My choice of location was Bude, situated on the Atlantic Heritage Coast of Cornwall, near to the border of Devon. This is very much your traditional seaside town, relatively unspoilt compared to many places you can visit this day and age. Indeed if you love walking then you will find a stunning natural coast line overlooking fantastic beaches and excellent surf. If you happen to be a Jazz fan then August/September is the time for you to visit when the International Jazz Festival takes place there.

Avid golfers will be delighted to learn that the links golf course here is situated in the centre of town. This friendly club welcomes visitors and offers an excellent professional shop with a selection of golf clubs to die for, very well run and supported by the members. The food served by friendly staff is what golfers love, plenty and wholesome.

Well if you are like me and enjoy variety in your life then look no further than the next golf experience if you have not already been that is to Ashbury Hotel and Golf Course. This is a total golf package which blows your mind if you like ‘Value for Money’ for no one does it better. This golf resort is made up of no less than six 18-hole course and one 9-hole course all of which would you believe are kept very busy. This is not due entirely to the amazing value, but also to excellent organisation by all concerned and the surprising standard and attention to detail of the courses. Everything a golfer requires is on offer here including buggies and hire of equipment, driving range, practice facilities and coaching is carried out in small groups free of charge!

Après golf offers tennis, badminton, 5-a-side football, bowls, target sports, tennis, snooker and swimming to name but a few. The facilities on offer here are endless however if you are taking the family I would recommend you stay at the sister hotel two miles away ~The Manor House Hotel which also offers many and varied facilities should your family not play golf. My advice here is check out the websites given at the end and send for the details/offers as there are just to many to list here and I have never said that before.

At the end of my holiday I took a tour over Dartmoor National Park which covers an area of 368 square miles – the largest and wildest area of open country in southern England. As you would expect Dartmoor provides a wealth of wildlife habitats, some of international importance. It also offers moor adventures to climbers, horse riding, camping, walking, canoeing, and cycling. I have to say travelling through this very dramatic scenery it came as quite a shock to come across Dartmoor Prison which overlooks Princetown. I had forgotten all about the prison not realising that it is still in operation to-day as a Category C Prison and holds up to 625 prisoners. A further wing yet to renovate will take another 120. I have to say this does lend a rather eerie feel to the area, although it did not seem to bother the locals in the town.

As a stark contrast to the above my next choice was to play the inexpensive parkland course Holsworthy Golf Club, founded in 1937. This challenging par 70 – 6059yd course is not too physically demanding although some small greens and difficult holes put a premium on accurate golf. As there are not many bunkers and the undulating fairways are quite open makes it ideal for holiday golf and I was told it is never over busy – always a bonus, I got round comfortably in three hours. The only disadvantage is that it is built on clay so holds water after heavy rain so choose a dry period to play

The clubhouse was extended three years ago and offers a well stocked bar and extensive menu both of which were tested and proven! The members were very welcoming and I was told that the new professional, Dan Wood, has a very good reputation should you want a golf lesson.

My next visit was to the oldest golf course in England having been built in 1864 – The Royal North Devon, Westward Ho which I heard was steeped in history, so much so that I did not find time to play the course the inside of the clubhouse being so interesting with its golf museum of memorabilia. I understand that Prince Andrew is President and the honours boards are like a ‘Who’s Who’ of golfing greats. I am told the club is regarded as the St Andrews of the South!

All this and yet surprisingly none of the stuffiness you might associate with such an old club who pride themselves in being open and progressive.

The members informed me that it is a very open links course, so hardly ever without the wind coming in from one direction or another. Again as with Bude there is a public thoroughfare and in addition sheep roaming about and is as far removed as possible from the manicured and manufactured championship course we see every day on television.

Before leaving home I had promised myself to renew my acquaintance with Launceston Golf Club, Cornwall, it being one of the first golf courses I ever visited as a golfer on holiday. My recollection was one of a lush undulating parkland course with magnificent views. Launceston is known as the first golf club as you cross the Cornish border from Devon and originates back to 1910. The views on offer look out over both Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor, while in the foreground the majestic view of the historic town and castle of Launceston itself.