Check out our Top 18 Coastal Golf Courses in Wales
18 of the best – Golf guide to the Wales Coast Path
5 May 2012 saw the official opening of the Wales Coast Path – a continuous 861 mile path running the entire way around the Welsh coastline. The only one of its kind in the world, this £14 million project has been six years in the making and takes in 18 medieval castles, 12 National Nature Reserves, and 41 Blue Flag Beaches. Most importantly, the path also takes some of Wales’ most stunning golf courses. Here’s the Visit Wales golfer’s top 18 guide to the Wales Coast Path starting in the north and going all the way round to the most southerly course near Swansea. Visit www.golfasitshouldbe.com for more information.
North Wales (Llandudno) Golf Club
North Wales Golf Course, situated on the west coast of North Wales in the seaside town of Llandudno, has excellent views over the Conwy estuary to Anglesey and the Snowdonia Mountain range. This natural links course offers a great challenge, with the first nine holes running out alongside the railway line and the back nine returning along the coast. Accommodation is available at Escape B&B, Llandudno, with prices from £89per room. Links Hotel not graded – suggest Escape B&B, Llandudno
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Conwy Golf Club
Set in a spectacular location along the North Wales coast, this is a fine example of a links course. Conwy Golf Club boasts expertly manicured fairways and subtle borrows that give it a huge amount of character. The par 70 only measures 5,778 yards, however a combination of the classic pot bunkers and huge greens make it a testing course and a key name among the golden collection of links courses along the North Wales coast. Four star accommodation is available at the nearby Castle Hotel with prices starting from £32pppn.
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Bull Bay Golf Club
Founded in 1913 in Anglesey, this is the most northerly course in Wales and is the only course in Wales created by Herbert Fowler. Every one of the 18 holes has its own individual character as this challenging course takes players through twists and turns, sheltered valleys and exposed plateaux, rocky outcrops and areas of gorse, whilst the tees are elevated to give superb views of the fairways. Luxury accommodation is available nearby at Cleifiog Uchaf from £42pppn.
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Holyhead Golf Club
Holyhead is a seaside heathland course on Holy Island which is linked by causeway to the Isle of Anglesey. Offering golfers something a little different, Holyhead has no trees but gets its character from rock-strewn outcrops and undulating fairways hemmed in by gorse. The 10th tee boasts amazing 360 degree panorama views taking in Snowdonia, the Llŷn Peninsula and a vast expanse of the Irish Sea. Accommodation is available at the club starting from £60pppn. > Club Page
Nefyn & District Golf Club
Consistently voted one of the top courses in the UK, Nefyn is a unique 26 hole course boasting a view of the sea from every tee and the choice of playing The Old or The New Course. Golfers can get to grips with the ‘Point’- eight holes on a narrow peninsula or break off from their round on the 16th hole and enjoy the hospitality at the Ty Coch Inn on the Llŷn Peninsula, the same pub that the Club’s founder members enjoyed over 100 years ago. Accommodation is available from £75pppn at The Imperial Hotel in Llandudno.
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Royal St Davids Golf Club
Royal St Davids is one of the finest traditional links courses and it is dominated by the beautiful Harlech Castle which overlooks the course and its players. Established in 1894, the course is noted for a succession of long testing par four holes and five short holes which vary in length and direction. It is also known for the wild flowers, especially orchids, which grow in the rough in the summer time. Accommodation is available at the club from £40pppn.
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Aberdovey Golf Club
Aberdovey golf course is a testament to the unique characteristics of links golf. The hazards are numerous and sometimes hidden, whilst the coastal setting with its ever changing tides and winds ensures that conditions alter on a frequent basis. The course itself is just outside the pretty resort of Aberdovey and wends a traditional route out and back across the coast. Accommodation is available on site from £35 pppn in an eight sleeper cottage or a range of B&B accommodation is also available nearby.
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Borth & Ynyslas Golf Club
Borth & Ynyslas, is a traditional links championship course on Cardigan Bay dating from 1885. There are some frightening holes with narrow fairways between the beach and the coast road whilst the 455-yard second hole is considered a ‘monster,’ with rolling humps and hollows and strategically placed bunkers that add to the charm of this level, easy-to-walk course in West Wales. Luxury accommodation is available nearby at Gwesty Cymru with rooms from £50pppn.
www.borthgolf.co.uk
Cardigan Golf Club
Situated high above the shores of Cardigan Bay and the Teifi Estuary, the view from this course takes in the Preseli Hills, Bardsey Island and the Llŷn Peninsula. The course itself was first established in 1895 and is a mixture of links and parkland, measuring some 6,500 yards from the back tees. The often breezy conditions call for varied shot-making, providing a challenge for all golfers, whilst putting also demands close attention on the many undulating greens. Accommodation is available nearby at the Cliff Hotel and Spa with prices starting from £63pppn.
www.cardigangolf.co.uk
Newport Links Golf Club
Newport Links is situated in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and just a two minute drive from the wonderfully picturesque town of Newport. A tranquil setting, golfers can take the time to enjoy the rolling fairways and postage stamp greens with views across the stark bay. Upgraded in 2008, the new eighth hole was described by the course architect as having the potential to become ‘one of the best holes in Britain.’ Luxurious accommodation is available onsite from £65pppn.
St Davids City Golf Club
St Davids City Golf Club is a nine hole seaside links course with spectacular panoramic views over St. Davids Head and Whitesands Bay, which is renowned as one of the best beaches in Pembrokeshire. The distinctive course has very fast greens to test the best whilst it is in superb condition all year round thanks to the dune grasses. Accommodation is available at Crug Glas Country House in St. Davids with double rooms from £50pppn.
www.stdavidscitygolfclub.co.uk
Tenby Golf Club
The oldest affiliated course in Wales, Tenby is a pure links classic. The gently undulating course offers a string of classy short holes and fast greens, which make the most of the natural golfing terrain with sea-washed turf and sandy dunes. Accommodation is available at the St Brides Spa Hotel with rooms from £75pppn.
www.tenbygolf.co.uk
Ashburnham Golf Club
Overlooking Carmarthen Bay, this is a challenging course with narrow fairways and several holes facing either straight into prevailing winds or running back along the headland with winds coming from directly behind. Harry Vardon said ‘This is the course I like best in Wales,’ and it was here that Bernard Gallagher and Sam Torrance gained their first titles. Accommodation is available nearby at the Stradey Park Hotel from £115 per room including breakfast. www.ashburnhamgolfclub.co.uk
Pennard Golf Club
Pennard is often referred to as the “links in the sky” because, although it has all the characteristics of a seaside links course, it is perched high on a cliff top. It is located just eight miles west of Swansea on the Gower Peninsula, designated the UK’s first area of outstanding natural beauty. Accommodation is available at the Maes-Yr-Haf Restaurant with Rooms, with prices starting from £70pppn.
www.pennardgolfclub.com
Gower Golf Club
The course, designed by the highly respected Donald Steel, has stunning views over the South Wales and has been overlaid onto rolling countryside to create a spectacular challenge which utilises every available feature. On site four star guest accommodation is available, with play and stay packages from £90. www.gowergolf.com
Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club
Porthcawl’s Pyle & Kenfig is a diverse and testing course with high dunes and deep valleys. Originally mapped out in 1922, large chunks of the course were requisitioned by the army in World War II after which the course was shifted seawards into the dunes. Rooms are available at the nearby The Bear in Cowbridge with prices from £105 per room.
www.pandkgolfclub.co.uk
Royal Porthcawl Golf Club
Royal Porthcawl has been described as one of the finest courses in the world and the first three holes, which run alongside the very edge of Rest Bay, are testament to this. It is by no means a course of fearsome length, but it is never out of sight of the sea or out of reach of a wind that is particularly troublesome on the first three and last four holes. Accommodation is available on site from £45pppn.
www.royalporthcawl.com
Southerndown Golf Club
Home of the Duncan Putter, Southerndown is a hidden and unique course in the Vale of Glamorgan which, due to its terrain, is one of the driest in Wales. The course offers a demanding experience under completely natural conditions with bracken, gorse and the wind adding to the challenge. Henry Cotton described the first hole as “one of the toughest opening holes in golf!” Accommodation is available at the Great House Hotel with rooms from £43pppn. www.southerndowngolfclub.com