White tees (men) par 72, slope 127, 6665 yards
Red tees (ladies) par 74, slope 132, 5871 yards
Lying in the south west corner of the island of Jersey is La Moye Golf Club, the second of our three links courses in the Channel Islands. La Moye was founded in 1902 by George Boomer, a local headmaster who was denied access to the then elite Royal Jersey where tradesmen were banned. Boomer proceeded to lay out a golf course on the west coast using tin cans, biscuit boxes and a second-hand hand mower. His passion for the sport is evidenced by the inspiration he gave to his pupils, two of whom were Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, both future Open champions. His own sons were also professional golfers, one winning the French Open and a Ryder Cup team member and the other winning the Belgian, Swiss and Dutch Opens. The course was redesigned in 1934 by James Braid but sadly destroyed along with the club records during the German occupation in the Second World War. Input from well known designers including Henry Cotton and Donald Steel influenced its subsequent reconstruction and development over the years. We were told that a further major redesign by McKenzie and Ebert is in the offing.
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| The fabulous view from the 7th tee |
We received a very friendly welcome from the professional, members and Mark, the golf operations manager who presented us with 'The Boomer Legacy', a book detailing the first hundred years of La Moye. Set on a hill overlooking the sea, the stylish clubhouse has spectacular views. The course was very well kept but unfortunately it was a very windy day with squally showers and there had been recent greens maintenance. We were given useful advice to keep left for almost all of the holes. The 1st is a par three into the teeth of the prevailing wind with the biggest hazard being marauding gulls stealing any food on display! The 3rd hole is a par 3 with a sloping plateau green. Other holes in the first nine were good but not outstanding. They were set on top of large rocky and sandy outcrops and were more like clifftop than true links golf but which gave panoramic views of the bay and other islands. There were also a lot of trees for a links course. However the greens were links greens with slopes and swales. We liked the par 5 11th which curved uphill and
where the advice to keep left off the tee was very useful. The 12th is an excellent well bunkered par 3 which demands accuracy off the tee. A blind drive at 13th is followed by a downhill approach to a green set amongst trees. The 14th is a difficult long par 3 into the prevailing wind and over a valley of gorse, dunes and waste ground to a steep slope up to the green. There is a long carry at the 15th drive where it is also wise to keep left as there is a cliff on right and the fairway runs from left to right. The 18th returns to the clubhouse which overlooks the green lying in a dell.
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| The 11th from the tee |
where the advice to keep left off the tee was very useful. The 12th is an excellent well bunkered par 3 which demands accuracy off the tee. A blind drive at 13th is followed by a downhill approach to a green set amongst trees. The 14th is a difficult long par 3 into the prevailing wind and over a valley of gorse, dunes and waste ground to a steep slope up to the green. There is a long carry at the 15th drive where it is also wise to keep left as there is a cliff on right and the fairway runs from left to right. The 18th returns to the clubhouse which overlooks the green lying in a dell.
Worth playing? Yes but we were not convinced of its true links status.
