L'Ancresse Links

Few golf settings in the British Isles carry quite the same geographical novelty as L'Ancresse Links, occupying the northern headland of Guernsey — one of the Channel Islands, closer to the coast of Normandy than to mainland Britain. The course sits on L'Ancresse Common, an area of open heathland and sandy ground that has supported golf since the late 19th century, making it one of the oldest clubs in the islands. The links character is genuine: exposed to Atlantic-influenced winds, the turf firm and fast, the ground undulating in the way that only coastal common land produces.

The layout plays to a par of 70, which suits the terrain — this is not a course that needs length to test you. The wind does that work, shifting direction across an exposed headland where the sea is rarely out of sight or mind.

Guernsey itself is a compact, prosperous island with a fiercely independent identity, and L'Ancresse reflects that spirit — a course used and loved by its community, occupying common land that belongs, in the truest sense, to everyone.