An enterprising farmer on the north coast of Devon is challenging golfers to test out their short game skills on a rather unusual golf hole that he has created.
Tim Northcote’s 600-acre farm estate near Bude includes a rocky outcrop on which he has managed to construct a proper USGA-standard green with the help of the greenkeeping team at his local golf club. He has also built a makeshift tee up on the cliff top some 270 yards from the green, and is challenging all-comers to have a go at reaching the putting surface this summer.
Mr Northcote, who plays off 12 at nearby St Petrocs Golf Club, said: “I thought it would be a bit of fun over the summer to install the green and charge people a few pounds to have a go at reaching it. It was a real job getting the earth, and the turf, up on to the rock, but seeing how it has turned out, I think it’s been worthwhile. Any money raised will be donated to the RNLI lifeboat station at Bude, which provides an invaluable service to locals and tourists alike.”
The hole officially opens for play today (April 1), and will be available to play – for £5 a ball (clubs and balls are provided) – every weekend until the end of July. Anyone who hits the green will have their name put into a prize draw to win a two-week family holiday in Devon next year, while anyone who manages a hole-in-one will win a £20,000 car, which has been put up as a prize by a local dealership.