Golf in Wales arrived at a crossroads the moment the final putt dropped at the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club in Ireland. The next time the matches return to European soil, in 2010, they will be played at Celtic Manor Resort in Wales—marking a coming of age in the eyes of the golf world for this small, fiercely proud nation that possesses some of the world’s great unsung links. For many golfers, Wales is the final frontier in the British Isles; of its roughly two hundred courses, only one—Royal Porthcawl—is widely known. Many hope things will stay that way, for Wales is a nation of hidden treasures, offering everything from delightfully scruffy holiday nine-holers to epic adventures on remote sea cliffs. Along the way, visitors are just as likely to hear Welsh spoken as they are English, and the group playing through is more likely to be a flock of drowsy sheep than a foursome from Cleveland. Off the course, there are plenty of urban diversions in the burgeoning capital of Cardiff, but the heart of Wales is found in the countryside, where a host of excellent inns and small hotels make perfect bases from which to explore.
Wales may not have the rollicking spirit of Ireland or the powerful aura of Scotland’s ancient links. Instead it offers a quiet but genuine kind of charm—friendly, unpretentious and enticingly affordable. And for a few more years, it can be our (not so little) secret.
Where to Play
Pennard Golf Club
It’s become a stock phrase to say that a course “ seems like it has been there forever,” but that expression certainly applies to Pennard Golf Club, on the rugged Gower Peninsula near the city of Swansea. Playing across the unspoiled land, among wild ponies and wildflowers, around the ruins of a twelfth-century Norman castle and with transporting views of plunging sea cliffs and lonely beaches, the distinction between the real and the unreal melts away. Pennard is golf in its purest state, a minimalist course on maximal terrain. At times it is unclear where the fairway ends and the rough begins—the golfer simply chooses a line and lets it fly. Blind shots and hanging lies abound, as do stellar holes of so many shapes and sizes that it’s hard to single out just a couple. But Pennard profits most from two dazzling short par fives late in the round—the sixteenth, which explodes from high in the dunes before heading down toward land’s end; and the dogleg-left seventeenth, with a canted fairway that directs drives away from the shortest path to the green. Pennard might not have the manicured perfection of an elite club or the seriousness of purpose of a major-championship venue, but it possesses a radiance all its own.
2 Southgate Road, Southgate, Swansea, West Glamorgan. Architect: James Braid, c. 1908. Yardage: 6,267. Par: 71. Greens Fees: $80-$100. Contact: 011-44/1792-233-451, pennardgolfclub.com.
Royal Porthcawl Golf Club
Royal Porthcawl is the country’s premier championship links, host of six British Amateurs and a Walker Cup and the caliber of course where a British Open would not be at all out of place. It is visually striking: Every hole affords some perspective of the Bristol Channel, and its deep, revetted bunkers give the layout a powerful, focused look. When the wind is up—which is always—it’s tough as a wounded bear. The dunes and natural contours are used beautifully; there’s even a hint of heathland in the course’s interior. But charming and sporty Porthcawl is not. Try to land a shot on the terraced green of the 212-yard fourth. Or ponder the wind’s effect on both shots of the par-four finishing hole, with a sixty-yard-wide gully interrupting the fairway and with a gorgeous downhill approach in which shots fly straight toward the sea.
Rest Bay, Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan. Architects: Charles Gibson, 1892; H. S. Colt, 1912; Tom Simpson, 1933. Yardage: 6,829. Par: 72. Greens Fees: $160-$200. Contact: 011-44/1656-782-251, royalporthcawl.com.
Aberdovey Golf Club
Aberdovey is a special place. Maybe it’s the atmosphere of a sleepy seaside village, with its narrow main street ambling along the waterfront past tidy shops, whitewashed hotels and sailboats bobbing in the harbor at the mouth of the River Dovey. Maybe it’s the spirit of the great golf writer Bernard Darwin, who made this links his sentimental home. Or maybe it’s the course itself, tracing a graceful figure eight around and through the dunes. It’s a captivating journey, packed with challenge but playable for all. The loss of the towering Cader dune on the par-three third, once one of the game’s most famous hazards, only slightly diminishes Aberdovey’s wealth of original holes. The sixteenth is an ingenious par four of 288 yards routed along a gentle bend in the railway line. The safe play yields a semiblind approach, but those taking an aggressive line must contend with out-of-bounds on the left from tee to green. After one member of my group hooked his drive onto the tracks, we watched his ball meet an untimely end beneath the wheels of the Harlech-bound 5:32.
Tywyn Road, Aberdovey, Gwynedd. Architects: Maj. R. M. Ruck, 1892; W. H. Fowler, 1920. Yardage: 6,454. Par: 71. Greens Fees: $60-$120. Contact: 011-44/1654-767-493, aberdoveygolf.co.uk.
Royal St. David’s Golf Club
“ There are Harlech people and there are Aberdovey people,” said an assistant pro at a club in mid-Wales, offering up a duality I found to be quite perceptive. These two links are an hour apart and on roughly comparable land, but they manage to be totally different. The young pro was a Harlech, or Royal St. David’s, man, as are many skilled players who prefer the tough yet fair layout at the foot of the mighty Harlech Castle to Darwin’s sporty home club down the road. With no fewer than eight two-shotters breaking the four- hundred-yard mark and only two par fives, St. David’s plays to a stern par of sixty-nine. The dunes are always in sight, but at times—especially on the front nine—it feels as if you᾿re playing a course next door to the famous links. But when visitors arrive at the 432-yard fifteenth— a hole that demands an intrepid drive to a fairway set on a diagonal between dunes, mounds and ditches—they would be forgiven for being too stunned to respond. The inspiring feeling of playing on the sea floor is all too fleeting, though, because the course soon leaves the dunes and ends on the down note of a forgettable par three.
Harlech, Gwynedd. Architect: Harold Finch-Hatton, 1894. Yardage: 6,601. Par: 69. Greens Fees: $90-$130. Contact: 011-44/1766-780-361, royalstdavids.co.uk.
Southerndown Golf Club
Southerndown isn’t the easiest course to characterize, partly because it’s the compiled work of four architects but more so because of its unusual terrain. It can be described fairly as downland—the topography and broad views are similar to those of other layouts across the chalk hills of the United Kingdom—but with a major advantage: the presence of loess, a layer of acidic topsoil that was carried here by high winds at the end of the last Ice Age. The loess allows Southerndown to look, feel and play like a links. You’ll want to have your game in order the moment you step out on the springy turf: As Henry Cotton once said of Southerndown’s opener, “ Bracken to the left, bracken to the right, and a fairway rising up to the sky.” No breather comes until the fifth, and even this mid-length par three, its green seemingly formed by volcanic eruption, can cause plenty of trouble. Southerndown lacks inherently great holes, but on any given day a number of them can be touched by greatness, depending on the wind, the weather and the shots in the player’s imagination.
Ogmore-by-Sea, Bridgend. Architects: Willie Fernie, 1905; W. H. Fowler, 1908; Willie Park, 1914; Harry Colt, 1920. Yardage: 6,449. Par: 70. Greens Fees: $90-$130. Contact: 011-44/1656-881-112, southerndowngolfclub.co.uk.
Nefyn & District Golf Club
Set on windswept cliffs above Caernarfon Bay, Nefyn & District is in the same league as Old Head and Pebble Beach in terms of scenery. The course, however, doesn’t quite hang together as a whole. The openers are full of promise; the day’s first tee shot takes flight against a perfect backdrop of sea and sky, and the second hole describes a spectacular arc against a bend in the cliffs. But this dramatic prologue is nothing compared with the utter madness that unfolds after the turn, where the course forges onto a rocky, diamond-shape promontory. Out here shots fly over and around (and sometimes into) the void, and the demands are so heroic it verges on the bizarre. Make sure to play the Old course: The two routings here share the first ten holes, but it’s the Old that takes you out onto the headland. The club is feeling the effects of coastal erosion and recently built eight new holes (the New course) in part as a hedge against the tragic scenario of the promontory holes one day becoming unsafe for golf. In other words, play it now, while you still can.
Morfa Nefyn, Pwllheli, Gwynedd. Architect: Braid Taylor, 1907. Yardage: 6,108. Par: 70. Greens Fees: $70-$110. Contact: 011-44/1758-720-966, nefyn-golf-club.com.
Best of the Rest
Easily accessible from Manchester Airport along the A55, the north coast’s primary highway, Conwy Golf Club (conwygolfclub.co.uk) can best be described as a minor-championship links, having hosted the final British Open qualifier in ‘06 as well as numerous regional events. Donald Steel did some bunker work a few years ago that resulted in a number of punishing pits. Llanymynech Golf Club (), straddling the English border, was Ian Woosnam’s boyhood stomping ground. It occupies the highest land for miles. Says Woosie: “ The view from the twelfth tee is one of the most magnificent you’ll see.” Way out on the Isle of Anglesey, Bull Bay Golf Club (bullbaygc.co.uk) is a madcap romp around a remote, gorse-clad plateau. Designed by W. H. Fowler of Walton Heath fame, the course makes brilliant use of its wild terrain, with greens perched on natural shelves and rock ledges. It’s worth a side trip if you make it as far north as Nefyn. Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club (pandkgolfclub.co.uk) is often packaged alongside Porthcawl and Southerndown to Cardiff-area visitors, but it runs a distant third, though there are some excellent holes within the dunes on the back nine. In the southwest corner of the country, Tenby is an ancient castle town turned mid-market summer resort. Tenby Golf Club (tenbygolf.co.uk)—which dates to 1888, making it one of the oldest in Wales—is a quirky links with some nice contour, especially the double-blind fourth near the coast.
Where to Stay
Castell Deudraeth In nineteenth-century Wales, conspicuous consumption often meant conspicuous construction, as the nouveau riche built homes modeled after medieval castles. These are now known as “ follies.” Castell Deudraeth is a folly, but only on the exterior. Inside, it’s a cool blend of traditional and modern. Opened as a hotel in 2001, its four suites and seven bedrooms are very much up to date, with queen- or king-size beds, heated floors and whirlpool baths. The downstairs lounge, with its toasty hearth and comfy chairs, might be the most inviting space of all. It’s connected to a fine restaurant that expertly handles such local delights as Menai Strait oysters and Llyn crab and lobster.
Portmeirion, Gwynedd. Rooms: $350-$480. Contact: 011-44/1766-770-000, portmeirion-village.com.
Celtic Manor Resort On the surface, Celtic Manor appears to be an American-style resort, and it’s certainly different from most other lodging options in Wales. Its origins lie in the early 1980s, when billionaire Sir Terence Matthews purchased the shuttered maternity hospital in which he was born and converted it into a hotel. This original structure still exists as the classically styled Manor House. It connects to the 330-room main hotel, which is loaded with latter-day amenities and where two themes quickly become clear: a commitment to big-time professional golf and, in charming contrast, a celebration of the valley’s Roman heritage. The expansive Forum Spa is the most obvious nod to the original masters of decadence; one feels perfectly spoiled taking a nocturnal dip in the infinity pool, beneath a domed firmament twinkling with simulated stars.
Coldra Woods, the Usk Valley, South Wales. Rooms: from $315. Contact: 011-44/1633-413-000, celtic-manor.com.
Llangoed Hall Set on seventeen idyllic acres along the banks of the swift-running River Wye, this grand manor house dates to 1632. It was restored in belle epoque style in the 1910s by architect Clough Williams-Ellis (see opposite page). Most recently, the estate has been carried to near perfection by its current proprietor, Sir Bernard Ashley, Laura Ashley’s widower. With its high-ceilinged rooms, four-poster canopy beds, saucer-size showerheads and window seats looking out on pastoral fields and the Brecon Beacons mountains, Llangoed Hall is overwhelmingly romantic. It may not be well situated for golf—the Cardiff-area courses are a good ninety minutes away—but it offers the loveliest accommodations in all of Wales.
Llyswen, Brecon, Powys. Rooms: from $390. Contact: 011-44/1874-754-525, llangoedhall.com.
Llety Bodfor This stylish townhouse no more than a two-minute drive from Aberdovey Golf Club appeals to travelers with a taste for interior design. Its eight huge, beautifully appointed suites are perfect for those who are accustomed to spreading out. For what it’s worth, Llety Bodfor is much quieter and more private than the Penhelig Arms up the road.
Aberdovey, Gwynedd. Rooms: $90-$290. Contact: 011-44/1654-767-475, lletybodfor.co.uk.
Morgans Hotel In the heart of Swansea, Morgans is housed in a red brick 1902 building. The twenty-room boutique, possessing a contemporary style worthy of London or New York, is the city’s best hotel. (Welsh lass and keen golfer Catherine Zeta-Jones used to stay here before she and her husband, Michael Douglas, bought a home on the Gower Peninsula.) Morgans is twenty minutes from Pennard Golf Club and a block from the Dylan Thomas Centre and the cavernous pubs and clubs of Wind Street.
Somerset Place, Swansea. Rooms: $250-$500. Contact: 011-44/1792-484-848, morgans hotel.co.uk.
St. Brides Spa Hotel Perched on a sea cliff offering lovely views of the village of Saundersfoot and its beach and harbor, St. Brides is a modern retreat in one of the U.K.’s most unspoiled regions: the Pembrokeshire coast. The brand-new Marine Spa, with cliff-edge treatment rooms and a luxurious “ thermal suite,” is the main draw. It’s a small hotel with a relaxed atmosphere and warm, personal service. Golf at Tenby is ten minutes down the road.
Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire. Rooms: $280-$520. Contact: 011-44/1834-812-304, stbrides spahotel.com.
St. David’s Hotel & Spa Cardiff exploded during the Industrial Revolution, fueled by the export of coal; it went from a backwater village in 1800 to a boomtown by the turn of the twentieth century. But when the city fell on hard times beginning in the 1960s, the old docks gained notoriety as one of Britain’s roughest areas. In the eighties, the city embarked on an ambitious plan to rejuvenate the waterfront, rebranded as Cardiff Bay. In addition to the Millennium Centre, a showcase of arts and culture, today’s cornerstones also include the St. David’s Hotel, which is decked out in cosmopolitan decor. Downtown Cardiff, with its Victorian shopping arcades, is ten minutes away by bus, and the nearby M4 motorway places courses such as Porthcawl and Southerndown within easy reach.
Havannah Street, Cardiff. Rooms: $219-$460. Contact: 011-44/2920-454-045, the stdavidshotel.com.
Where to Eat
Groes Inn (Welsh) Dating to 1573, the Groes (rhymes with “ voice") Inn near Conwy was the first licensed public house in Wales. As an ancient wayfarer’s rest, its beamed ceilings, cozy nooks and rich light still spark an almost instinctive sense of warmth and comfort in the traveler. There’s a fine white-tablecloth restaurant here, but the pub food in the adjacent space is just as delicious. Be sure to order off the chalkboard of specials—such as hearty shepherd’s pies and rabbit stews—and wash the meal down with pints of local ale. Fourteen well-appointed bedrooms on the property might convince more than a few to extend their stay.
Route B5106, near Conwy, North Wales; groesinn.com. $$
Le Raj (Indian) At this point, one can contend that the United Kingdom’s national dish is not shepherd’s pie but chicken curry and not draw too much in the way of argument. Le Raj, its quiet dining room draped in colorful fabrics and soft light, serves delicious standards from the subcontinent. And it’s only five minutes from Royal Porthcawl.
Porthcawl Road, South Cornelly, Bridgend; le-raj.com. $$
Owens at Celtic Manor (Welsh contemporary) Dining at Celtic Manor’s award-winning flagship restaurant is one of the most enjoyable experiences in Wales. Superbly fresh ingredients, from salt cod to Brecon venison to diver scallops, receive spot-on preparation and luxurious presentation under the direction of Chef Nicholas Evans, and the restaurant’s knowledgeable sommeliers find the perfect wine.
Celtic Manor Resort, Newport; celtic-manor.com. $$$$
Penhelig Arms (Gastropub) Little towns such as Aberdovey that have been bequeathed a world-class links aren’t complete without a place like the Penhelig Arms. Even if you don’t choose to stay in this country inn with fifteen small but well-kept rooms (and there’s no reason not to), you’ll doubtless wind up here for the food. The menu, which changes daily, strikes a balance between comfort food and sophisticated cuisine, often in the same dish. Thanks to its wine list—three hundred bottles strong—the restaurant enjoys a rising reputation as one of the best wine pubs in the U.K.
Aberdovey, Gwynedd; penheligarms.com. $$$
Orientation
Getting There
Although it’s become a thriving capital city, Cardiff still isn’t the most convenient place to fly into for a visit to Wales—American travelers typically must connect in Toronto or Amsterdam first. Until new routes are added, the English cities of Manchester and Bristol are the best points of access; Liverpool works well, too. All three are about an hour from the Welsh border. It’s also possible to tack on a few days in Wales if you᾿re vacationing in London: Cardiff is two hours by train and three by car on the very fast M4 motorway.
Getting Around
There’s enough great golf throughout the country that it’s best to divide the trip into two one-week swings—North Wales and South Wales—with both itineraries ending at Aberdovey in mid-Wales (see map, page 114). It isn’t a big area—Wales is just a shade larger than the state of Massachusetts—but its mountainous topography can make getting around rather interesting. The roads are well marked and in excellent condition, but some of the routes in North Wales are so narrow and winding that they seem more suited to rally cars than to rental cars.
Perfect Swings
Celtic Manor Makeover
As Celtic Manor gears up for the 2010 matches, by far the biggest development has been the creation of the 7,493-yard Ryder Cup course, scheduled to open in October. Nine holes from Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s Wentwood Hills course have been remodeled and will be complemented by nine new holes by Ross McMurray of European Golf Design. Meanwhile, most of the holes left over from the Wentwood Hills course are being restyled and incorporated into a new course by Colin Montgomerie. The resort’s original layout, Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s Roman Road, will remain untouched.
Tour Operators
Jerry Quinlan’s Celtic Golf On the seven-night All-Wales Golf Vacation, you’ll play plenty of the top courses and stay in country inns along the way. Self- and chauffeur-driven options. From $3,495; celticgolf.com.
PerryGolf Go coast to coast, from Nefyn & District to Southerndown, with an eight-night self-drive package. VIP golf coach with driver is available for larger groups. From $3,395; perrygolf.com.
Wales Golf Vacations The Classic Tour of Wales hits half a dozen of the best links in the country and is designed by local expert Dylan Williams. From $1,795; walesgolfvacations.com.
Poet’s Corner
The Original Dylan
Wales’s most famous man of letters is immortalized at the Dylan Thomas Centre (dylanthomas.com) in Swansea. Housed in a modern waterfront structure, the museum has an extensive collection of fragments from the poet’s life, right down to his prodigious bar tabs. But most appealing is the chance to hear Thomas’s voice. He often read his poems on the radio, speaking in what he described as “ a breathless boom-boom-boom.” Throw on a pair of headphones and get swept away by the rhythm of his language. It’s well worth a morning’s visit, or much more if you happen to be in town in late October for the Dylan Thomas Festival.
Living History
Guarding the Green
Nothing marks the North Wales landscape like its so-called Iron Ring, a series of fortresses built in the 1200s by King Edward I of England to dissuade the Welsh from rebellion. Each was designed to serve a specific purpose. The Constantinople-inspired Caernarfon Castle contrasts with the deadly military utility of moated Beaumaris, out on Anglesey, as well as the defensive brilliance of Conwy Castle, which still holds its town safe within its walls. Golfers who make their way to Royal St. David’s will be inspired by Harlech Castle standing watch over the links.
Old Irons
A great way to relax and enjoy the scenery is to take a ride on one of the several narrow-gauge railways dotting rural Wales. A by-product of the country’s industrial heritage, the Ffestiniog Railway (festrail.co.uk), which runs from Porthmadog to the slate-quarry village of Blaenau Ffestiniog, is considered to be the best of the bunch. The destination is pretty much beside the point; the journey’s the thing, as the steam-powered locomotive chugs its way through villages stuck in time and then up into the highlands, where passengers survey vast mountainsides covered by gnarly, moss-jacketed trees and the craggy tors of Snowdonia on the horizon.
Magic Kingdom
Architectural Fantasy
Portmeirion (portmeirion-village.com), the life’s work of architect Clough Williams-Ellis, is a toy Italianate village transported to a gorgeous coastal bluff in Gwynedd. Some people find it cloying, but it’s a magical place if you᾿re willing to suspend disbelief. Built around a central pine- and palm-lined piazza, the eclectic mix of pastel buildings includes Williams-Ellis’s own designs as well as pieces from the real world that he saved from demolition, such as an elaborate eighteenth-century colonnade. Surprises await at every turn, with each fresh angle bringing a pack of new details into focus—an explosion of flowers, an enigmatic statue, a secret gazebo in the trees.
