St Mellion is the place to go after £20m revamp

If you’re a keen golfer like me, then you’ll probably spend lots of your time dreaming about playing some of the world’s top courses. You might even have a list of ‘must play before I die’ courses.

My list comprises of courses like King’s Barns, Carnoustie, Royal Porthcawl etc. It’s an endless and worldwide list. St Mellion in Cornwall is a course that has always been on that list but probably would have never actually been played as you don’t hear much about it these days. I remember it from being a junior but all I knew about it was the name really.

Crown Golf, owners of St Mellion have just completed a £20 million revamp of the place extending its existing hotel to 80 bedrooms, rebuilding almost everything to top notch standards. The company owns 33 clubs spanning some 7,000 acres of land in the UK and has a massive 27,000 members.

St Mellion is its flagship property and they are trying to put it back on the map amongst Europe’s top golf resorts. They’ve restored the course to European Tour standard in advance of hosting the The English Open in 2011. To celebrate the completion of all the work, Crown Golf invited 60 other journalists and myself down to try it all out and see what we thought. Lovely.

I was really excited about heading down as it’s another golf course to tick off my expanding list and nice to get away for a couple of days. The itinerary looked fantastic and the nice chaps let me bring my wife along too which really made it for me. Often these sorts of events are a bit boring and you never really relax so that’s what I was expecting really.

Honestly, I couldn’t have been more wrong, it was a brilliant weekend enjoyed by all and I’d definitely go back.

We arrived at around 5pm on Sunday after a three and half hour drive which was a really enjoyable journey. I think it’s too far to travel for a one night stay but perfect if you’re staying a couple of nights like we were. Tired from the journey, we checked into our four star room and un-packed for the weekend.

The rooms are exactly what you’d expect from a decent four star hotel except there was no mini bar (probably a good thing). At first I was surprised that the hotel had gone for four star status and not gone the whole hog for five star. I thought a glittering golf course like St Mellion deserved an equally glittering hotel and I thought they’d missed a trick really.

You know what though, I was wrong. They’ve pitched the place perfectly in my opinion. You don’t feel like you have to be dressed in a jacket and tie everywhere you go, it’s a much more relaxed atmosphere which is great. You can actually let loose for the weekend and enjoy yourself which is more than I can say for some of the other stuck up ‘must play’ courses I’ve been to.

Everyone is just nice and chilled out. The staff are happy to have a giggle with you and that filters through the whole feel of the place. Instead of all these journalists being under pressure all weekend, everyone acted like they were on a real holiday and because of that, I met some brilliant people and felt I’d had a decent break from it all.

I got to thinking about who would come down to St Mellion. What type of person would be interested in this place as a perfect golf break? I came to the conclusion that their target audience is me, actually and my pals and my dad.

You see it ticks all the boxes. It’s not stuck up but it’s still a lovely place. It’s not too expensive so your average Joe can afford it. It’s not too far away from 40 million of us but far enough that you feel you’ve actually got away from it all. An excellent combination.

The golf is what sets it aside from the pack though and the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course is just brilliant. I’m an 18 handicapper who had a VERY bad day but I still loved it. I mean I really loved it.
If you’re an average golfer, you’ll get some real enjoyment from this course. It cuts its way through the surrounding hillside using the natural ebb and flow of the land. Just like all the other really epic courses I’ve played.

It’s bloody difficult, make no mistake about it but that’s what you’re there for isn’t it? Your weekly hack will likely be at a far inferior club, so it’s a real treat to play something so special. I tell you though, it’s a hell of a walk and I don’t think you could really play this course without a buggy. Crown have just bought a fleet of 60 spanking brand new buggies to trundle round the course in and I’d take their advice and use them.

Saying that, my only real bug-bear about the course was the damn buggy paths. You see you’re not allowed to take your buggy on the fairways so you have to keep on the brand new tarmac pathways which is a complete pain in the arse. The cart paths are sometimes 50 yards away from your ball, so every time you get out to hit your ball, you have to take three clubs with you as you don’t know which you’ll need until you get there.

One of the chaps in our four ball didn’t take any notice after a while and just started driving on the fairways anyway. I wouldn’t recommend it though as he was a little ‘tipsy’ at the time and you’d probably get chucked off if you tried it. It was funny at the time though I can assure you.

If that’s my only gripe then they’ve not done bad and the course itself is truly epic. Some of the holes just take your breath away and you’ll want to go back and play them again and again. The course is all about accuracy and keeping it on the fairway. Some holes are easier than others but it’s so easy to lose a ball here. The greens are like glass and impossible if your ball isn’t the right side of the hole.

If you’ve a downhill putt on some of the greens, you actually can’t stop the ball by the hole. They’re just too steep, like Augusta almost. It makes the course so much harder but also a real treat. You start playing differently to how you might normally, really thinking about distance and pin positions. Just getting it on the green is simply not enough.

That’s why it’s so good and it’s exactly what I look for in a decent course. A course that challenges everything you know about golf and actually makes you play differently. You suddenly realise how few shots you have in your bag and that you really need to learn how to hit balls under the wind, with a fade, a draw, backspin etc.

Forget your handicap here. It means nothing.

The resort also has what was The Old Course, now renamed The Kernow Course which held the Benson & Hedges International Open back in 1979, St Mellion’s first professional golf tournament.

The new resort has everything you’d want for a weekend away with the boys or with the family. The superb spa, gym and swimming pool area kept my wife more than happy and the food was excellent.

There’s a selection of bars, terraces and three ‘dining experiences’ all good enough to whet any appetite and perfect for the size of the resort. We had a BBQ on the St Pirran Terrace overlooking the daunting 18th on the first night in the sunshine and it was lovely. The second night we had dinner at the ‘An Boesti’ restaurant which was also top notch. The rest of the time we spent bouncing between the various bars and breakfast/lunch rooms filling ourselves with wine, beer or sandwiches, all of which were just lovely. It was a real credit to the chef and his team as the hotel had literally just opened and there’s always teething problems when that happens. To feed us all with no upsets was an excellent achievement.

St Mellion is just a tank full of petrol away for 40 million located in Saltash, Cornwall. It’s also easily accessible by air. St Mellion’s partners www.airsouthwest.com offer flights from all over the UK so getting there is a breeze.

In a nutshell, St Mellion is easy to get to, reasonably priced and offers some of the best golf you’ll ever play. It really does have it all so if you get the chance I’d make the effort. I might even head back down there with the lads sometime soon. I’ve been banging on about it so much, they want to go now too.

The only thing that annoyed me and left a sour taste in my mouth was that my golf shoes were nicked! Why on earth anyone would want to nick a pair of one year old, VERY well used pair of golf shoes is beyond me but having to go and buy a new pair wound me up.

It’s not St Mellion’s fault though. I stupidly left them by the cart for a few minutes while I dumped my clubs off inside. When I returned, they’d gone. Gutted. That can happen anywhere though and is in fact the second time I’ve had my shoes stolen now – I mean, jees these damn shoe theives! Grrr!

To book a stay or golf at St Mellion. Visit their website at www.st-mellion.co.uk or give them a call on 01579 351351.

Category: Golf Course Reviews
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