Launceston Golf Club: Course Review

Course Name: Launceston Golf Club

Information

Course Name: Launceston Golf Club

Location: Launceston Golf Club, Launceston, Cornwall, PL15 8HF, UK

Date Played: Summer 2021

Course Type: Parkland

Introduction

Launceston Golf Club was founded back in 1927. Golf had been played there as early as 1910 when a short course was laid out on the western part of the current golf course.

The Great War put a stop to golfing activities and they weren’t restarted until 1927.

Initially a nine-hole course the club extended to 18 holes during the 70s.

Launceston Golf Club flyover

The Layout

The club sits on a roughly rectangular piece of land on the edge of town.

I was going to describe the course as gently undulating, that is until I played the eighth 11th and the tee shot on 15!

The first three holes run out away from the clubhouse to the far end of the property.

On paper, the first looks like a relatively innocuous par-5 at 498 yards. It plays slightly uphill, however, so is quite a bit longer than the yardage would suggest.

There are a couple of ditches to avoid but they are quite a distance from the fairway so shouldn’t cause a problem.

The rough appears to be kept pretty short which I think is the best policy.

While it will affect your ability to control the ball you’re not going to need to spend ages looking for balls.

The club also seems to have a policy of not growing tall rough in and around the wooded areas. This is one of my particular bugbears with some courses. If you’re already in the trees, that is going to make the shot difficult enough. You don’t need to have 6-inch rough which will just cause slow play.

The second is a good stiff par-4 of around 430 yards. The fairway cambers in the direction of the out-of-bounds. Players are advised to wait for traffic to pass on the adjacent road. Clearly, there have been a few too many incidents with hooked shots!

The third hole, while shorter on the card, still plays to a good length as your second shot is quite steeply uphill. The green is protected by a bunker with out of bounds long and left to worry about.

The first par-3 comes next and it’s quite a long one although it’s downhill. The front left quarter of the green is sunken and you might be able to get your ball to gather in the direction of the hole if the pin was placed there.

The fifth is another par four of around 430 yards doglegging to the right with a flattish green.

Another shortish par-5 follows although it does rise back up the hill meaning the card yardage is not quite true to how it plays.

You get a little respite on the seventh as this par-4 weighs in at 377 yards.

While the eighth is a similar distance it will play much longer as you are hitting your tee shot up quite a steep hill.

The hole also doglegs to the right somewhat. Your approach has to be accurate as anything long or left will be trouble. Go to the right and you are likely to run away down a slope.

Of course, the advantage of a steep climb is usually a decent view when you reach the top and that’s the case here. You can get nice views across the course and of the surrounding countryside.

A medium-length par-3 closes out the front nine.

The back nine starts with a long par-4 of 450 yards but fortunately, it plays downhill so even I was able to reach with a medium iron for my second.

11 is a straightaway par-4 back up the steep hill.

A shortish par-3 follows with the green partially in a bowl. Looks like there may have been a large bunker to the right of the green which has been grassed over.

The 13th is a nice dogleg to the right. The tee shot is probably even more inviting if you happen to be on the elevated teeing ground.

14 plays back in the opposite direction and is the only green with a significant tier.

The 15th is a lovely par-3 drop hole. Unfortunately, the problem with most drop holes is you are required to climb to the tee!

The next hole was really a par-5 for me as it was playing slightly uphill and into the wind. Even a well-struck drive and 4-wood still left me around 30 yards shy of the green.

The final par-3 is a fairly long one. It might require a fairway wood for some.

The home hole is the longest par-5 on the course but to have a chance of reaching in two you need to hug the left-hand side of this dogleg right.

If you’re short and/or right off the tee then you’re just going to have to pitch over the corner of some trees for your second.

Condition

Greens

I thought, on the whole, the greens putted very nicely. I didn’t see much evidence of pitch marks so the members and visitors want to keep the course in good condition.

They were a little slower than I would have liked for the time of year but missed putts were going to be down to your inability to read or strike them.

Fairways

Fairways on the whole were in pretty decent nick. The amount of grass was certainly a big change given the amount of links courses I’ve been playing recently. It allowed a little more margin for error with my striking!

There was the odd divot here or there but given covid has likely stopped members taking out divot mix bags then it’s to be expected.

Tees

The tees were probably a little disappointing in places with some of them looking a little worse for wear. Particularly those that spend a good portion of the day in the shade.