There are some courses that just make you smile. These courses are so charming that they just please you endlessly. This is the story of a trip to one of these special places that instantly creates a comfortable home in your golfing heart.
As we were building our content for the second edition of The Links Diary, that wonderful article about Dunaverty was sent in by Jim Hartsell. Straight away it was unanimous that it should be in the magazine, we just had to go and capture some images to do the piece justice.
Very early on a Saturday morning in October, we set off on the long beautiful drive to Dunaverty. Three weary travellers got out of the car all giddy with excitement about the round ahead. Looked over the fence and saw a troop of cows walking the fairways.
A quick bacon roll and we were off. The gentle opening quickly gave way to some of the most dramatic golfing scenery I have ever seen. Electric fences surround the beautifully rolling greens to keep the cattle off. The experience had begun. Our smiles were growing.
The 3rd hole flirts with Dunaverty beach and your eye is drawn to the craggy point of Dunaverty Rock. One of the most incredible moments of the round is climbing from the punchbowl 4th green up to the 5th tee. From there it feels like you’re on the edge of the world, time stands still.
This is a course with constant and serious elevation change, you quickly forget about the climbs when you look down over the land. Our three ball just spent the day losing our breath with the hills and the views. As we got to the 10th green, “Mount Zion," we stopped to get our breath and just take in the incredible views.
We were halfway through our round, it was a bitter-sweet moment, and the highest point on the course. So far the round had been the perfect mix of long and short holes.
Next up was the slalom down to the 11th green of The Cleet. This is a meeting point on the course, so many people from different holes crossing over and saying hello. We were on the way home, but plenty of dramatic golf remained.
