Saunton vs Royal North Devon: Which Should You Play?
Two of England's great links stare at each other across the Taw and Torridge estuary, about half an hour apart by road. Saunton is the better golf course; Royal North Devon, born in 1864 and still played over its original fairways, is the greater experience. Our verdict: play both in a day each, and if forced to choose, take Saunton's East for your score and Westward Ho! for your soul. Here is the full head to head with 2026 fees.
Photograph: Saunton Golf Club, Devon, via Google
The verdict up front
If your measure is the quality of the golf, Saunton's East Course wins. Herbert Fowler's 1919 layout through the giant Braunton Burrows dunes is the highest ranked course in Devon, a fixture in the UK top 100 in the mid 50s, and a regular championship host: Sergio Garcia won the Boys Amateur here in 1997 and the R and A brought both Senior Amateurs back in 2024. It is big, honest links golf, par 71 and roughly 6,800 yards from the back tees, with a second Fowler course, the West, rebuilt by Frank Pennink after wartime occupation and reopened in the 1970s.
If your measure is the experience, Royal North Devon is untouchable. Founded in 1864 on Northam Burrows common at Westward Ho!, laid out by Old Tom Morris and touched up by the same Herbert Fowler in 1908, it is the oldest course in England still playing over its original fairways. Sheep and ponies wander the links, the famous sea rushes swallow anything offline, the bunkers are faced with railroad sleepers, and the Amateur Championship came here three times between 1912 and 1931. J.H. Taylor learned the game on these fairways. Nowhere else in England does a round feel this much like time travel.
The head to head
| Saunton (East) | Royal North Devon | |
|---|---|---|
| The course | Herbert Fowler, 1919; par 71, about 6,800 yards from the back tees; second 18, the West | Old Tom Morris, 1864, altered by Fowler in 1908; par 72, about 6,650 yards, over 7,000 from the tips |
| 2026 high season fee | 150 pounds first round (May to September); second day 135, third 120; 36 holes 225 | 120 pounds Sunday to Friday, 140 Saturday (May to September); 36 holes 150; twilight 70 |
| Shoulder season | 130 pounds April and October; 100 in winter | 100 pounds March, April and October; reduced winter rates, enquire |
| Booking | By phone, 20 pound deposit per player; weekends after 9 am by arrangement | Online visitor booking through the club site |
| Standard required | No certificate, but "a reasonable standard of play is required" | No certificate required for casual visitor play |
| Character | Towering dunes, championship pedigree, pure golf test | Common land with sheep and ponies, sea rushes, sleepered bunkers, living history |
| Rankings | 54th, Golf Monthly UK and Ireland top 100, 2025 to 26 | 94th on the same list |
| Getting there | Braunton, by Saunton Sands beach | Westward Ho!, about half an hour by road via Barnstaple and Bideford |
Yardages vary by tee and are taken from club and ranking sources; check the scorecard on the day. We do not quote our own pricing; always confirm fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Who should pick which
Pick Saunton if
You want the better test and the better conditioned links. The East is the one serious golfers travel for, and Saunton's multi day pricing rewards staying: the second round drops to 135 pounds and the third to 120 in high season, so the smart play is two nights at the Saunton Sands Hotel above the beach, the East one day and the underrated West the next. Beginners should look elsewhere; the club asks for a reasonable standard, and the carries from the back tees mean it.
Pick Royal North Devon if
You care about where the game came from. The clubhouse museum, the livestock, the rushes and the sleepered bunkers add up to the most characterful round in the southwest, and at 120 pounds midweek in high season, 70 at twilight, it is also the value pick. Take the burn that crosses the 18th seriously and do not chase anything into the Great Sea Rushes. Buggies are scarce on the common, only six are allowed and they need a medical exemption, so be ready to walk.
Or refuse to choose
The honest answer for a traveling golfer: this is one trip, not a choice. Base in Barnstaple or at Saunton Sands, play the East, the West and Westward Ho! across three days, and you have the best concentrated links stretch in England outside the championship rota. Our England golf holidays page covers how a Devon swing fits a longer itinerary, and our England green fees guide puts the costs in national context.
Plan your North Devon links trip
Tell us your dates and group, and one concierge books Saunton's two courses and Westward Ho! in the right order, fixes the hotel above the beach and costs the trip to the head. High season mornings go early, so the sooner we start the better. No obligation.
Saunton and Royal North Devon questions
Is Saunton or Royal North Devon the better course?
By ranking and test, Saunton East: 54th in the Golf Monthly UK and Ireland top 100 against Royal North Devon's 94th, with bigger dunes, a stronger championship record and a second 18 in the West. By experience and history, Royal North Devon: golf has been played over the same Northam Burrows fairways since 1864, longer than anywhere else in England. Most traveling golfers play both, half an hour apart, and find they would not give either round back.
How much are green fees at Saunton and Royal North Devon in 2026?
Indicative 2026 visitor rates from the clubs: Saunton is 150 pounds for a first round between May and September, falling to 135 on a second day and 120 on a third, with a 36 hole day at 225; April and October are 130 and winter 100. Royal North Devon is 120 pounds Sunday to Friday and 140 on Saturdays in the same months, 100 in spring and October, with twilight golf at 70. Always confirm directly with the clubs before booking.
Do you need a handicap certificate to play?
Neither club publishes a certificate requirement for ordinary visitor rounds. Saunton states plainly that its courses are not for beginners and that a reasonable standard of play is required, which deserves respect: the East from the visitor tees is a stern driving course. Royal North Devon asks for handicap evidence only when entering its open competitions. If your group spans a wide range of abilities, Royal North Devon's twilight rate is a forgiving way in.
Are there really animals on the course at Westward Ho!?
Yes. Royal North Devon sits on Northam Burrows, common land and a Site of Special Scientific Interest, so sheep and ponies graze the links freely and walkers cross it; local rules cover the consequences. It is part of the course's charm rather than a gimmick, along with the sleepered bunkers and the Great Sea Rushes that line several fairways. The trade off is that buggies are limited to six, with a medical exemption required, so plan to walk.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and 2026 fees verified June 2026 from club published sources. Last reviewed June 2026.