Saunton Golf Club East Course Key Information
This is a beautifully situated and very peaceful links that has hosted many prestigious tournaments. It is the tougher of two lovely courses at Saunton which together combine to make a brilliant and varied day’s golf out in the dunes. If you can score well over Saunton East, you can probably score well just about anywhere.
Reasons To Play Saunton East
– A tough but also very fair links test; what you see is what you get
– A course for fans of a par 4, there are 14 of them from the yellow tees
– Compare and contrast with its younger sibling, the West Course
Rankings
UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2025/26 - 54
The East Course at Saunton Golf Club is the slightly more demanding of two very enjoyable links at the club that complement one another perfectly and are both in the Top 100 Golf Courses UK & Ireland. Situated in the peaceful North Devon dunes, it was designed by Herbert Fowler of The Berkshire and Walton Heath fame. It is one of the best golf courses in England.
Golf was first played over this secluded linksland just south of Croyde over 120 years ago and this has headed most lists of the best golf courses in Devon ever since. It was originally just 9 holes, and then 12, before Fowler was invited to redesign the course completely following World War I. Ever since is has attracted major amateur events, and some people have even suggested it could be an Open Championship venue if it were not for access and logistical issues. I have played it a number of times and like it a great deal.
The East opens with a really strong par 4 played from an elevated tee. Just about maximum length and usually into the wind, a par here is very much one up on the card.
As you continue, you will find nothing that is unfair or contrived. Instead, there is hole after hole of testing golf where the premium is on accuracy. While it occasionally calls for some strength, this is a very fair test of golf that has rightly won the respect and admiration of many top golfers.
Even the shorter holes have their challenges. Tiddler, the appropriately-named par-3 5th, is a perfect example. At just 122 yards, the important thing is not to go long. Do so, and you will really have your work cut out to get back close to the pin and salvage par. The same is also true at the 10th, Plateau, a seemingly straightforward but attractive par 4. Once again there is a raised green, and there is also real trouble presented by two bunkers that sit at the base of the slope in front.
The long par-4 14th is a real tester whose name sums it up perfectly, Narrows! Here, it really does pay to stay straight. The dogleg closing hole is a fittingly strong two-shotter leading you back to a green surrounded by five bunkers under the watchful gaze of all those out on the delightful patio.
To my mind, Saunton East is one of the best links golf courses in England, enjoying a beautiful setting in the Devonshire dunes.
What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said...
I can’t help feeling that if Saunton East was not tucked away in the West Country and had a little more attention to detail, it would gain even more recognition. A serious, honest test of golf ability.
I feel it’s fortunate to be in the top 100 - the landscape, dunes and greens are a wonderful base to work from, but they just don’t capitalise on it.
The club have gone with a “natural/blow-out” look for the rebunkering work. Unfortunately, the execution has been poor and as a result the reworked bunkers look ugly, unnatural and stand out compared to the revetted bunkers around them. The sand used is also a different colour and quality so the end result is not impressive. I always enjoy coming back to play the East and, despite the rebunkering issues, look forward to continuing to do so in the future.
Saunton Golf Club Location
Saunton Golf Club East Course scorecard
Best Courses Near To Saunton
Best Places To Stay Near Saunton Golf Club
Saunton Sands Hotel - Book now via Booking.com
With excellent views over the golf course, Saunton Sands Hotel features a spa, 2 swimming pools and a popular restaurant. The elegant rooms have modern, en suite bathrooms and the Restaurant offers formal dining and a seasonal menu.
Imperial Hotel, Barnstaple - Book now via Booking.com
A few minutes away in the centre of Barnstaple, the Imperial overlooks River Taw. There is a formal restaurant serving 2 and 4-course dinner, as well as relaxed dining in the Colours Bar and terrace lounge.
Saunton Golf Club East Course Gallery
Historical Top 100 Rankings UK&I
- 2025/26 - 54
- 2023/24 - 55
- 2021/22 - 49
- 2019/20 - 45
- 2017/18 - 41
- 2015/16 - 35
- 2013/14 - 39
- 2011/12 - 36
- 2009/10 - 30
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the better course at Saunton?
Both are lovely, but we have always had the East ahead of the West based on our well-documented criteria. There are certainly people who prefer the variety of the West, but we all like different things!
Which is the best hole on the East Course at Saunton?
Although it is super-tough, many people would say that it is the opening hole, a par 4 of some distance that plays from an elevated tee and has a ditch crossing where many would want to lay up. A five will often feel like a par.
Who was Herbert Fowler, designer of Saunton East?
Fowler was one of our most influential architects who was responsible for two pairs of Top 100 courses - The Berkshire and Walton Heath - as well as many other glorious one-offs.
