After the sun comes the rain. Nature’s elements come into their own at Pennard. The fairways are yellow and hard as stone. “When you thought you have hit the perfect drive – it suddenly bounces off”, says the waitress that serves us lunch in the bar. Just as we are about to start the air is like steam. Everything is wet. Extremely wet. Colours are strengthened and the greens look like green oases among the brown fairways. We go for lower clubs and the balls fly low and run far. The 5th, a par 3 that challenges, is followed by the 6th up and over the bay below.
Dry fairways on Pennard
We play towards medieval ruins. The 7th green is like a cauldron dominating some church ruins, where once a year a church service is held. We stop and contemplate the gods of golf. The 9th is a magnificent par 4 which requires courage and firm control of the long irons. The wind freshens up. We play the 10th – a par 5 – up and down towards the sea. Suddenly we experience the feeling we were searching for between 7th and 8th – real links. We smile. It’s wet. It’s windy. We make birdies and pars. The 13th is a par 3 but just as long as a par 4 into a headwind.
Tough par three thirteen, Pennard
We lay up with a spoon. The 14th is a par 4 with a fairway like a moon landscape. The 15th – a par 3 in British Open class. We long for the end. The 16th – a signature hole – against the wind on rocky cliffs overlooking the sea. A hook flies several hundred yards before the ball bounces into the Atlantic. We strike low. The 17th – a par 5 with double dogleg – narrow as a country lane in Cornwall, with gorse on both sides. We look left and swing to the right. Mr J wins 2 and 1. Only the 18th remains. A 350-yards hole with a fairway that slopes more to one side than a skateboard ramp. Or as it states in the course planner – “Probably the hardest fairway to hit of all the links you will play.” LINKS75 hits it – on the fairway after a monster drive.
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