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Steve STEVE BENNETT (England) 04/06/08

Sheer enjoyment, even if I did get thrashed by six whole Stableford points by my brother. Perched high above the glorious strand that is Perran Sands, on what looks like a giant shoulder, is the compelling links of Perranporth GC. It is almost impossible not to love this course, particularly if you have fond memories of this area from childhood holidays as is the case for my brother and I.

If you want a reference point for this course then Pennard on the Gower peninsula in south Wales shares many of the same features as here; however Perranporth excels at blind shots – a strangely satisfying aspect of the game … when of course you don’t lose the ball. I agree with other reviewers this is a course that you must play again as even ‘tho we were both in possession of course planners and could clearly see the marker posts it is really difficult to convince yourself to hit the ball over alarming looking terrain! Be very wary of the card as well, yardages are relatively modest on many of the par 4s but cricket scores are easy to rack up … we found the par 5s a real challenge, particularly the incredible second hole which should be re-named the serpent as it coils one way and then another but the Celtic translation for “Whym Wham” is also spot-on; “This Way and That”. All eighteen holes have names, not translated on the actual card but you will find them on the club web site. The course has just three short holes; two of which are basically two-hundred yarders and three long holes each of which are more than 500 yards of even the yellows. Ok, there are no 400 yard plus par 4s amongst the other twelve holes but believe you me they are not required.

The course lies on quite hilly terrain superimposed on the shoulder mentioned earlier which slopes away down to the shore. The lowest point on the course is early on in the round in the dip of the 3rd fairway (“Cowan Nuggies” which is translated as Gremlins)at about 40 metres above the shore rising to the highest point on the 11th tee of just over 80 metres; this of course discounts some of the high dunes alongside the fairways or ones you are supposed to hit over. When you think this is a total high variation from about 130 feet above sea level to over 260 feet it somehow seems to convey how much more tiring playing golf is by imperial rather than metric measurements. Part of the challenge of Perranporth is the physical up-and-down aspect of the links and one should embrace this as a part of the deal here … using buggies is almost sacrilegious.

As mentioned in other reviews I have posted I am a seaside golf fan although I play most of my golf inland; as does my brother but playing here has converted him to the seaside also. From now on we will play all of our seasonal matches at seaside courses. Perranporth has just shaded others as our current favourite; blue skies and a rare sighting of the sun in very late May made the day perfect … the strong southerly/south-easterly wind (which the locals probably think off as a mere zephyr) wasn’t quite so welcome for us but my left-handed brother found it to his liking.

This is a course for really enjoying chipping with straight-faced clubs and for putting; the approach areas and greens themselves were simply superb. The only thing to blame is the stroke!

Others have given more detail on the course just to add a little to whet your appetite; this not “out and back” links golf, the very misleading wide open first hole heads south-west and towards the town itself which hunkers down on the far side of the valley but the second then heads north-east, then north and then a sharp turn toward the west at the end of the hole … very confusing in the wind and totally baffling to us as first-timers. The third and fourth head roughly the same way and one of our highlights for the round was two par three’s at the demanding fourth. You then turn back for the roller-coaster par five which was dead into the wind – I have to report that this tee-shot was very demanding! The next four holes to the turn go back and forth and the respite of the 8th was soon forgotten with the drive and approach shots required on the 9th although both of us managed to get on in regulation. Our game was won, and in my case lost on the sequence of holes from the 11th onwards which is a terrific par five; dunes galore and a green set on a plateau with perdition to either side and beyond … in typical seaside fashion I managed to wedge it onto the front of the green only to find it had scuttled over the back into a horrid spot! The 14th marks the turn for home and for us was dead into that south-easter again, after that you dodge around a little before playing the splendid 17th back up into the high corner of the course. The 18th is a bit of a let-down as you can just simply blast it off the tee and come to no great harm unless you go really wild.

Finally, Perranporth is all about the golf, no fancy facilities but a warm welcome in the pro shop and great value for money. Beware, rounds could well be quite slow when there are lots of visitors playing as often you cannot see when the fairways are clear and the bells are difficult to hear when it is windy. The club is easy to find and for anyone who loves the game and is in Cornwall this is an absolute “must-play”.

Value for Money	10
Challenge	8
Off Course	6

Zahid Adil (England) 23/05/08

Played here whilst on holiday on 18 April 2008.

Fantastic location and sea views especially on 5th and 14th were breath taking-literally. I've got mild asthma so it was pretty hard going as the course is very hilly and alot steeper than they let on.

Greens were very fast on the day with Easterly winds. Can't remember whether it was the 8th or 9th but you need to keep your ears open, as it's easily missed, for the bell to play on because of the steep bank cuts your vision of players ahead. Be wary of the public fairway that cuts across also on the 8th.

The only negative were the locals who were still playing in a competition after the designated time had elapsed as we teed off after 1.20pm and quite rude to me and my family.

Value for Money	7
Challenge	8
Off Course	9

andy webb (England) 22/05/08

We played this course on a the 12th May 2008 in brilliant sunny weather with a light breeze.

Excellent sea side course , as others have said lots of blind shots, you have to play the course a few times to know where you are going and what style of play you are going to adopt

The condition of the course was excellent greens were consistent yet despite a lot of run on approach shots due to hot conditions , the greens I found to be slow

Excellent off the field as well

Great value with 2 Fore 1 offer

The round took just under 5 hours due to many holiday people playing like us .

Value for Money	10
Challenge	8
Off Course	7

Dave Cleal (England) 09/10/07

You'd have to go 600 miles north to find a course truer to the traditions of links golf. There's barely a flat lie on the course, and virtually every shot has to be planned before execution. The greens in October weren't quite as good as they were in a previous visit last summer, but still fast enough and hiding many a treacherous borrow. There are perhaps more blind shots than would be ideal, but that's just a good reason for playing it again in the afternoon. Highly recommended for anyone that likes to play golf with their head as well as their body.

Value for Money	7
Challenge	7
Off Course	5

David Wilson (England) 18/07/06

This is a genuine and very testing links, straining the golfing talents of a 2 and 11 handicapper to the limit! There are quite a lot of 'blind' shots and we lost a number of balls, despite decent searches. Greens were good, with a consistent pace and true roll. The views are very nice and the club's staff and members made us feel very welcome. The course is quite hilly and I'm glad we had a buggy! Overall, we enjoyed the challenge!

Value for Money	7
Challenge	8
Off Course	7

Graeme Leslie (Scotland) 12/09/05

This one is right up there with Carnoustie, Nairn West, Kingsbarns, Moray Old and St Andrews Old Course for me, for sheer golf enjoyment. This was by far the best course I have played in Cornwall, better than St Enedoc and St Mellion, and I've yet to come across a better course in the whole of England. The Braid design is classic, with big rolling greens than demand precise distance judgement and control. An absolute gem, fantastic layout and scenery, and a credit to the greenkeepers. The greens are particularly fantastic, and as good as anything you'll play. If you haven't been here, and you like pure links golf, this a must.

Value for Money	10
Challenge	7
Off Course	9