Cornwall doesn’t exactly struggle to attract visitors. It is one of the country’s most established holiday destinations, with its coastline, beaches and seaside towns attracting millions of tourists every year.
But there is a difference between being a popular place for day trippers and holiday makers and being a golfing hotspot. That distinction becomes even starker and more clear cut when you take a look at how we talk about British and Irish golf trips.
I’m not making a revolutionary point here when I highlight how much Scotland and Ireland dominate the conversation. Especially when it concerns links courses.
Places like Cornwall can take a backseat and often play second fiddle. But should that really be the case? Because it wasn’t always that way.
The Atlantic Links courses are some of the most fun to play in England and were once firmly established amongst Britain’s most desirable golf places. A recent visit reminded me just how good they still are, and why Cornwall should be on the radar of anyone looking for a different kind of golf break.
When I first started working in golf around 15 years ago, this was a part of the country that housed a well-established collection of courses. Royal North Devon, Saunton, Perranporth, Trevose and St Enodoc were all names that carried real appeal. They were established in the Top 100 rankings and, in my mind, were just as aspirational to visit as England’s Golf Coast, East Lothian or Ayrshire.
I recall feeling envious of people who were heading down there to play. It has this feeling of a special kind of trip to it, but for whatever reason its popularity has seemingly slipped behind other areas. Their courses that have fallen down the populist agenda.
I guess you could attribute a little bit of the blame to American content creators being so focused on the Highlands and certain islands up in Scotland. it’s the same with Irish links courses.
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Don’t get it twisted, those courses deserve their flowers and attention but there is only so much airtime and coverage to go around. It was for that reason why our 48 Hours In trip was such a reminder how good those golf courses are.
It’s time people rediscovered what Cornwall has to offer
Nobody needs convincing that Cornwall is a great place for a weekend getaway or a summer holiday. I mean, it’s the most established holiday destination in the country. What I do think needs more publicity is their golfing credentials.
The golf is amazing, and the experience is quite different from what you will find in many other parts of the country.
Perranporth, in particular, is out there in terms of its design. The terrain is extreme and it can be difficult to know exactly where to hit some of your shots, but my god is it fun.
I actually abandoned my scorecard half way around because we were having that much fun trying different shots from funky areas of the course. I think its unconventionality is what makes it such an appealing place to play golf.
Places like Trevose also offer something a little different in another way. It’s much more relaxed atmosphere playing there, a bit like a holiday-oriented club where you can see families choosing to return there year-on-year.
Scotland and Ireland are places that will always attract large quantities of golfers, and I’m not for one minute suggesting they shouldn’t. It’s more that we’re in danger of overlooking other areas which offer just as good a golf trip.
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Have you played golf in Cornwall before? If so, which courses did you play? How does it fair in contrast to other parts of the UK & Ireland? Let us know in the comments or by getting in touch with us on X!
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