Why it matters
Royal North Devon at Westward Ho! is the oldest seaside links in England — founded 1864, played continuously since. Old Tom Morris designed the original; Herbert Fowler reworked it in 1908. The fairways are still common grazing land by ancient rights, so the sheep that wander them are part of the round. Membership and visitor fees are a fraction of the Open rota; the experience is what golf was before resorts were invented.
How to play it
Walking only and walkable. 90 minutes from Exeter airport (EXT), four hours from London. Mind the sheep on your line. Pair with Saunton (East / West) ten minutes north for a north-Devon two-course day; the Saunton courses are higher-ranked in modern lists but Royal North Devon is the history play.