Trethorne Golf Club Review
Information
Course Name: Trethorne Golf Club
Location: Kennards House, Launceston, Cornwall, PL15 8QE, UK
Date Played: May 2022
Course Type: Parkland
Introduction
Trethorne Golf Club and Hotel sits on an undulating piece of Cornish parkland a short distance from the town of Launceston. You could take a mini-break there or use it as a base for a longer golfing holiday in Cornwall.
It has received some investment over the last five years or so Including lengthening some holes and improving the drainage.
The Layout
Each 9 starts and ends near the clubhouse so if you need to stock up on water or snacks halfway round then you’ve no problem.
The course sits in a roughly triangular area of land with views of the surrounding countryside and unfortunately some less salubrious views too on a couple of holes!
The course is one of the hilliest that I’ve played in my 30-odd years of golf! It will certainly test out the old calf muscles and on a couple of holes, I was looking for an oxygen mask!
Don’t let that put you off though even if you aren’t the fittest you can always hire a buggy.
The majority of the holes are tree-lined and you’ll often find yourself in deep trouble if you miss your targets. The greens seemed fairly flat for the most part without any “dead elephants” although there were a few greens with tiers.
I particularly enjoyed the par-3 holes which varied from 143 yards to 205 yards with a carry over a water hazard!
Lots of dogleg holes to make you think about positioning your tee shots to give you access to the greens.
Despite being fairly late in the day the course was still quite busy and there were plenty of players out after me so the club seems to be well supported.
The rough was kept to a reasonable length so that you could still find your ball while affecting the quality of shot you could hit from it.
On the front 9, I probably liked the 2nd and the 6th holes best. The 2nd was a short par-4 played downhill to the fairway lined by trees on both sides. You’ll need to limit yourself to a fairway wood or long iron though, otherwise, you will run out of room. This leaves you a short pitch to a small green slightly below you.
The 6th is the longest hole on the course and again plays downhill with a couple of large mature trees standing guard in the fairway to cause you problems with your second shot. The fairway also slopes quite a bit from right to left so you’ll need to try and hug the right-hand side off the tee.
My favorite hole on the back 9 was probably the 11th. From a high tee, the hole doglegs and you need to clear a small ditch that runs across the fairway. Turning slightly to the left you then have to play to a green protected by a bunker. Stray too far to the left off the tee and you will be blocked out by trees.
Condition
Overall I thought the condition of the course was pretty good.
Greens
On the whole, the greens putted quite nicely. Enough speed so you could stroke rather than hit your ball but not so quick as to put the fear of God into an ordinary club golfer.
Unfortunately, as the round progressed it became evident that many of the greens were suffering from the odd bare patch. It also looked like a number of the fringes had been “scalped”.
As long as you weren’t putting across one of the worn areas then I don’t think you would have had too many causes for complaint. There were few if any visible unrepaired pitch marks.
Bunkers
I wasn’t overly keen on the type of sand used in the bunkers but there seemed to be a decent amount and for the most part, they had been raked.
Fairways
The fairways had a nice covering of grass so all standards of players should have been able to play without complaint.
Tees
Generally in good condition and flat. One or two showed some signs of wear although this is likely because they were in shaded areas.
Challenge
Trethorne Golf club is relatively short by modern standards so bigger hitters might think they can take the course apart. However, distance isn’t really the issue at this club you need to place your ball in the right areas from the tee in order to gain access to the greens.
There are quite a few dogleg holes so you will need to work out the best place to be in order to see the green.
The land has plenty of undulation so you will have all sorts of uphill, downhill and sidehill lies to contend with during your round.
Water also comes into play several times so your club selection and ball striking will need to be on the money.
Off The Course
Obviously, those looking for a place to stay in the area can check out the hotel accommodation on site. There’s also a bar and restaurant open to visitors.
If you want to work on your game there’s a driving range and also a grass practice area along with a practice putting green.
The club also runs a popular junior golf academy.
Trethorne Golf Club Review: Summary
I have to admit I’m not as fit as I once was and did find that it was quite a walk! Certainly, older or less mobile golfers would probably need to use a buggy to get around.
That being said I thought it was an enjoyable golf course with a wide variety of holes that put a premium on accuracy over pure distance.
Many of the greens were quite small and therefore tricky to hit.
The usual summer green fee is £37 per round although they do have an excellent twilight offer (after 3 PM) at only £15 for a round of golf!
Certainly, at the twilight rate, this offers unbelievable value for money. Even at the normal rate, it is definitely worth playing as it will test almost every aspect of your game.
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