Burnham and Berrow Golf Club

Me an two friends stayed in dormy for one night and played champ course twice and the 9 hole course once. what can i say its a real eye opener if you have never played links golf as i hadn't. It tests you it leaves you frustrated but it wil give you plenty of enjoyment as well. The wind is there constantly either in your face or behind you and adds to the fun. Didn't score that well and between us Fgghhgb ha only one birde and just a hanfull of pars and you have to fight for those. You will need a planer from the pro shop but dont read to much into it because of the wind trust your instinct and go for it. Would i play there again no because it sapped every bit of strengh out of me and i came off drained. Just want to

Played 36 holes here in May 09. Overall a high quality classic championship links course.
The first 18 I was allowed to join in with a twenty player or so member's event - great fun and a easy 2 pound donation from me to the winner. Very friendly members, a bit on the older side, but this is a traditional type club with old clubhouse (but elegant and historical - very nice for lunch).
The course winds thru the dunes for the first few, then reaches a group of holes with sea views near the middle. The holes are difficult, moderately tight, plenty of blind but fair holes. Greens have plenty of slope. Lots of deep bunkers near the greens. Back to the dunes for the finish. There is a reasonable mix of shot shapes required as well. If there were heavy winds, this course would be very tough. Very good mix of holes, nothing very repetitive, perhaps only the par 3s on the back nine, but they are still good holes regardless of that. Particularly enjoyed the long curving 18th with lots of bunkering short of the green - wish I could've made par on it at least once.
My second 18 was played in pretty poor weather (rain and wind) and I had to go it alone - not a lot of players around to get a game - plan in advance if single although the young pro was trying his best. Very peaceful out there, no roads or cars to disturb.
Overall - a great course, highly recommended for a match.

Played this course last week and what a delight and true test of golfing skills it is! Very quiet on a Friday morning, we set off with the wind behind us and achieved very respectable scores by the time we reached the turn.From then on,with the wind in our faces, it became very difficult with, for example, the par 3 17th a mere 179 yards resulting in a well hit five wood being some 20 yards short of the green! The condition of both course and greens was very good and you need to bring your best pot bunker escape techniques with you.
We were made to feel very welcome in both Pro's shop and bar and really enjoyed the experience.

I have played this 3 times in every type of weather condition you could imagine.
This is a very hard golf course, and not for the high handicapper. The greens are superb and the highlight of the course. A few of the holes are a little weak, but in general this is a true test of golf

Hard to fault. A true links set in the seaside town of Burnham with superb sea views. What a pit I had to play it on one of the few wet days last summer!
Easy to see why they have so many big Championships here as it's a real test, even to the top players. Clubhouse very nice too and excellent catering. Only wish we'd stayed in the Dormy House on site rather than paying twice that amount for a grubby B&B next to the noisy arcades in town.

Championship Course
OK after much hype (see previous reviews), we finally got round to playing Burnham & Berrow's Championship Course back in October.
This is a very good track which, whilst never in danger of challenging the top bracket of courses, still represents a serious all round test of your game.
It's an out and back layout and the basic message is make your score on the way out and hold on for the way back. The inward nine has the hardest two of the four par 3s, the longest and hardest of the par 5s and three of the toughest par 4s (11th, 15th and 18th) with the par 3 12th also playing long with its elevated green. All of that (for us at least) into the wind as well.
The other requisite is bring your best short game with you. The greens have a reputation as being among the best in the country and, although when we played they weren't that fast, the word on the street is that for most of the year they are very slick indeed.
In general the course is most memorable for the opening six and closing six holes. It loses some impetus around the turn as you move out of the duneland – the 7th and 8th are both relatively uninspiring, as is the second half of the 10th and the setting for the 11th.
Pick of the holes are the 1st, arguably the best hole on the course and certainly the tightest and the one most enclosed by the dunes; the short par 3 fifth, where getting it on the green is absolutely paramount (as it should be on a par 3!); the par 5 13th which has a narrow entrance to the green and trust me where you really don't want to miss right; and the seriously tough long par 4s at 16 (436 yards) and 18 (445 yards).
We found the overall welcome friendly, the clubhouse has got a proper traditional feel to it and, given that B&B is the only serious links course within a 50 mile driving radius, we're looking forward to returning again soon.
9.1/10
'Young P'

An excellent course well worth a visit but rather let down by the welcome received in the clubhouse and in particular the pro shop.

Channel Course:
This is a fantastic nine hole course which, whilst not overly-long (6120 yards for two circuits of the whites), presents a stiff examination of accuracy.
Even when it's calm the greens are small and tricky to hit – just as they are renowned for being on the Championship Course. And whilst there may be only two bunkers on the entire Channel Course (both at the front of the fourth green), the greens are invariably surrounded by devious humps and hollows.
Any big drawers or left handed faders can expect to encounter a serious challenge on the first four holes where anything left is an absolute goner into the marshland. The second shot on the par 5 fourth is even trickier as a lost ball into the soggy stuff awaits anything on either side of the fairway.
The course then heads inland into some terrific duneland. The second half of the fifth is very reminiscent of Rye. But it's the sixth hole (368 yards) that's the real star of this course. In fact, it would not be out of place on even the most esteemed links. Off the white tees in particular, it's an absolutely superb par four that runs between two dune ridges. Only the straightest drive will produce a view of the green, lying secluded between a narrow entrance of dunes.
The seventh is another good par 4 (aim at the lighthouse off the tee), whilst the par three 8th green is yet another small target area, which can leave some near-impossible recovery shots if you don't make the putting surface. The course finishes with yet another tricky approach shot to a raised green on the ninth.
We paid just £18 and went round three times – enough said.
The Channel Course runs alongside and partially in between the Championship Course, which looks an excellent layout (bar the adjacent housing estate) and as soon as there's enough light in the day for two rounds and a long lunch, I'll be reporting back from there.
7.75/10
'Young P'

An excellent course - completly spoiled by being double booked while we were there (we teed off almost 1 hour late) and members who had no etiquete or manners. Our group of ten all felt completely unwelcome. We will not be going back. As a group we paid over £400.00 to play at this club, and I feel that this should allow us some standing on the course. The members who drove straight through us would get a severe repremand if ever they did that at my golf club.Go to Saunton instead, where the course was excellent and we were made to feel very welcome by the club and members.

Channel Course: Unfortunately, I’ve only had time to play this nine hole course here but, on the basis of what I’ve seen, I’m going to be back very soon to play the Championship Course.
The Channel Course has got to be the best nine hole course I’ve played and it includes a couple of fantastic holes that would adorn most other layouts. Unlike some other nine hole setups, this isn’t a marginalised, mickey mouse pitch and putt affair: each one is a proper golf hole and they total in excess of 3,000 yards.
The first four holes take you along the side of the estuary and are quite tight, especially the second half of the Par 5 fourth.
As we turned around on the fifth, we suddenly felt the full force of the wind! The final four holes return through the dunes and are a great climax, even to a nine hole course. They include the terrific Par 4 sixth, slicing through steep-sided dunes, and the great Par 3 eighth, which has an awesome view from the tee.
The condition of the fairways wasn’t by any means immaculate but the greens were certainly good, as one would expect at a links course.
And it’s clear from looking across at the adjacent Championship Course that it is a fantastic layout - I for one can’t wait to get back and play it.
6/10
Young P

This is a fine challenge with all the tests you'd expect on a very good links golf course. The greens fast and very undulating and the fairways tightly mown. The bunkers well placed and plenty deep enough and the ever present threat of sand dunes for the off line tee shot made this a true test of ones golfing skills. This "firm but fair" beast rates amongst the best courses I've played. Its not the battle that say Carnoustie provides, but it gives you a fair chance of keeping a score intact whilst giving you plenty to think about at the same time. Also a fine clubhouse and the steward and his staff made us feel very welcome. They even made us an evening meal when the food had stopped being served. We payed £40 for the day which I think is extreme value for money. Playing here should not disappoint anyone and I'd highly recommend a visit.

This is a classic sea-side links. Narrow, undulating fairways with treachorous rough lead on to perfectly manicured greens, probably some of the best greens I have ever seen. Ignore the last writers comments. If you take the midweek day rate (£40) it doesn't seem such bad value at all. In fact, compared with the cost of playing some comparable courses (Lytham St Annes etc) it seems downright cheap. I managed to break 100 twice and was delighted to have done so, although I normally aim to break 90. Thank God the wind wasn't blowing too hard!

Good sea side links apart from
1.members are snobbish and unwelcoming to visitors
2.course itself is not manicured. ie far too many divots on the fairways
3.too many public footpaths used by tourists who do not understand golf at all
4.members playing on the course do not have golf etiquette
5.very off-putting 10,11,12th holes which have a heavily congested road alongside the fairways
It was a waste of money especially when visiting all the way from London. 60 pounds is a lot of money only to get frustrated.
This course is said that it will host the Open in the future. No way!!!!

Played the 9 hole course twice on a Society day in late September. Played yellows first round, whites second round - try it! It gives a totally different perspective of each hole. A fairly tight course but excellent value for a testing game. One tip - bring PLENTY of balls with you!

This is an awesome test of golf requiring all types of shotmaking.
The greens were in exceptonal condition and the views of this links course were stunning.
The Par 5 fourth hole is particularly memorable where you aim your tee shot towards Devon with the intention that it ends on the fairway pointing towards Wales !
June 12th 2000
Eight of us stayed in the Dormy House on the course and the inclusive cost could not be bettered.

Fine championship links in glorious somerset, one of the best courses in the region which proves a strong test for all abilities