New bunkers at St Enodoc
The famous links of St Enodoc in Cornwall, UK, rhapsodised in poem by John Betjeman, has been renovated by course designers Weller McEvoy, the firm formed by Bruce and David Weller, previously of Weller Design, and former Walker Cup player Peter McEvoy.
Designed by James Braid, St Enodoc is hosting the English County finals later in 2005, and members wanted the course to present a challenge, without losing its inherent eccentricity – the course is known for a number of blind shots, such as the well-known sixth hole, where the golfer must play over the huge Himalayas bunker.
"The essence of the test at St Enodoc lies in the greens, which tend to shed rather than gather balls, as well as the difficult doglegs on several holes," says McEvoy. "So we haven't done anything to the greens themselves at this stage, although we are discussing further alterations with the club." Several new tees have been built, adding around 200 yards to the length of the course – although it remains relatively short by modern standards, and a number of fairway bunkers have been created. "Fairway bunkers were pretty much non-existent," says McEvoy. "We've used them to introduce a risk/reward element that wasn't previously there. The idea was to return the course to the way it would have played ten or 20 years ago." Bunker faces – at greensides and in fairways – have been revetted to add extra difficulty.
This article first appeared in issue 1 of Golf Course Architecture, published in July 2005.