One of Cornwall’s most mesmerizing golf courses, St Enodoc, has been awarded 16th spot in Golf World’s Top 100 Golf Courses in England, a new ranking series that the magazine has compiled in association with Polo Ralph Lauren.
The top three slots in the ranking were secured by Royal Birkdale, Sunningdale Old and Woodhall Spa respectively and with numerous golfing gems found in England, St Enodoc is delighted to be positioned in the top 20.
“The whole team at St Enodoc is honoured to rank so highly in Golf World’s Top 100 Golf Courses in England and in such exalted company!” says Tuck Clagett, General Manager of St Enodoc.
“The club has invested a great deal, both financially and physically, over the last decade to bring the Church Course up to date in view of the technological advancements of recent years. We brought in Peter McEvoy whose subtle changes were designed to toughen up the rolling, meandering layout while complementing its spectacular and historic North Cornwall features. Clearly in the eyes of the golfing world, this was worked out well.”
Since its establishment in 1890, this championship links has received numerous plaudits including topping the recent Top 100 Golf Courses Best-in-County ranking in Cornwall and in Golf World’s current Top 100 Golf Courses in UK and Ireland, St Enodoc is well placed at number 38. Internationally, well-respected Golf Digest US magazine ranked the course 55th in the world outside the US in 2009.
Indeed St Enodoc is one of the UK’s most highly rated links tracks and testament to its quality, the Church Course has hosted numerous amateur golf events, including the English Ladies Amateur Championship in 1993 and 2002 and the English Counties Championship in 1989 and 2005.
McEvoy, one of the members of the judging panel for the Golf World ranking, said of St Enodoc, “St Enodoc is quite a special place. In an age where courses seem to need to be 7,500 yards long in order to be considered demanding, it stands proudly as an example of how subtlety can still test the best. A genuine links; it is a course that delights through variety.”
Golf World prides itself on delivering authoritative course rankings and its GB&I Top 100 has been running for more than 25 years. This is the first time however that the publication has ranked golf courses in the four home nations on an individual basis.
The rankings were decided by a specially-selected English panel that featured many of the country’s golfing luminaries including double Major winner Tony Jacklin, Ryder Cup star Oliver Wilson, European Tour winner Graeme Storm, broadcaster Bruce Critchley as well as leading course designers Martin Hawtree, Ross McMurray and Peter McEvoy.
The courses are ranked on a variety of factors such as aesthetic appeal, routing, conditioning and historical significance.
St Enodoc Golf Club www.st-enodoc.co.uk