Exminster Golf Centre

Par 66 layouts have a reputation for being dismissed as "not real golf," but Exminster Golf Centre makes a case that short courses deserve a closer look. Built around a compact, mostly par-3 and short par-4 design, it offers a format that rewards precision and course management over raw power — the kind of game that exposes flaws in iron play and putting faster than a longer test ever would.

Exminster sits just south of Exeter in Devon, a county whose golf culture punches well above its weight. The rolling Devon countryside and the proximity of the Exe Estuary give the area genuine natural character, and the village of Exminster itself sits in low-lying ground where the river's influence shapes the land — likely meaning soft, lush turf through the wetter months and a setting that feels genuinely rural despite the city nearby.

For beginners, juniors, or experienced players wanting a sharp short-game workout without a 5-hour commitment, a facility like this fills a real gap. It's the sort of place you can squeeze in before work and still come away having been properly tested.