Westward Ho!

The Royal North Devon Golf Club was most recently re-designed by Herbert Fowler in 1908, not sure if anything has changed since then! The club was founded in 1864, which qualifies it as the older club in England, and it's where two old greats of the game, J.H. Taylor and Horace Hutchinson used to hone their games. Like other courses in the UK, the course is on common land where it's not uncommon to find sheep and horses grazing. There's rolling terrain here compliments of the coastal dunes, and wind compliments of the Atlantic Ocean on England's west coast. At the 10th hole, the grasses known as the Great Sea Rushes overwhelm any balls outside the fairways. The first two holes are laid across the flats with the sheep and burn the keys to avoid (this land inspires first time visitors to inquire where is the golf course?!). The next seven holes play along Pebble Ridge, which separates the course from the Bristol Channel, and are genuine links holes. Holes 10-12 are played through giant five foot rushes that can impale a golf ball. Coupled with its setting, this constant change accounts for much of Westward Ho!'s enduring appeal.