Exeter

Exeter Golf and Country Club is located on the southern edge of Exeter (one of the oldest cities in England) and the club is set within the ancient Wear Park Estate that dates back to the 13th century. An impressive early 19th century Georgian mansion is Exeter’s magnificent clubhouse, which rivals Moor Park’s Palladian mansion in terms of stature.

The golf course at Exeter Golf & Country Club dates back to 1929 and it’s a design from the drawing board of five-time Open Champion, James Braid. The parkland course measures a relatively modest 6,018 yards from the tips, but the fairways are cleverly routed through stately trees and around sixty bunkers are thoughtfully positioned, making low scoring easier said than done.

After a gentle opening par four, the two-shot 2nd will focus the mind. A bunker is strategically placed at the elbow of the dogleg which accentuates the narrowness of this bottle-necked fairway. Only a perfect drive will reveal a clear view of the offset green that is protected on both sides by bunkers. A straightaway, short par five represents a real birdie opportunity at the 3rd and a well-bunkered short par three follows at the 4th.

The 437-yard 5th is perhaps the hardest hole on the course and this long uphill par four features a fairway split by a cross bunker which foreshortens the perspective of the approach shot, with the result that golf balls often fall short of the putting surface.

The first of two blind tee shots arrives at the medium-length par four 7th, reminding players that Exeter was fashioned during the Golden Age of golf course design. The 8th is a tough par four that sweeps to the left and the arrow straight par four 9th concludes a memorable outward half.

You can make a score on the first five holes on the homeward nine and birdies are certainly there for the taking at 13 and 14 – two old-fashioned, back-to-back short par fours that measure less than 300 yards from the tips. But focus your mind and be prepared for the tough Exeter finish, which includes a long par four at 15, measuring in excess of 460 yards from the tips, and the signature par five 18th that has wrecked many a a card.

A major re-routing of the course was undertaken by Mackenzie & Ebert in 2015 to reduce the impact of new housing alongside various holes and this work involved several new tees and greensites. We took a close look at the remodelled Exeter Golf & Country Club in autumn 2016. As far as we can tell four holes have simply been reversed and new tees added with the routing sequence altered to accommodate the amended flow. It's a tidy job and hard to see the join.