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What the experts say..........
Jack Nicklaus builds gorgeous golf courses. They are built for his game - long, fortified greens that require a soaring faded approach shot. St Mellion, the UK's first Nicklaus creation opened in 1988 and gorgeous it certainly is.
Sure, St Mellion is tough but don't let that put you off. From the opening tee shot the course pitches you headlong in to an almost hallucinogenic trip of crazy pea-green cambers, star light sand, lemon gorse, slate streams and dark brooding woods.
A lot of the Nicklaus hallmarks are here, the Golden Bear loves a raised teeing ground and although the first tee shot is a semi-blind most of the rest set you up very nicely indeed.
Conditioning is excellent with evenly-coloured, smooth greens stimping at around 9.5. As your round unfolds it dawns on you that St Mellion somehow blends American target golf with rolling Cornish scenery. The picture perfect short par-4 5th hole is a great example.
More great examples of this Americo-celtic fusion adorn the back 9, most stunningly on the opening trio (see St Mellion's Amen Corner) which combine water with a classic Cornish backdrop.
After this the pace doesn't slacken a touch after the epic, forested downhill par-5 12th the course continues flowing to the finish until you reach the par-4 18th which is a worthy climax to a pulsating round.
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