Perranporth Golf Club

Quality golf course. If you have chance to play it then play it, you'll be a fool to miss it

First time in cornwall for me and I'm certainly glad I picked Perranporth. Great links course set high on the cliffs, not too long but that suits me fine. Started with rain, then strong winds, sushine, then a strange mist and finished in glorious sunshine. Found the whole experience quite superb, not a weak hole in site, highly recommended.

tough course if you play it like we did in strong winds,course was tough,alot of blind shots,greens not over great,but rather quick some good holes but its a course i think you would want to play a few times to get the benifit loads of blind tee offs,just to get get to no were your going,very tough walking everyhole to me apart from 1st seemed uphill, i prob wuld return but it wouldnt be 1st on the list

Cant add a lot to other comments....Just superb..

Day 3 of Cornwall 2008 and a return to my spiritual home. No need to add much to my eulogy below. Sadly the greens were not as fast as they have been in some past years - but the welcome was as warm as ever and the course, naturally, still as captivatingly crazy and demanding that one's wedge game is razor-sharp. The morning round was completed with a minimum of fuss (apart from some achingly slow crumblies in front of us, seemingly unaware of the protocol of calling through). However, the story of the day was His Hairiness's decision to return to base after lunch, when it seemed the rain was set in for the rest of the day. Needless to say the skies duly cleared, four of us went out for an evening round in perfect conditions and racked up some juicy stableford totals. His Hairiness not a happy monkey when he found out. One person who did have a smile on his face, though, was Canary who gleefully registered an opening birdie of the week. Is this the best course in Cornwall? Please present the arguments against. Next stop: Trevose. 9.5/10 (yes, it's gone even further up in my estimation since the first review) 'Young P' (h/c 10)

I played perranporth whilst on holiday, in June 2008. We had a warm welcome, there was the usual problem of sinage but apart from that the course was superb. It's a typical links course with blind tee shots, the greens were vert true apart from the short par 3.Some of the greens were a little tatty and sparse. We were a little disappointed we couldn't use our 2 fore 1's before 10am in the week, but apart from that thoroughly enjoyed the stunning views and a good round on a decent course.

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”.

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.

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 .

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.

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!

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.

This course is an absolute cracker & i would rate it in my top 3 courses played (out of about 175).It's an undulating links high above the bay with real character.Blind shots,driveable par4s through narrow dunes,big fairway drops & spectactular views.Virtually every hole is interesting.The first 2 par 5s are amongst the best i've played.The 2nd par 5 goes up a steep hill over some mounds & sweeps round & down towards the green.The par 5 5th goes through a narrow shoot & then drops down really dramatically.It's great fun (much more than Trevose which fizzles out)& probably the course i'd most like to play again .Play this along with St.Enedoc.If this place had a clubhouse to match the course it would be hard to beat.All this for the bargain 2FORE1 price of £15. Kevin B.

A very challenging course requiring accuracy and consistency. On our regular 'tour' we have played this a number of times and we have always enjoyed our visit. Not for the faint hearted!

This is what golf is all about. Superb links. I have played this course in wind, rain , hailstorms, and bright sunshine. This was all in the same round! Spectacular views overlook Perranporth beach. Greens are very slick and well maintained. The course is very testing in windy conditions, and bearing in mind it is perched on a cliff, thats invariably what you get. This all adds to part of the challenge. You can forget Mr Nicklaus's layout at St Mellion, would rather play Perranporth anytime. Another big point for me was the value for money and the welcoming and friendly staff, not only in the pro shop but in the bar area too. The welcoming attitude puts to shame two of the more, shall we say renowned clubs not too far from here. If you are playing golf in this part of the world,this is a must play course.

Perranporth is links golf at what must be near its absolute best: meandering naturally through the dunes, it is fantastically picturesque, unpredictable and demanding. Blind shots abound, but to help you get round this brilliant James Braid design there are innumerable marker posts and boards with the relevant hole number perched atop the dunes. I can imagine some outsiders thinking that it’s golf, but not as they know it. Heaven knows what it’s like when the Cornish weather really gets going. After a relatively straightforward inviting first hole that bears absolutely no relation whatsoever to what follows it, you are immediately launched into a stunning sequence of holes. The Par 5 second angles up a hill into the duneland and then demands a completely blind shot over what I can only describe as a ‘bus stop’ of dunes that jut into the fairway. The Par 4 third is a fantastic hole that invites a mid iron (or more if the wind is up!) down into a valley and then another mid iron up the other side to a semi-blind green. The next hole is a long Par 3 (202 yards off the whites) which requires a really accurate strike to reach the green: it’s a super one-shotter where a par almost feels like a birdie. This is immediately followed by another fabulous Par 5, which is 532 yards of anarchic humps, hollows and undulations that are typical of Perranporth. Hole six is an almost bizarre Par 3, only 100 yards off the yellows but take an extra club as it’s uphill and anything short rolls back into a couple of very nasty pot bunkers. The brilliant Par 4 seventh, where you fire your tee shot blindly over the dunes and then face a tight approach to the green, prefaces three further Par 4s before the long Par 5 eleventh, which also has an exacting approach to a green, this one raised some 30 feet up. There are then two fantastic short blind and semi-blind Par 4s, the second of which (285 yards off the yellows) is eminently driveable. After this, you face the SI 1 397 yard Par 4 fourteenth, that seems almost double that in length. The closing holes bring more blind and semi-blind medium length Par 4s, interrupted by a long and demanding Par 3 at sixteen. I can understand how some people have an instinctive aversion to the randomness of this course but to lovers of links golf, Perranporth must constitute something approaching heaven. If I really had to criticise, I would say it just lacks a handful of Par 4s that are nearer and above 400 yards rather than 300, as well as another demanding Par 3. I definitely agree with earlier comments: make sure you play this at least twice. Believe me, you need the first round just to get your bearings. You can almost take it as given that the course is going to be in great nick, with greens as quick as you would expect on a links layout. The members and staff are also extremely welcoming. Enough superlatives. Can golf get much better than this? 9/10 Young P

An exceptionally well up together course to test all levels of golfers alike. Played this course as part of a tour of Newquay and out of the 5 courses we played, this rated among the best and a must 'do again' course for next year. Be advised and buy a planner before you start. This will become your saviour. The course is superb and reflects the standard on how the club is run.

This is links golf at its best, I loved playing this course and look forward to returning even though it rained persistantly on my visit. So many good holes that I can't single one out as the best.

If you like links golf, you'l love Perranporth. Top marks to every one there.

A Scary test of golf, wind and rain make it even harder, very good course and cheap beer to drown you sorrows when you've finished

Another Cornish Gem! If you are looking for one hell of a challenge on a windy day then look no further. The course has been in immaculate condition each time I have played it - greens are superb! The Third hols is one of the best I have played. Enjoy!!

Another Cornish Gem! If you are looking for one hell of a challenge on a windy day then look no further. The course has been in immaculate condition each time I have played it - greens are superb! The Third hole is one of the best I have played. Enjoy!!

Myself and two friends spent a week playing this course in early August. It was windy all week, but despite the trying conditions the course was brilliant! The greens are the best putting surfaces I have played on and the course presented a different challenge every day, with the ever changing wind. We are returning next year and I strongly recommend anyone to do the same. Great Fun!

I have just played Perranporth in March on a beautiful warm and windless day. It was the best fun I have had on golf course for a long time. It is said to be a really hilly challenging course and I am sure it is even more so in the wind which is often present. The holes are all really interesting most of them blind drives off the tee I seem to remember and there is plenty to keep you thinking all the way round. The club house was so friendly and welcoming that I will definitely be returning for more of the same.