#3 Burnham & Berrow, Somerset

 

To cap off the first week of my bucket list adventure, myself and three pals expertly loaded four sets of clubs into the boot and drove cross country to Burnham & Berrow GC in Somerset - with the Championship course ranked at 21 in the English Top 100. 

Immediately, I very much enjoyed the feel of the place, with the driving range, pro shop, practice area and chipping green all closely placed together - and the first tee right in front of the clubhouse. With not a breath of wind and 30 degree sunshine there was a buzz in the air and plenty of people watching the first shots of the groups out ahead of us. 

(You can't place a drive for a better approach into the first green than this one) 

When it is your turn to play, the first becomes quite a daunting looking tee shot with a bank all the way down the left and a fairway that gets narrower the further you hit it. At 383 yards, the play is probably a long iron into the widest part of the fairway however with the expectant spectators watching we all elected to hit drivers - and each hit them straight down the line that the starter had pointed out to us. Interestingly there are no bunkers on the first, with the green protected instead by a series of humps. 

The second is a stunning hole, from a raised tee to an otherworldly fairway full of humps and hollows and well positioned fairway bunkers just about in driving range. Stroke index 3 so it's a test straight off the bat, and really requires an accurate drive to find the fairway. There is a steep slope at the front of the green, and a large hollow right which will swallow anything bailed out from the left pot bunkers. I made 6 here, and immediately wanted to go back and play it again, which I think says a lot about the hole! 

(the view from the 2nd tee)  

3 felt like a birdie chance after the tough 1st and 2nd tee shots, with a generously wide fairway - though angled left from the tee which made it feel a little tougher to hit. The green itself is set in a bowl, which looks amazing and seems to gather balls to the centre - which was helpful with the pin in the middle of the green, with the hole being halved in birdie. Like most links courses, the wind being stronger would have changed the decision making from the tee, with the pot bunkers around 240 being easily carryable in the perfect, still conditions we had. 

I feel that the 4th is the weakest of the par 5's, though the view from the tee across the Bristol Channel is spectacular. The hole had a slightly parkland feel to it I thought, and the green complex was well designed, with a small entry in which to run the ball up and rough left and right making it a reasonably tough one to find with a long iron or fairway wood second shot. 

(The view from the tee of the par 3 5th) 

The 5th really sets the tone for the par 3's at B&B, and is such a well designed hole - the bunkers are deep and perfectly positioned and the run offs at the back right look great and really give you something to think about if you over club to fly the bunkers, however a good shot will give you a decent chance at birdie if you find the green. Exactly how a good par 3 should play! 

I found it tough to pick a line off the tee at 6, but trusted what the course planner said favouring the right side  - giving me a lie in the semi rough I'd have thought was an awful line if I hit it there totally blind. Another gorgeous looking hole, with a pond left of the tee and rugged mounds lining the tee shot - again only one bunker here but really smartly placed tight to the middle left of the green. I feel like bunkers are used sparingly across the course, however the placement of every one feels well-considered. 

                                                          

(the angle of the tee boxes and bunkering on 8, get the tee shot right and its a fairly straightforward par 5) 

The bunkering on 8, in particular, is excellent, with traps at 227, 249, 279 and 303 from the tee - with the tee boxes angled almost head on, really demanding a fade with a driver (being careful not to overdo it into the water running down the entire right side of the hole) otherwise a long iron at the closest one playing it as a 3 shotter is probably the best option. 

(the distant 9th green, surrounded by bunkers, behind the 8th green) 

Plenty of bunkers to be found on the par 3 9th, protecting a large green with a bit of a false front and run offs to the left. Similarly to the 5th, if you can convince yourself to commit to the mid/short iron required here it isn't an overly tough tee shot - however if you don't quite fancy it it would be very easy to make double here quickly! 

The back nine kicks off with quite a quirky little hole, which I thought was the perfect slot for a short, fiddly par 4 after the tough driving holes on 6,7 and 8. You probably want to hit it further left than you would have thought however it should only leave a short iron in - I guess after playing it a few times you could try and hit driver over the corner to leave a flick in but I really can't see it being worthwhile. The holes two bunkers are again perfectly placed here, and the main protection for the green are the humps, Swales and run offs surrounding it. 

There is a lot of work taking place on 12, with the par 3 (which I actually really enjoyed as it is) becoming a par 4 - and a hell of a lot of land is being shifted so it will be interesting to return and see how it all looks. The start of the back 9 will become very tough, particularly into the wind, with back to back long par 4's on 11 and 12 followed by the longest par 5 on the course at 13. 

(I can't remember which hole this is... but I believe it was the view of the 11th green from the 12th tee)

I think 13 is probably my favourite hole on the course, with the fairway running into a path around 270 - although downwind I think there would be the option to hit driver over everything and reach the second portion of fairway pretty comfortably. The thing I love about this hole, is that you have the option to lay it back off the tee with a fairway wood or mid iron and then take on the green with a long second shot by threading it down the slope, past the deep bunker and running it on. Alternatively, if you choose to lay it up the shot still needs your full attention with the fairway narrowing where you'd want to lay up to. The green is narrow on the opening, and larger towards the back and felt like it was a little faster than other greens. Awesome hole! 

I loved the way 14 looks, with a large slope left of the green providing all the protection a par 3 would ever need, and gathering up anything you get going just a fraction left. As a result, you need to favour the right side so your approach to this one needs to be accurate. As I mentioned earlier, the par 3's at B&B are all fantastic in their own right, however I always love to see a true short par 3 at a links course (140 or less) as the wind can make these sort of holes so much fun! 

The 15th is a brilliant test, with a snaking fairway with mounds so perfectly positioned it felt like the terrain had designed the hole itself. The largest of which is front left of the green, which means a flag on the left of the green is very tricky to get to if you don't feed it in from the right - exactly what I love about links golf. 

(The final par 3 17th) 

You look at the strokesaver for hole 16 and wonder what the hell a bunker is doing so far right off the tee, however you come to play the hole and all becomes clear - it really does make you think twice about trying to hammer driver over everything and somewhere close to the green! I laid up into the massive expanse of fairway left of the bunker - though this did make the approach to the back flag fairly tricky... serves me right for being so unadventurous! 

(The clubhouse directly behind the approach to the 18th) 

After safely negotiating the par 3 17th, you come to the dramatic 18th - which gives you so many options off the tee. The way that the tee is angled to the fairway really makes the fairway feel tighter than it is, and requires you to either hit a draw to follow the line of the hole or pick your line and control your distance so that you don't run through. Like the first tee, the green is located near the clubhouse and starters hut - so creates a great sense of drama when you are hitting down towards a patio full of members! An 18th hole that finishes directly in front of the clubhouse is always preferable for me, and much more climactic. 

I think it says all you need to know about a golf course where you walk off and would immediately like to head back out for more holes, especially when its 30 degrees! We were fortunate to play on one of the calmest days of the year, however I would love to test myself and give this magnificent links another go with a 2 or 3 club wind to show off the true character of some of the holes.