East Devon – Golf Course Review

Location: Exmouth, Devon
Played: February 2025
Course Type: Heathland
Key Words: Firm | Understated | Coastal

Golfer’s Tips

Perhaps aligned with the club’s understated quality, East Devon does not have a driving range and its practice facilities are generally on the more basic side. Do not expect to hit 50 balls and hone your swing / shot shape before you start!
The 8th is a par 3 played slightly uphill but on the side of a hill which runs significantly left to right. Under no circumstances can you miss right, as this will almost certainly mean you bound into the gorse or will at least leave you with an incredibly difficult chip up to the green some 15 feet above you. There is a huge amount of space left, from which you can run onto a very large putting surface and try to get out with no worse than bogey.
The 10th is another short hole, this time playing much shorter due to length and the three-tiered green being below the attractive elevated tee. Distance control is incredibly important here, and it is imperative that you find yourself on the right level after two shots, especially if you miss the green with your tee shot. A misplaced chip aiming for the top level can run some 30 yards all the way back down to the front of the green, even if you only miss by a fraction.

Signature Holes

9th – a statement par 4, long in length but played downhill. The hole gently breaks right, with a great deal more room to miss on the left than right. The approach shot is then played down to an attractive green that is perched relatively flat at the bottom of the hill – shots can be run in from distance using the camber and the firm ground.
17th – another longer downhill par 4, but this time you have a heathered ravine to hit your second (or perhaps third, for shorter hitters) shot into the green. Described as a ‘card wrecker’ by local members, the tee shot should be judged so as not to run beyond 250 yards, which downhill and onto firm ground means club selection is important, and you are then left with a 170+ yard shot across the deep down to the green on the upslope below. Miss short and you can still see your ball roll back down to the base of the ravine with some 40-50 yards left in.

Review:

East Devon flies under the radar, but make no mistake, this is a very enjoyable course – a great mix of more classical heathland golf with some links feels, all with beautiful rolling Devon countryside or the coastline in view depending on which way you look.

Without wanting to labour comparisons with other courses, East Devon certainly does draw likeness to Isle of Purbeck, given that its fundamentally a heathland course albeit with linksy elements, all with beautiful sea views beyond.

The course plays year round, owing its positioning on the free draining cliffs on the South Coast, and with that comes some extremely firm ground which sees tee shots bound on and approach shots hit extremely firm on the first bounce with some very quick putts to follow.

The first two holes are a classic heathland back and forth from the clubhouse, par 4s with undulating fairways lined by mature heather, followed by the 3rd which is a challenging longer par 4 that doglegs right but with a fairway that tapers on longer driver length up to a narrow green.

Beyond the nice little short par 3 4th hole there are some more forgettable holes that loop round the wooded far end of the course, including a relatively straight forward par 5, but the course picks up again from the 8th which is a tricky longer par 3 on the side of a hill, where left is the miss as right is almost certain death. You then turn for the 9th which is played straight down the hill to a green that sits attractively among purple heather in front of the halfway hut.

The back nine feels stronger overall, starting with a testing shorter par 3 played to a devilish three-tiered green, but from the 13th you really start to feel the unique qualities that East Devon has to offer. The contrast between the 13th, which is a downhill par 3 to a well-bunkered green offering a beautiful view of several other holes and the Devon and Dorset coastline beyond, and then turning back on yourself for the 14th, a par 5 played down from another fine elevated tee to a snaking fairway nestled between two banks.

The round also finishes very strongly – 16 is a blind tee shot with the second played to a green with a fine view of Budleigh beach and the cliffhead beyond, the 17th is probably the signature hole with the approach shot requiring a long carry over a heathered ravine, and then the 18th is a shorter classic heathland finisher, a dogleg right with heather on that side and the clubhouse perched left watching on.

There are some scruffier areas of the course and perhaps some of the wider facilities could be added to or improved to elevate this club’s stature a little more, but rest assured that East Devon is a very unique and enjoyable round that provides much to think about and treasure, all in a very understated fashion. Highly recommended.