LINCOLNSHIRE’S only classic links course of national standing can be found at Seacroft. Sandwiched between the seaside resort of Skegness and the nature reserve at Gibraltar Point, it offers golf in a truly natural setting.
It is a place where the sea threw up sandhills  and then retreated, leaving space for Open Champion Willie Fernie to lay down his course in 1900.
It is fast draining with no winter greens, only winter tees.
With a sea breeze, blind shots, no yardage posts and quick greens, Seacroft is a real test.
Hogsback fairways  and pot bunkers add to the difficulty for the player who rarely has a level stance..
Seacroft starts in the southern suburbs of Skegness where detached homes overlook the first tee and 18th green.
It then begins its journey towards the Wash, with eight of the outward nine heading south.
The exception is the par four sixth, named Reverse, which cuts back. This 289-yard par four has 10 bunkers, eight of which surround the green. Hole nine is named Gibraltar, after Gibraltar Point, which is a mile beyond the course on the edge of the Wash. There, King John was said to have lost his treasure in 1216.
This area, including most of the course, is now a bird sanctuary, national wildlife site of special scientific interest and a European Special Area of Conservation.
By the time the player gets to the 10th he is two miles from the clubhouse, deep in the dunes.
The course reaches a high point as it turns seaward on this short par three where an accurate tee shot is needed to a small green guarded by a deep pot bunker.
From the ninth to the 14th is a series unique in Championship courses. There are six holes without a par four. They go 5, 3, 5, 3, 5, 3.
There are 75 sand bunkers, many with revetted faces, which can make the escape shot even more difficult.
Steeped in history, Open Champion J H Taylor played the first shot when it opened in 1895 as a nine-hole course.
Fernie, was the designer when it expanded to 18 in 1900.
The members-owned club is embracing the 21st century with an extended and refurbished clubhouse which was completed in 2005.
There has  also been a major course renovation with a programme of buckthorne clearance which has brought it back to a pure links landscape.

TELEPHONE: 01754 763020
ESTABLISHED: 1895
MEMBERSHIP: 700
PROFESSIONAL: Robin Lawie
SECRETARY: Richard England
LOCATION: South side of Skegness – on the road to Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve one mile south of Skegness
TYPE OF COURSE: Links
YARDAGES: White 6,492, yellow: 6,225, red 5,861
PAR: 71 (ladies 73).
GREEN FEES: Weekday £40 Weekend £50.
BUGGIES: Available at £20 a round, £30 a day.
PRO RECORD: J Heib – 67
AMATEUR RECORD: A White – 65
SOCIETY DETAILS: Welcome – book in advance. Seven days a week.
IMPROVEMENTS UNDERTAKEN OR PLANNED: Clearance of buckthorn and upgrading of bunkers.
OFFERS FOR VISITORS IN SUMMER/WINTER 2007/8: Winter packages from November to March. Normal greens and tees all year. Numerous open competitions in the summer, book on 01754 763020.
LADIES CHAMPION: Mrs Moira Wilson.
MEN’S CHAMPION: Matt Veall.