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If you have been to golf's usual hotspots and you're looking for something new and different, you're going to love the place I reveal in the video below.
It's easy to reach from anywhere, it offers pure links golf at a fraction of the usual cost, and if you wanted, you could play all the best courses in about a week.
These courses are mainly private clubs, but the members are some of the warmest and most welcoming people you will ever meet (watch me share a "breakfast whiskey" with one of them in the video).
Find out where this great value golf destination is and learn five things to know before you go.
(Watch to the end of the video and you'll see me do a shot of whiskey...at 10 am.)
Have you been to Wales or would you consider it for your next golf vacation (or your next golf trip to the British Isles)?
Please share your thoughts or read what others are saying below.
Comments (19)
First golf trip to Wales was 35 years ago, and have returned many times since. The links courses are equal to those in Scotland and Ireland, and generally the clubs are much friendlier. Royal Porthcawl, Royal St. David's and Aberdovey are as good as the best in the world.
I have played several courses in Wales when I was an orthopedic consultant for J and J in the 90s Most of the courses I played are not well known but very interesting( one had two holes shaped like an X each crossing the other) The beauty of playing lesser known courses is the interesting people you meet. The Welsh love a good song , a good drink and a good joke. I have played in Ireland and Scotland as well and would encourage all of you to get to the lesser known courses which will challenge you just as much , are significantly better value and allow you to be places that few Americans go. For instance, Machrahanish on the Kintyre of Mull a top 50 world course but hard to get to, Port Salon and Enniscrone and Sligo in northwest Ireland. These are my favorite places even having played Muirfield, Troon and Turnberry as well as Ballybunion. don't feel you have to play the famour courses only, If you do , you are missing out on true links golf at its finest.
First golf trip to Wales was 35 years ago, and have returned many times since. The links courses are equal to those in Scotland and Ireland, and generally the clubs are much friendlier. Royal Porthcawl, Royal St. David's and Aberdovey are as good as the best in the world.
I have played several courses in Wales when I was an orthopedic consultant for J and J in the 90s Most of the courses I played are not well known but very interesting( one had two holes shaped like an X each crossing the other) The beauty of playing lesser known courses is the interesting people you meet. The Welsh love a good song , a good drink and a good joke. I have played in Ireland and Scotland as well and would encourage all of you to get to the lesser known courses which will challenge you just as much , are significantly better value and allow you to be places that few Americans go. For instance, Machrahanish on the Kintyre of Mull a top 50 world course but hard to get to, Port Salon and Enniscrone and Sligo in northwest Ireland. These are my favorite places even having played Muirfield, Troon and Turnberry as well as Ballybunion. don't feel you have to play the famour courses only, If you do , you are missing out on true links golf at its finest.
Try Cardigan.
Furman Bisher of the Atlanta Journal, doyen of American golf writers, came to Wales in 1993 to give Royal Porthcawl the once over. He had never been to Wales before and was so impressed he changed his plans so that he and his wife could do a ten-day tour. The game he played at Cardigan was extolled to his readers as one of the highlights: "With the possible exception of Pebble Beach, the view from the top of the Cardigan course is the finest I've seen anywhere in golf.
I've been to Wales twice in 1998 and 2005, Ireland in 1993 and 1997, Scotland in 1977 and 1997 and if I'm ever able to return to the British Isles to golf, it would be to Wales. It's all about affordability. The great courses in Ireland, England and Scotland now cost a fortune to play... a genuine gouge, and they're overflowing with people like you. At most courses in Wales, you can almost walk on at will. Only Royal Porthcawl could be deemed to be an old classic course with a fee commensurate with the best in the rest of the Britain, but many of the others are genuine delights with fees ranging from 1/2 to 2/3 or even more of what you would expect to pay elsewhere in Britain.
In the west, consider Royal St. Davids, Porthmadog and Aberdovey while Tenby, Ashburham and Carmarthen are good bets in the southwest. The Gower Peninsula offers Machynys Peninsula Golf Course, Gower, Pennard and Langland Bay, the latter two having outstanding views of the sea. West of Cardiff in Bridgend lie Royal Porthcawl, Southerndown, Pyle and Kenfig and the Wales National complex. The first three are outstanding links style courses while the latter is more parkland in nature and a very stern test. Cradoc lies in the Brecon Beacons for a little mountain golf. In the Newport area near the border with England, one can play the courses at St. Pierre and the three courses at Celtic Manor. A beautiful one hour (or less) side trip along the Wye River past Tintern Abbey takes you to to the Rolls of Monmouth, an absolute hidden gem. Altogether, that's about 20-22 golf courses in a relatively small area where the longest drive from one extreme to the next closest course would be about two hours max with plenty of castles and other sightseeing options available along the way. Just Go!
It's Whisky, the same as in Scotland and England. Whiskey is Irish/American.
Played Wales in 2012 and Scotland last year. I think the golf in Wales is almost and maybe as good as Scotland. It is far less expensive to stay and play in Wales. A good way to do the trip is to fly into Dublin and take the high speed ferry to Holyhead. There are great courses in the northwest. Enjoyed Royal St. Davids and Y&S. Aberyswyth is a great university town to stay in.
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That will be Pennard then Dave (Eidman)?
Any of the south coast links courses are awesome. Royal Porthcawl is one of the finest links courses I've played.
During any visit to the British Isles you should also take the opportunity to take a short flight across to the Isle of Man where you can play 9 courses [all at ridiculously low cost] and all different. In Douglas [the capital] the local municipal course was laid out by the same guy [Dr Alexander McKenzie] who designed the Masters course at Augusta. All this within an area of 227 square miles so all within easy reach - try it, you will enjoy. As for entertainment there is a casino in Douglas plus numerous bars etc. and for sightseeing the countryside is similar to Scotland, Wales and Ireland and the parliament Tynwald which is separate from the UK and is over 1000 [yes one thousand] years old.
Went in 2009, I'm going back. Courses comparable to Scotland, less expensive, and a lot less attitude. I was by myself and played with locals every day. Great time!
Thanks for singling out Pennard, which is one of the most 'natural' links courses this side of St Andrews or Brora, and is often overlooked by better-known names like Porthcawl and Aberdovey. Conwy is also a stern test in the wind, but for sheer scenic enjoyment, it is hard to beat Nefyn and District! Think of it as the 'poor man's Pebble Beach!' I completed the top 100 courses in the British Isles in 2007 and have many fond memories of Wales. (And for that matter, don't overlook Castletown on the Isle of Man! - just a short hop away).