We are the oldest Golf Course in England; the course was designed by old Tom Morris in 1864, then named North Devon and West of England Golf Club.
In 1867 the Prince of Wales later King Edward VII who was Patron of the Club in 1866 gave the Club the Royal title. The Club then became known as Royal North Devon and West of England Golf Club. In 1910 this was changed to The Royal North Devon Golf Club. The course is played on Common land over the 650 acres of Northam Burrows, the course covers 170 acres.
We have held the British Amateur Championship on two occasions, the Martini Pro event in 1975 and various other top Amateur events.
The course has not changed much over the years and is maintained to be as natural as possible with firm and fast fairways and greens.
It is as much a challenge today as it was all those years ago; we hope you enjoy the experience and your time at Royal North Devon.
Thank you to all that have taken the time to give us their thoughts about their visit. Here are a few, with plenty more on our Guest Book
Ross Logan
played here many times while on holiday in Bideford as a young teenager who loved inland golf, but couldn\'t understand the lure of links golf, so hated the place. came back this year, over 30 years later and now a devotee of links (now long-term member of Rye and Royal St David\'s).can\'t speak highly enough of the course, the ambience and the welcome. when the entry form is on the website, I\'ll be entering the Summer week pretty sharpish.
Sam Ball
We loved RND so much we joined!!
Both myself and fellow golf addict friend are teachers in London and make it our mission to spend our summer holidays getting out of the city to play our favourite kind of golf - links. We decided to head to the South West to sample golf in this area and having been told about "England's Oldest Course" we just had to play RND. We turned up on a typically English summers day in late July, yes it was pouring with rain and the wind was up, looked at the panorama out in front of us and knew that nothing could dampen our spirits. The course was and is everything we wished it would be, it is simply golf as it is meant to be played. RND is a golf course full of charm and character, sheep and horses roam freely over the course, the fairways have that fantastic springy turf feel, the greens are true, the bunkers to be avoided and the views emcompass all that is to be loved about seaside golf. The round finished with a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction at having just seen off all that mother nature can throw at us (as well as a "Budweiser Challenge" win for me I'm pleased to say) and the experience just doesn't finish there. We walked into an extremely laid back and welcoming clubhouse to receive my victorious liquid prize, to be met by what must be the finest 19th hole in the land. The extent of golf memorabillia has to be seen to be believed, the views from the winows are fantastic but most importantly the welcome to visitors is both warm and sincere and you get the feeling that the members are proud to show off their fabulous golf club. The whole experience was so complete for us that we decided to join as country members and are very much looking forward to many more happy visits to this most glorious of golf clubs.
Liz Bird Newquay Golf Club
I entered the August meeting because I had never played RND and had heard so much about it. I was very impressed by the welcome receiving 2 phone calls before we had the starting time! The course itself is a beautiful links. The weather was great and I was fortunate to play it under such benign conditions. We had a cracking couple of days helped by good golf and friendly members. We both won a couple of prizes and yet you were all keen for us to come back again. The course played well with the wind and the greens being it's best defence. Lovely facilities too. We will be back but perhaps not in a tent this time!
David Nealer & Maurice Grange Past Captains, West Hove Golf Club
When we arrived at Westward Ho! we were very warmly greeted by the staff and a member even coughed up some loose change to help pay for our pre-golf snack as we only had large value notes! That's a first for us! As soon as we stepped onto the first tee I could tell that the day was to be very special. The sheer expanse of the links and the presence of the sheep and horses made this place different. Although the terrain is generally flat no two holes are the same. In particular I enjoyed the 4th, playing blind over the Cape bunker, and the 3 holes from the 10th where the sea rushes are very intimidating. The 18th is a great finishing hole, no bunkers but a burn to carry to reach the green. Fabulous. After our golf we had to leave early but not before we had had a thorough look around the Club's museum - what a fantastic clubroom! Rest assured, we will be back.
Brian Lindley (US Amateur Runner-Up 1980) Visiting from Newport Beach Country Club
Brian Lindley from The Newport Beach Country Club in Southern California. Brian plays off 1 and was runner-up in the 1981 US Amateur which meant he played in The Masters in the following year. Brian played RND in April 2007 and he says:
"My name is Brian Lindley, from a town called Corona del Mar in California, USA, near Los Angeles. I have always enjoyed playing true links golf in the British Isles - unfortunately there are many courses in the U.S. that claim to be links or provide a links golf experience, but fall far short of the expectation. I played at Royal North Devon in March with Richard Hughes - a very nice experience indeed. Although the course was a bit soft from all the winter rain this year, it shows that it is a course that stands the test of time and presents the challenges that make links golf what it is - undulating ground, wind, bunkers, and the sense that straight is more important than long. I spent some time in the clubhouse after the round and enjoyed looking at the history of the club, especially all the tournament result boards back to the 1800's (the club I play at opened in 1964, and is considered a middle-age club in our local area). I enjoyed everything about my visit to RND, and had a great time with Richard as my guide (although I still hit to the wrong green once!)."
