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Royal North Devon Golf Club

SOUTH WEST ENGLAND, ENGLAND

Royal North Devon Golf Club

Common-land links, grazing livestock, and sea rushes preserve golf's early character.

  • SOUTH WEST ENGLAND Location
  • LINKS Course type
  • 18 HOLES Holes
  • PAR 72 Par

Beyond the Scorecard

  • Course established: 1864
  • Course designer/s: Tom Morris, Herbert Fowler
  • National ranking: #55 in England  
  • Known for: England's oldest course on original fairways
  • Defining feature: Grazing sheep and horses on Northam Burrows

Golf Across Northam Burrows

The golf course at Royal North Devon Golf Club was formally established in 1864 on Northam Burrows. The club credits Old Tom Morris with the early course, while much of the present layout reflects Herbert Fowler's careful improvements between 1908 and 1911. Only the third, fourth, and 16th greens remain from Morris's 1864 work.

The course spreads across open common land where the holes can blend into the surrounding turf. There are no trees or hedges to frame play. Instead, reeds, rushes, tidal burns, uneven lies, and coastal wind shape decisions, while firm, fast surfaces keep the ball running.

At the fourth, a blind drive must clear a famous large bunker before an approach from an undulating fairway. The sixth asks for a strategic tee shot past deep bunkers hidden in the dunes, with out-of-bounds along the left and a narrow elevated green ahead. These holes show why accurate lines matter more than polished presentation at Westward Ho!

Why Add This Course to Your Golf Experience

Royal North Devon adds a rare sense of living golf history to a South West England experience. The clubhouse museum, honours boards, and trophies trace the club's role in early English golf, including J.H. Taylor, who began there as a caddie and later won five Opens.

The club has hosted the Amateur Championship three times. Kinfern can pair the round with Saunton's East or West Course, both part of the Atlantic Links route, for a focused North Devon stay combining contrasting coastal tests.

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