ALNMOUTH VILLAGE GOLF CLUB (LUSH LINKS)

ALNMOUTH VILLAGE GOLF CLUB	https://www.alnmouthvillagegolfclub.co.uk/
Type of course	Links	9 holes	Par 35
Course distance	White 3051 yds	Yellow 2815 yds	Red 2617 yds
Holes	1 x Par 3	8 x Par 4	0 x Par 5
Played	23/05/21
Claim to Fame: England’s Oldest 9 holes Links Course

Travelling towards Hipsburn from Warkworth, Alnmouth stands out like an archipelago, separated from the mainland by sand dunes and the River Aln, the view is spectacular.

As you drive north along the Northumberland Coastal Route take a right at the Hipsburn roundabout, follow the road past the Franciscan Friary and a sharp right on to  Marine Road reveals the hollow that is Alnmouth Village Golf Club.

The club established in 1869 is the oldest 9 hole links in England and was designed by the famous Scottish golfer Mungo Park, winner of the 1874 Open Championship at Musselburgh, who was also the club's first professional/greenkeeper.

If you overshoot the sharp right, you cut directly across the 8^th and 2^nd  fairway and end up on the busy beach car park that runs along the leeward side of the course.

The Golf Club has no car park to speak of and players/visitors to the area park anywhere along Marine Road, which I envisage will be  a nightmare in the height of summer.

As I approached the clubhouse on foot, it reminded me of a rural cricket pavilion and a gentle push of the imposing big black door took me into a small foyer. A small window to the right revealed the club house, compact but cosy, with access through the door directly in front of me only gained by a key pad code. To the left, a box of 9 and 18 hole scorecards with an A4 sheet outlining issues for each hole! My online booking  had not provided me with the option of 9 holes and therefore I took the 18 hole scorecard for which I had paid the princely sum of £20, although I was unsure as to whether I would have time to complete 18. The online booking had also indicated I was squeezed in at a busy period however on looking around it appeared the inclement weather may have put off many of the regulars.

The club web site clearly needs amending as it indicated a £20 fee for 18 holes and £15 for 9 however booking online and the blackboard on the outside of club house stated, 18 or 9 holes Monday to Friday, is £20 regardless. Confusing.

The hollow in which most of the course lies is shaped like a scalene triangle, with an apex/turn  at the 5^th green/6^th tee.

Moving off from the 1^st with the leeward side to my right, all the greens up to the apex are protected by raised embankments or strategically cut gorse. You don’t necessarily feel the wind, although the ball flight as it rises and falls above the protective ridge, will testify to its strength and direction.

Meandering the coastal path, walkers move to and fro above your eye line, or they take the opportunity to sit inside the four-sided brick shelters that shield them from the onshore breeze, or as I observed at the 2^nd , take the opportunity to change out of their beach wear into something drier!

The par 3  1^st at 189 yards SI 6 is the only par 3 on the course and is into a raised green. Anything slightly off-line and you will be chipping up for your second and so it was I walked off with a bogey.

The first 4 holes all have out of bounds on the right and therefore to avoid this and a possible lawsuit from the unsuspecting beach comber there is a need to force the ball left.

Recently I have adopted a golfing motto that I am sure has been heard many times before, across many countries, in many languages, “Anything right and you are in the ….. “. Thankfully today whether wind assisted or otherwise my drives were true and safe, well away from the manure.

Tightness of the course forces most of the fairways in the hollow to be shared and if busy, the golfer has to be very much aware of their own capabilities. As mentioned earlier the 2^nd and 8^th also sees the golfer crossing over the road to the beach side car park. Regardless of notices warning pedestrians and drivers alike, that they are entering the course and to be aware, it appears little heed is taken for as I prepared to take my 2^nd at the 2^nd , an ardent walker head down, oblivious to my presence scurried over the fairway. A birdie however was a pleasing outcome for my enforced wait at the 2^nd par 4 SI 11 at 319 yards.

On reaching the 6^th tee and looking back over my shoulder a marvellous view of the beach, bay  and Coquet Island stretched out in the distance.

Up to now the fairways I had traversed were undulating, spongy and sandy and it felt as if I was walking across naturally contoured sand dunes. The greens are beautifully nurtured, verdant, quick and deceitful, with pin positions on the edge or hovering on wrinkled brows.

At the turn the 6^th, SI 5 at 296 yards, presents you with a blind dog leg left rising high onto the hill side. Anything driven left of the lofty marker pin will see the golfer in horrendous rough on the side of a steep embankment as evidenced by a young man in the two ball in front of me, who was last seen  thrashing at his ball and then thrashing the ground beneath. Taking heed, my natural cut shot came in handy and  after a strenuous trek up the hillside I was happy to find it the ball nestled on te right of the fairway.  Any further right and I would have been knocking on the door of the fashionable Yurts positioned on the promontory.

At the start of the climb warning signs abound informing walkers to beware, as the land is private and golf balls will abound. This is probably the first time I have seen signs, favouring the golfer rather than the unsuspecting walker. Makes a nice change.

The raised 6^th green is the highest point on the course and has a stunning 360⁰ view of the Northumberland coastline and  the more expensive 18 hole parkland Alnmouth Golf Course- Foxton Hall. The green is therefore exposed to the elements and as I putted for my par, I was buffeted back and forth by the swirling winds of the North East.

The 7^th tee has a stunning drop of at least 100 ft, back into the valley below. As it is a par 4  SI 9 and into a headwind, I gave it all I had and lost sight of the ball as it headed towards the green. As I walked down the well maintained and relatively new inclined track, I could see my ball nestled on the green. I was impressed but unsure as to how I could have driven the ball 364 yards. Looking round the familiar green it quickly dawned that I was back on the 3rd and still 150 plus yards from where I should be. Nevertheless, as stated in local rule four, I took a drop and carried on regardless.

Coming in on the 9^th the Franciscan Friary overlooks the course and perhaps some divine intervention had allowed me to complete the 9 only 7 over?  Perhaps the Franciscans had been praying for the poor (player)?

So, another round of 9 holes, very different from that of Warkworth, that I had played a month prior but still very satisfying. I like my homeland courses, as will any visitor who has a few hours to spare in their busy holiday itinerary.