”
James Braid designed St Enodoc’s Church Course and is down as one of the American Tom Watson’s favourite courses.
Five courses working together
The other Atlantic Links clubs include Royal North Devon, where a portrait of JH Taylor hangs proudly amongst the wealth of memorabilia collected over the last 150 years as it was in fact here that the golfer started his career as a caddie and later finished it as club president.
Saunton’s East Course has been described in glowing terms by Sir Nick Faldo, who has said, “I’ve no doubt if the East Course were located on the coast of Lancashire or Kent it would have hosted The Open Championship by now.” Then in 1997 a young, relatively-unknown Sergio Garcia played here as 17-year-old when he won the British Boys Championship, just two years before making his Ryder Cup debut.
Trevose too is a classic Harry Colt track, set against the backdrop of the iconic Trevose Head which featured regularly in the hugely popular television series, Poldark.
The Atlantic Links was established in 2009 to offer a leading links trail of six championship courses (two at Saunton) set against the dramatic backdrop of the north Atlantic Coast.
See more: England’s Atlantic Links
