Location Cape Cornwall, St. Just
Founded 1990
Architect Bob Hamilton
GF Round £40 weekdays, £45 weekends - stay & play packages available
Par 70 - 5,672 Yards
Contact Cape Cornwall
Idyllically situated on the clifftops overlooking the wild Atlantic Ocean, just a few miles up the coast from Land’s End, Cape Cornwall is blessed with a simply breathtaking location. It is home to an engaging and very different golf course, and a delightful and very friendly boutique hotel which makes for the perfect base for exploring this beautiful county.
Out On The Course
Let’s start with the course, which is very much one of two distinct and different halves. Although it’s no great length for today’s big hitters, you should probably take the yardage chart with a pinch of salt as the topography and general lie of the land, particularly on the back nine, call for all manner of touch and feel. Add in the wind - its direction and strength - and there is far more to consider than a mere number. That is even without the constant distraction of the wow-factor views!
The course opens with a couple of medium-length par 4s to loosen you up and which return to the clubhouse. You then cross over Cape Cornwall Road to play holes three to eleven, the first of which is a terrific par 3 looking over to the ruins of Kenidjack Castle.
The fourth is a driveable, severely dog-legged par 4 where discretion is more likely to lead to a birdie than brute force, while the fifth is another strong par 3 played back in the opposite direction.
The next three holes are the longest on the course, a super-tough par 4 and two par 5s, which work their way gently up the slope and back down again. The front nine closes with a par 3 - actually a par 4 from the red tees further back - and all the way there are fine views out to sea and over the rugged land and the historic remnants of former tin mines.
The back nine opens with a pair of short par 4s which offer hopes of a birdie, and you then cross back to the western and more hilly side of the clubhouse for the start of an absolute rollercoaster ride for the next few holes.
The twelfth is a very driveable par 4 - perhaps a par 3½ - with the fabulous backdrop of the cape itself and the Sentinel chimney stack.
You then play a quite tricky par 3 back up the slope to a brilliantly-sited green that looks as though it was always destined to be a part of somebody’s landscaped garden.
Fourteen is another par 4 played towards the sea where you will fancy a birdie if you can hold the narrow fairway, while fifteen is a strong dogleg back up the hill to a green overlooked by the lovely terrace outside the clubhouse. The sixteenth is the last of the more extreme holes, before a long par 3 and a double-dogleg par 5 return you to the extremely welcoming clubhouse. As I mentioned in the magazine in November 2023… "for anyone who is looking for golf that is fresh, different, original and the antithesis of the formulaic, Cape Cornwall has it all and more."
Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
The charming clubhouse and recently expanded hotel have been crafted out of various existing buildings with a few new additions that follow the style and character of the originals. With 23 rooms in the main building and its annexes, it is a delightful and informal oasis that is very friendly and somehow both relaxing and buzzy at the same time.
The entire venture has been lovingly nurtured and developed by owners Andrew and Leanne who took ownership just before the pandemic and have worked tirelessly since then to create an environment that is as welcoming and homely as anyone could wish for. The food is a particular feature here, with an ever-changing menu of extremely delicious specials as well as more staple favourites that are all very reasonably priced.
There is a function room where you might encounter the friendly members enjoying a salsa class, and with its gym, swimming pool and access to mile after mile of spectacular coastline, this is a very special and enjoyable place to stay.
Golfing Tours
While the course at Cape Cornwall should provide endless fun, there are other courses not fortunate enough to offer accommodation that are still easily close enough for golfers looking to make a tour out of their visit.
Just outside Lelant, West Cornwall Golf Club mixes some really strong holes such as those at 2, 6, 9 and 11, with occasional quirkiness. The lovely low-level views over the estuary are surpassed by those from high up on 12, 17 and 18.
Mullion Golf Club is blessed with a remote location that makes it a haven of peace and beauty. From the clubhouse, you wend your way in ever-changing directions along, up and down the gentle slopes towards the cliff’s edge.
Activities and Adventures
Aside from the golf, there is just so much to do in West Cornwall, especially for those with a love of the great outdoors. There is brilliant and almost endless walking, both coastal and inland, while just a short drive away is the amazing Minack Theatre. Further along the south coast is historic St Michael’s Mount, and there are countless charming harbours and beaches. St. Ives is packed with interest, while the Eden Project and Tintagel and its castle are a little further away.
All-in-all, Cape Cornwall is a perfect destination for holiday golf and a great deal more.
