Playing Golf in Devon as a Visitor

Published: 2026-07-14

A visitor's guide to golf in Devon, from Royal North Devon and Saunton's links to Thurlestone's clifftops and Exeter parkland.

Published: 2026-07-14

Updated: 2026-07-14

Devon is one of the few English counties where a visiting golfer can play genuine championship links on one coast and a Harry Colt clifftop course on the other, without ever leaving the county boundary. The north coast around Westward Ho! and Braunton holds some of the oldest and most highly ranked links golf in England. The south coast, around the Kingsbridge and South Hams area, offers a different but equally coastal experience on cliffs above the sea. Inland, around Exeter, there is well-maintained parkland golf that costs a fraction of the coastal green fees and welcomes visitors with far less planning required.

For a golfer weighing up a Devon trip, the practical question is usually less about course quality (the county has plenty of it) and more about which type of golf, and which price point, matches the trip.

North Devon: the historic links

Royal North Devon Golf Club, at Westward Ho!, is the oldest golf club in England, originally laid out in 1864 and shaped by Old Tom Morris before later work by Herbert Fowler. The course plays over common land at Northam Burrows, where sheep and horses still graze alongside the fairways, and it remains largely unchanged from its historic routing. It is a genuine links test: flat but exposed, with pot bunkers and grassy dunes that punish a loose shot, especially once the wind picks up off the Bristol Channel.

Visitors can book tee times online, with green fees typically running from around £70 to £90 in the main season (May to September) and considerably less, from roughly £35 to £50, outside those months. A buggy costs around £40 per round where a medical exemption applies, since general buggy use is restricted on the course. There is no handicap requirement to play.

Saunton Golf Club, a few miles further along the coast near Braunton, is a 36-hole club with two courses that both sit inside the UK's top 100 rankings: the East Course, generally regarded as the tougher and more decorated of the two, and the West Course, shorter but arguably more varied and enjoyable for a visiting fourball. Both run through the dunes of Braunton Burrows, a UNESCO-recognised landscape shared with Royal North Devon further along the same stretch of coast.

Green fees at Saunton vary by month and time of day, generally sitting between roughly £100 and £175 in peak season, with cheaper twilight rates available from March to October. Visitor bookings require a £20 per person non-refundable deposit, with the balance paid on the day. A reasonable standard of play is expected rather than a specific handicap certificate.

Between Royal North Devon and Saunton, a visitor gets access to three of the most highly regarded links courses in southern England within a short drive of each other, making North Devon a realistic base for a short golf-focused break rather than a single round.

South Devon: clifftop golf

Thurlestone Golf Club, near Kingsbridge in the South Hams, sits on low cliffs between South Milton and Bantham beaches, with views across to Burgh Island. Laid out by Harry Colt, the course is officially classed as downland rather than pure links, though it plays with a similar firm, fast character in the summer months thanks to strong natural drainage. The front nine plays to a par of 33, while the homeward stretch includes four par 5s across its final seven holes, giving the round a distinctly different rhythm on each side.

Visitor green fees are generally in the £55 to £80 range across the year, noticeably lower than the flagship North Devon links, and a Devon and Cornwall county card brings the rate down further for card holders. Visitors are welcome most days of the week, though the club closes to outside play for a fortnight in late July, so anyone planning a summer trip around Thurlestone should check dates before booking.

Inland and near Exeter: parkland and value

Not every visit to Devon needs to be built around coastal links. Woodbury Park, ten miles east of Exeter and close to the M5, offers an 18-hole championship parkland course (the Oaks) running through mature trees and lakes, alongside a shorter 9-hole course (the Acorns) that suits golfers who want a quicker round or are still building confidence. Green fees on the Oaks typically run from around £45 to £50, with the Acorns available from about £15, making Woodbury Park one of the more accessible visitor options in the county. Visitors are welcome every day, and the club's location just off the A3052 near the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty makes it a straightforward stop for anyone travelling through Exeter rather than basing a whole trip around it.

This is also a useful answer for anyone searching specifically for a short course in Devon: the Acorns at Woodbury Park and the 9-hole option at Thurlestone both give a genuine round without the time or cost commitment of a full 18-hole links visit.

Planning a visit

Booking ahead matters more on the coast. Saunton and Royal North Devon both take advance bookings and, in Saunton's case, a deposit, so turning up without a reservation in peak season is unlikely to work. Woodbury Park and similar inland courses are generally easier to book at short notice.

Wind is the defining factor on the coast. Both Royal North Devon and Saunton are genuinely exposed to Atlantic and Bristol Channel winds, and course difficulty can shift substantially between a still morning and a blustery afternoon. Visitors used to inland parkland golf should expect the ball to behave differently, particularly on approach shots into firm, links-style greens.

Prices swing by season. As a rough pattern across the county, expect to pay close to double in the May to September peak compared with October to April, with twilight rates offering a further discount at several clubs. A winter trip built around Devon's links courses can be considerably better value than the same trip in summer, at the cost of shorter daylight and a higher chance of wet weather.

Distances across the county are longer than they look on a map. North Devon and South Devon golf are roughly two hours apart by road, so a trip built around both coasts needs to be planned as a multi-day break rather than a single day's golf, with Exeter a sensible midpoint for anyone splitting time between the two.

Frequently asked questions

What is the oldest golf course in Devon? Royal North Devon Golf Club at Westward Ho! is the oldest golf club in England, founded in 1864, and its course is still played over its original common land at Northam Burrows.

Do I need a handicap certificate to play golf in Devon? It depends on the club. Royal North Devon has no handicap requirement, Saunton asks for a reasonable standard of play rather than a certificate, and Thurlestone prefers visitors bring one but welcomes competent golfers without one. Always check directly with the club before travelling.

Is there a short or 9-hole golf course in Devon? Yes. Woodbury Park's Acorns course near Exeter is a 9-hole par 32 parkland layout, and Thurlestone also offers a 9-hole option, both suited to a shorter visit or a lower-cost round.

What does golf cost for a visitor in Devon? Fees range widely by club and season. Inland parkland courses like Woodbury Park start from around £45 to £50 for 18 holes, while the county's premier coastal links, Royal North Devon, Saunton and Thurlestone, generally range from around £55 up to £175 depending on the club, month and time of day.

Which is better for a visiting golfer, North Devon or South Devon? North Devon, around Westward Ho! and Braunton, offers a concentration of highly ranked links golf within a short drive, suited to a golf-focused trip. South Devon, around Thurlestone, offers a different clifftop style of coastal golf and pairs well with a broader South Hams holiday rather than a golf-only visit.

Related guides

Rate check note: Green fee figures were pulled from club sites and aggregators in mid-2026, some undated. Cross-check against current rate cards before publish.