From Burnham & Berrow, the group made their way on to Saunton Sands Hotel & Spa finishing the day with dinner at the Beachside Grill — the hotel’s own restaurant, set right on the beach with spectacular views and a laid-back, easy atmosphere that was the perfect way to end a day of golf and travel.
The next day brought a round at Royal North Devon — often known as Westward Ho! — and it’s hard to overstate what a special experience it was for the group. Founded in 1864, it’s the oldest golf course in England still playing its original fairways, and the oldest links course outside Scotland. Designed by Old Tom Morris and regarded by many as the “St Andrews of the South,” it’s a raw, natural links stretching beyond 7,000 yards that has barely changed in a century. Being common land, the course is shared with grazing sheep and horses, who wander freely across the fairways — locals joke that they hold life membership — and there’s even a local rule allowing a free drop if your ball ends up in a hoofprint. It all adds to what is a genuine step back in time, and a proper test of links golf.
This year marked the first time we’ve hosted the convention at Saunton Sands, and it was easy to see why the hotel made such an impression on everyone who stayed there. It’s a family-run business through and through, and that shows in every part of the operation — the team who work there genuinely care, and that starts right at the top: General Manager Anthony Kingdon mucks in alongside everyone else, and that spirit runs through the whole staff. It makes a real difference to the guest experience.
The hotel itself is a striking art deco building, and we were lucky enough to enjoy beautiful weather throughout our stay — the views over the beach and the dunes were nothing short of stunning, and the facilities matched the setting in every way. The spa deserves a special mention too — a genuinely great spot for golfers to unwind and ease tired legs after a round, and exactly the kind of facility that turns a golf trip into a proper break.
What’s particularly impressive is that Saunton Sands isn’t a hotel resting on its history. Under the direction of Kelly Brend and Peter Brend, the hotel is installing air conditioning this autumn — a big undertaking in a historic building, but after this summer, it’s becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity for hotels across the country, and Saunton Sands is taking the plunge. It’s exactly the kind of investment that will be a real asset for operators selling the hotel and the wider area to their clients.