St Mellion International Golf Resort — Nicklaus Course
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The Nicklaus Course
The Nicklaus Course at St Mellion opened in 1988 as one of Jack Nicklaus’s first signature designs in Britain, and the Bear’s fingerprints are immediately visible: water features on multiple holes, elevated tees delivering dramatic views across the Cornish countryside, and greens surrounded by bunker complexes that reward only precise approaches from the correct angles. It is a modern American-influenced parkland rather than a traditional British layout — and within Cornwall, that makes it entirely unique.
The course stretches to over 7,000 yards from the championship tees and plays to a par of 72 — a genuine test that hosted the Benson & Hedges International on the European Tour for several years in the 1990s. The dramatic elevation changes on several holes — particularly the back nine — produce carries and descent angles that are unusual in Cornish golf, and the course rewards players who have experience of American-style resort design rather than those whose game has been shaped entirely on links or traditional parkland.
The Old Course at St Mellion — the resort’s second 18-hole layout — provides a more traditional and accessible alternative that suits golfers who find the Nicklaus Course demanding. Together, the two courses give St Mellion a flexibility as a resort destination that few South West golf venues can match.
- The Nicklaus Course plays longest from the back tees — unless your handicap genuinely warrants them, play from the yellows
- Water features on several holes change the strategic equation significantly — identify them before each shot
- The Old Course is an excellent second-day option, particularly for golfers who find the Nicklaus Course exhausting
- Golf & stay packages available directly through the resort — good value for multi-night visits
- St Enodoc and Trevose (both under an hour) make excellent one-day additions to a St Mellion base
- The Plymouth waterfront and Dartmoor are both accessible for non-golfers and rest days
St Mellion International Resort Hotel
On-site hotel accommodation with leisure facilities — the most practical base for multi-day golf at St Mellion, with access to both courses and the resort’s leisure centre. Combine with day trips to St Enodoc and Trevose for the definitive Cornwall golf break.