5 of the best courses in Wales

Wales Nefyn CREDIT golfsleepandplay.com
  
Join us as we head to some of Wales’ finest courses…

Celtic Manor, Newport
The first purpose built course for the Ryder Cup opened its tees in 2007. The suitably named ‘Twenty Ten’ course was designed to put the world’s best golfers to the test and does so with a wide variety of challenges across 7,493 yards. Water hazards line half of the fairways and a watering hole of a different kind awaits at an impressive halfway house. Keep an eye out for the lockers engraved with the names of 2010’s greats.

Nefyn & District, Gwynedd
Situated on the scenic Llŷn Peninsula, Nefyn & District features three distinct nine-hole loops. The Front (holes 1–9), Old (holes 10–18) and New (holes 19–27) all offer breath-taking views of the Irish Sea and, on a clear day, you can even spot the peaks of the distant Wicklow Mountains. A footpath after the par four 15^th leads to the much-loved Ty Coch Inn – a spectacular pub where punters can enjoy a drink accompanied by the sounds of crashing waves and an incredible view over the bay towards the towering Mount Snowdon.

Royal Porthcawl, Bridgend
Royal Porthcawl is an unusual course, regarded as Wales’ best by a number of top 10 lists, yet it remains relatively unknown by many golfers. Built by coal and shipping merchants from Cardiff in 1891, the original nine holes soon grew in popularity and became Wales’ first 18-hole course four years later. Although the links at Bridgend fails to meet the infrastructure requirements for the Open, many believe the windswept design would be a shoo-in for hosting the highest level of competition.
  


  
Royal St. David’s , Gwynedd
Weighing in at number two on Golf World Top 100’s ‘Best Courses in Wales’, Royal St David’s is often referred to as the toughest par 69 in the world. Bernard Darwin describes the links by saying: “no golf course in the world has a more splendid background than the old castle”. The medieval Harlech Castle frames the 18 holes at this North Wales gem, alongside the towering peaks of the Snowdon mountain range.

Pennard, Swansea
Another coastal course, another castle backdrop. The Norman fort framing Pennard’s fairways is just one part of the dream-like experience at the famous ‘Links in the Sky’ – a golfing cloud nine, set 200 feet above sea level with jaw-dropping views of the Bristol Channel. The contoured greens and undulating dunes live long in the memory of all that play at this fairy tale club. A world class links course just seven miles from the centre of Swansea.