Royal Porthcawl Golf Club *****

Rest Bay, Porthcawl, CF36 3UW

Nearest main town: Cardiff

 

Links lovers face an embarrassment of riches along the southern coast of Wales, but none is better than Royal Porthcawl, the most famous course in the Principality. Visitors come back again and again, attracted by panoramic views of the Bristol Channel from every hole, and a unique mixture of classic links and heathland holes, played out on lush springy turf.

The excellence of Royal Porthcawl could easily pass you by. Much as you might appreciate the spectacle of a musical and miss the nuances of the songs, so the raw beauty of this links might distract from the technical brilliance of its design. The first seven holes form a circle around the extremities of the site before spiralling inwards, thereby keeping the player constantly on his or her guard against the fluctuating directions of the wind. There are holes that reward accuracy, others that reward brute strength, penal holes and simple birdie holes.

As befits such a revered course, the opening three holes are as excit­ing as you will find anywhere and, at the 3rd, the player is asked to gamble on driving across rocks to an angled fairway. From there, you travel inland, rising to a heath land plateau where a simple stone wall marks the course boundaries. The strength of the course from here in lies in the strength of the par-4s and par-5s, their character dictated by the ferocity of the wind. A mention should go to the 15th, a par-4 that is intimidating off the tee and has cracked the fragile concentration of many players.

While Royal Porthcawl has not won the cachet of having staged an Open Championship (although it has held Curtis and Walker Cups), it Is undeniably a special course. The blandness and restrained feel of Porthcawl town, with its retirement bungalows spread in all directions, is not translated to the course or the club. Relaxing post-round in the warm, wood-panelled bar, you are alive to the conversations of the lively, elderly membership, and a night spent in the dormy house can make this a never-to-be-forgotten golf experience.

 

Secretary: Mr F. Prescott

Tel: 01656 782251 Fax: 01656 771687

Professional: Mr P. Evans

Tel: 01656 773702

Playing: Midweek: round prices on application; day n/a. Weekend: round n/a; day n/a.

Facilities: Bar: 11 am-11 pm. Food: Lunch and dinner from 11 am-9pm. Bar snacks.

Comments: Very good course and friendly welcome... Wonderful place to play and great reception... Tough and testing golf...As tough as any course... Perhaps too many blind holes to be considered among the best. . . Staying at the dormy house makes the visit... Classic and unmastered by the so-called experts...Perfect golf experience, superb atmosphere...Sitting in the bar in the late afternoon with the sun streaming in is the best experience I've had in golf... I could play this course every day for the rest of my life. . . A complete delight.

 

Ashburnham Golf Club ****

Cliff Terrace, Burry Port, SA16 0HN

Nearest main town: Llanelli

 

Secretary: Mr D. Williams

Tel: 01554 832269 Fax: 01554 832269

Professional: Mr R. Ryder

Tel: 01554 833846 Fax: 01554 833846

Playing: Midweek: round £27.50; day £32.50. Weekend: round £32.50; day £40.50.

Facilities: Bar: 11 am-11 pm. Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner from 9am-9pm. Bar snacks.

Comments: Great links that is playable all year round...Hard-to­read greens...Straightforward, but persistent wind makes life difficult... Evocative course. . . A memorable day.