East Devon Golf Club, Salterton, Devon

East Devon Golf Club

Play one of golf's hidden gems. A challenging heathland course sitting on the cliffs above picturesque Budleigh Salterton, offering magnificent views out to sea and towards Dartmoor National Park. Full catering and bar facilities.

East Devon is regarded by many as one of the finest courses in the south of Devon. It provides players with some very pretty coastal views, as far as Portland Bill in Dorset on a fine day. It's hard to beat the feeling of sitting on the clubhouse patio overlooking the 18th hole following an enjoyable round of golf.

The course is both demanding and fair, which is perhaps one reason the club has a large proportion of single-figure players among its membership. The fairways are, in the main, pretty generous but a wayward shot will be severely punished. This leaves you with the impression that the holes are tighter than they really are. The course is varied in its layout and, with differing winds to add to the variety, you'll never tire of playing here.

Hotels

Belmont Hotel
Devon Hotel
Victoria Hotel

The Card

COMPETITION
DATE				TIME				Entry No.	H'cap	R'cd	Indicate Tee Used
A												Par	SSS
B											White	70	70
C											Yellow	70	70
D											Red	72	72
Marker	No.	Yards	Par	Yards	S.I.	A	B	C	D	Points	Yards	Par	S.I.
	1	348	4	330	15						302	4	15
	2	342	4	338	13						294	4	13
	3	414	4	371	1						405	5	3
	4	142	3	113	17						124	3	17
	5	363	4	350	7						331	4	7
	6	526	5	477	11						466	5	11
	7	392	4	374	3						352	4	1
	8	207	3	189	9						192	3	9
	9	469	4	451	5						437	4	5
	Out	3203	35	2993							2903	36

	10	150	3	142	16						138	3	16
	11	335	4	319	10						290	4	10
	12	486	5	478	4						465	5	2
	13	145	3	128	18						122	3	18
	14	411	4	381	2						381	4	4
	15	308	4	301	12						295	4	12
	16	406	4	377	8						364	4	8
	17	455	4	444	6						414	5	6
	18	340	4	327	14						312	4	14
	In	3036	35	2897							2781	36
	Out	3203	35	2993							2903	36
	Total	6239	70	5890							5684	72

Course Description:

Hole 1 - Accuracy is more important than distance on this opening hole, with grass bunkers and a practice ground (which is out of bounds) up the right: wiry heather off both sides of the fairway is best avoided. The green slopes from left to right, so the best approach is normally from the right half of the fairway.

Hole 2 - This is another short par 4 but with a slightly more generous fairway than the 1st. However, there is a pronounced slope down to the left. This is the easier side from which to play your approach shot anyway. With the green split into two levels, lower left to upper right, and also split by a smaller step up from front to back, it pays real dividends to note the pin placement on the day.

Hole 3 - The third is an uphill par 4 which takes a slight dog-leg to the right. Stroke index 1 for the men, it often plays longer than its yardage suggests. An accurate second is required to give yourself a good chance of a par.

Hole 4 - The green is guarded by bunkers at the front and left. The overall slope of this green makes it deceptively difficult to read, especially for those unfamiliar with East Devon's subtle borrows. Treat all downhill putts here with great respect and caution!

Hole 5 - Another uphill par 4, this one has out of bounds up the right, though it needs to be a pretty wayward shot to find it. Some gorse might trouble the longer-hitting player with a tendency to go right, though the newly extended bunker up the right side will undoubtedly catch many players. There's more trouble on the left of this hole too, though it takes the form of some fairly heavy rough - and trees if you manage to clear the rough. The uphill approach to the two-tier green often results in shots finishing short. However, the green has a number of small hummocks at the back, left, and right, so anything missing the green there often leaves an awkward chip.

Hole 6 - The first par 5 runs slightly downhill, and again there is out of bounds on the right. With trees & gorse running the full length of the hole on the left, it's just as well the fairway is pretty generous! There is a bunker at about 200yds on the right but you have to be a little bit unfortunate to find that. In favourable conditions, this hole may be reachable in two but not without a risk: a sunken area of humps, rough, heather, and other nasties eating out into the fairway about 50 yds short of the green give good cause to consider a more sensible lay-up.

Hole 7 - This tree and gorse lined uphill dog-leg left par 4 is a lovely hole, one to be savoured. For the drive, the fairway tends to throw the ball right, so a slight draw is the perfect shot if you can do it. However, overdo it and there's hungry gorse awaiting.

Hole 8 - This tough uphill par 3 has bunkers ready to catch anything short left or right. The pin is quite often tucked in behind the bunkers on the right. Unless you are feeling particularly lucky, brave, or confident, ignore the pin and settle for getting on or near the putting surface. Once on, be aware of the slope from back left to front right which is a little more severe towards the back of the green.

Hole 9 - This long downhill par 4 used to be mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records for the world's longest drive. Even today, with modern equipment and the wind at your back, you wonder how anyone ever managed to drive the green. With a headwind, it's sometimes out of reach in two shots for all but the biggest hitters!

Hole 10 - The back nine begins with a picturesque par 3 that the renowned international golf artist Graeme Baxter said was one of the best par 3s he has ever played. It has a three-tier green, bunkered front, left, and right. Finding the wrong tier can very easily result in a dreaded 3-putt so good club selection is important.

Hole 11 - The 11th is a short dog-leg right with a large grassy gully to carry to reach the main part of the fairway. A line of bunkers means a crack at the green is very hazardous, so laying up short of the bunkers is the sensible shot. However, it's sometimes hard to resist going for the green with a following breeze! The left part of the green slopes down to the right, and the right part slopes marginally back to the left. A bunker short right catches weak approaches and anything played too strongly will run swiftly off the back of the green.

Hole 12 - The second, and final, par 5 is an uphill dog-leg to the right, with gorse up both sides. Hitting the reasonably generous fairway from the tee is imperative. The green can be reached in two shots if the wind is favourable and you're a long hitter. For the rest of us, the fairway bunker at around 100yds short of the green on the left is best taken out of play with sensible club selection, leaving a straightforward approach to a two-tier green. This green tends to run a little quicker than the others on the course.

Hole 13 - East Devon are blessed with some very picturesque par threes, and this is another of them. Do not miss this green to the left! If you do, pray that the bunker catches your ball before it dives into the gorse. Missing right can leave a difficult chip but it's better than some places. Once on the green, pay attention to the many subtle slopes.

Hole 14 - An uphill par 4 with a slight dog-leg right, this hole is deserving of its stroke index of 2. The drive needs to be kept away from the bunkers up the right as only the longest of hitters can clear them. The approach to the green is often a long uphill shot with very little visual help in determining the distance as the green sits almost on the horizon, so take note of the markers at 150 yards which give you some help with your judgement.

Hole 15 - As with so many short par fours, it's surprisingly easy to run up a high score on this hole, though it will probably give as many birdie opportunities as any hole on the course. The best approach is from the left half of the fairway because of the bunker guarding the front right of the green. The bunker on the right actually encourages you to take this route. Another two-tier green can make for a slightly awkward putt but apart from that it's one of the more straightforward greens to read. Good judgement of the relatively short approach shot is the key, assuming you've placed your drive well!

Hole 16 - This is the start of the downhill stretch back to the clubhouse, and it's worth taking a moment to enjoy the view along the coastline. As Peter Alliss once said, "It is the best view in golf." With the cliff (and out of bounds!) on the right, a left-to-right wind can cause many players some problems. Staying too tight to the left can get you tangled in a small copse of trees or in heather, but anywhere right of that (short of going over the cliff!) gives a perfect approach shot. There is more "dead ground" short of the green than appears to be the case, and there's a wooden sleeper faced drop to the front edge of the green, so chip & run shots need some extra thought. The green is one of the flattest on the course but still has some subtle little turns.

Hole 17 - This is a tough hole, loved and hated pretty much in equal measure. Many feel it's the best hole on the course. The fairway is more generous in width than would appear from the tee, but miss it left or right and you'll be very lucky if you manage to find your ball in the deep gorse it will have found. Driving beyond the marker post is ill-advised too, as the steep heathery slope eats golf balls. However, any drive left well short of the marker post leaves a very long approach over a large grassy gully and effectively puts the green out of range for many players. This leaves an almost-blind pitch up to the green, which is easy to leave well short of the pin. The green slopes up towards the back and putts up the hill are relatively slow, whilst those back down the hill can be like lightning.

Hole 18 - This is a relatively friendly finishing hole which gives the opportunity to impress those in the clubhouse with your approach shot to the green - or not! Avoid the heather down the right and the practice ground further right which is out of bounds. The solitary fairway bunker can catch a long drive and leave an awkward approach, so it's best avoided too.

East Devon Golf Club

Call us UK: +44(0)1462 437611

Golf Packages

Golf Courses