The 2016 season for the Atlantic Links looks set to take off thanks to an increasing network of connections into south west England available to golfers via the airports of Cornwall Airport Newquay, Bristol Airport and Exeter International.
As the number of routes into the three airports continues to grow, this mesmerizing trail of six championship links courses becomes more and more accessible for golfers from other parts of the UK, Europe and the rest of the world.
Indeed this quintet of clubs comprising Burnham & Berrow in Somerset, Royal North Devon and Saunton in north Devon and St Enodoc and Trevose in Cornwall will soon be as easily reached as the links of Scotland and Ireland.
This June, for example, Flybe is introducing a new service from Newquay to Leeds-Bradford with as many as five flights a week during peak periods thereby increasing connectivity with the north of England and making the Atlantic Links a quick and easy hop away.
The low-cost airline also offers direct summer services to Newquay from Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Belfast as well as indirect flights via Manchester to a number of other cities including Glasgow and Inverness.
The European cities of Paris and Amsterdam are already on the Flybe network in a single booking to Newquay with a transit stop through Gatwick, Manchester or Birmingham depending on travel times.
From mid-March, Aer Lingus is extending it Newquay-Dublin route with up to seven flights per week, opening up access from the rest of Ireland whilst Ryanair will be flying from Frankfurt-Hahn to Newquay from April, which is also highly convenient for golfers in nearby Luxembourg and Cologne.
For those coming from other destinations further afield, it’s possible to book and fly with an international carrier all the way to Cornwall. For instance, you can now travel from Dubai on Emirates to Newquay on one ticket and bag check with a single stop-over in London, Manchester or Birmingham.
Meanwhile new routes opened up by no-frills, Icelandic airline, WOW Air, will allow golfers to travel from the north American cities of Toronto, Montreal, Washington DC, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco to Bristol via Reykjavik. Instead of a two-hour journey by car from London Heathrow, golfers will be just 30 minutes away from the championship links of Burnham & Berrow from Bristol Airport.
Exeter has also expanded its network this year with flights to Glasgow, Bergerac and Rennes whilst its established schedule will continue to include three flights a day to Flybe’s successful Manchester hub that offers numerous onward international connections.
The further opening up of the region will make the Atlantic Links a more attractive option for golf, especially as the trail is perceived as a genuine alternative to the high profile links courses of Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
Atlantic Links www.atlantic-links.co.uk