Dream 18

Aberdovey, 16th Hole

Most tempting tee shot
The best approach on the 281-yard par-four 16th is to lay-up short of the green. Common sense, however, does not always prevail and many drives have been launched, more in hope than expectation of reaching the green from the tee. A railway line runs along the entire left-hand side of the hole. “One member struck the front of the train with his drive,” recalls Mike Rogers, committee member at Aberdovey. “As the train came alongside the tee, the driver leaned out of his cab shaking his fist and shouting at the golfer, who replied: “If you had been on time I would have missed you!”
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West Monmouthshire, 14th Hole

Highest
Not only is the 399-yard par-four 14th hole at West Monmouthshire the highest hole in Wales, it’s recognised by the Guinness World Records as the loftiest in Britain too, at 1,518 feet above sea level. The course was designed in 1906 by renowned Scottish golfer and club maker Ben Sayers and was built by local teachers and doctors. The area has a rich social history – it was one of the most important iron producers in the world during the 19th century – and the views, across the Brecon Beacons and down the former industrial hotbed of The Valleys below, are magnificent.
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Dewstow, 6th Hole

Longest
Wales may be just half the size of Switzerland, but clearly no one thought to mention this fact to the designer of The Park Course at Dewstow. ‘Forestry’ is a 700-yard par-six hole – for most golfing mortals that’s a drive and two fair whacks of a fairway wood away from even contemplating a shot onto the green. It’s so far from tee to green they should stick a halfway house alongside the fairway.
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Marriott St Pierre (The Old Course), 18th hole

Best par three
This timeless masterpiece, located in the beautiful Wye Valley, has hosted 14 European Tour events, more than any other in Wales. The estate was originally gifted to St Pierre by William the Conqueror and more recent beneficiaries of a golfing prize include Tony Jacklin, Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros and Ian Woosnam. The 18th is a 235-yard uphill par-three hole over an 11-acre lake to a green protected by bunkers. “It’s a fantastic challenge, which calls for anything from a driver to a mid-iron” explains European Tour professional Sion Bebb.

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Pennard, 7th Hole

Most spectacular
There are a fair few candidates for this particular accolade, but if there was one hole worthy of a trip halfway round the world to play, it would be the 351-yard par-four seventh at Pennard, on the Gower Peninsula. “It has all the right ingredients for a great golf hole in Wales – a challenging links hole with great scenery and history,” explains Phil Coates of tour operator Wales Top Golf. “With skill, or luck, your tee shot will be positioned between a ruined church and a Norman Castle. Your second shot is to a green clinging to a ledge overlooking spectacular Three Cliffs Bay; and two putts would be a real success on the wildly undulating green.”
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Bull Bay, 18th Hole

Most northerly
The distinction of most northerly hole belongs to a heathland course, albeit one that plays like a links track. Bull Bay was crafted by Herbert Fowler, architect of Walton Heath in Surrey and the 411-yard par-four 18th is the highest point on the course, offering a striking view of the mountains of Snowdonia and the Irish Sea below. The club motto is ‘Her Deg ar Hen Dir’, Welsh for ‘An Honest Challenge on Ancient Land’. “You couldn’t put it any better,” says John Jermine, Chairman of Ryder Cup Wales 2010.
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Tenby, 1st & 18th Holes

Oldest
Golf has been played in Wales since the 1860s, but which club holds the right to claim the oldest golf hole on its land? That’s highly debatable. The links of Borth & Ynyslas, Aberdovey and Conwy stake a valid claim. Tenby Golf Club was formed in 1888, although evidence that the Mayor of Tenby and magistrates adjourned court proceedings early to head for the golf course dates back to 1875. The first and 18th holes at Tenby have been in play since those early days. But as Golf Union Of Wales CEO Richard Dixon points out: “Until someone turns up with conclusive evidence, this is open to interpretation.”
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Nefyn & District, 13th hole

Windiest
When you consider where Nefyn is situated – on a spectacular cliff-top promontory – then it’s no great surprise that this is many golfers’ favourite outpost in the world. It’s also among the breeziest. European Tour professional Mark Pilkington is blessed with having learned to play golf at Nefyn. “The 13th is my favourite hole,” he admits. “It’s a 405-yard par-four off the back tees and your drive has to be good, whether you aim right for safety, or over the cliffs to the fairway beyond. The perfect approach shot will funnel towards the green, between two rocky outcrops.”
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The Rolls Of Monmouth, 9th Hole

Most peaceful
You won’t go short of an opinion in Wales. Fortunately, people will rarely offer uninvited advice on swing technique, which clubs to play with, or which colour socks to wear. On the other hand, if you’re looking for somewhere special to play golf, you’ll never go short of recommendations. Of all the opinions canvassed for this feature, from professionals to social golfers, a clear majority cited the former home of Charles Stewart Rolls – co-founder of Rolls-Royce – as the most serene golfing experience in the country. And who are we to argue?
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Celtic Manor Resort (The Twenty Ten Course), 18th hole

Most dramatic conclusion
The 18th hole is a fitting conclusion to a rollercoaster ride of golf. The 545-yard par-five 18th hole of The Twenty Ten course (extended to 613 yards from the back tees) is a stage that’s perfectly set for drama. A good tee shot will avoid two deep bunkers along the left side of the fairway. From then on, it’s a case of taking on the water just shy of a tricky, elevated green. If you need to win the hole you go for the shot, if not, you lay up short and hope for accuracy with your wedge. A good approach will earn approval from the clubhouse gallery overlooking the green. A bad one and… well, the bar is not too far away.
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Porthmadog, 14th Hole

Most daunting
The 14th at Porthmadog is no ordinary 378-yard par-four hole. If you needed any convincing that the back nine holes here offer the golfer one of nature’s great links challenges, then the mountainous dunes barring your route to the 14th fairway – The Himalayas – are conclusive proof. Rise to the challenge and you’ve earned yourself a few hours of post-round relaxation at the Italianate village of Portmeirion just a mile or so down along the coast.
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Royal St. David's, 15th hole

Best par four
The links course in the shadow of the 13th century Harlech Castle is one of the cornerstones of Welsh golf. Reputedly one of the toughest par-69 layouts on the planet, it jags like a dinghy into a headwind, which means you rarely play two holes in a row with the wind in the same direction. The 439-yard par-four 15th is arguably the finest of them all. The most gentle of doglegs from the tee, there are no bunkers on the hole, the dunes running alongside the fairway providing more than adequate punishment for a wayward approach shot.
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Monmouth, 8th Hole

Biggest dogleg
The 422-yard par-four 8th hole at Monmouth Golf Club has to be one of the most disorientating golfing experiences. It’s named ‘Cresta’ in reference to the Cresta Run, a toboggan track in Switzerland, and features almost a double dogleg. “Go right and you’re out-of-bounds, go left and you’ll find plenty of rough,” explains club secretary Peter Tully. Just take aim and be thankful you’re not playing the hole 80 years or so earlier, when member Leslie Arnott used to land his Tiger Moth aeroplane just a few hundred yards away.
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Vale Resort (Wales National Course), 16th hole

Trickiest green
Small country, big ideas – that’s what they say about Wales. The Vale is living proof of this adage, with a real monster of a course at over 7,400 yards – the second hole on the Wales National Course is the longest par five in Wales, at 607 yards from the championship tees. The signature hole of the course, however, is the 495-yard 16th, a par-four with an undulating green that is no less than 60 yards wide. Taxi!
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Llanymynech, 5th hole

Most disorientating
It’s appropriate that the only Welsh winner of a major golf championship (who happened to be born in England) learned to play at a club with 15 holes in Wales and three in England. Ian Woosnam’s name is synonymous with Llanymynech Golf Club, where Offa’s Dyke (an 8th century earthwork bordering much of Wales and England) runs through the course. On the 363- yard par four fifth hole, the players tee off in Wales and putt out in England. “We believe this is a unique feature in European golf,” claims Llanymynech’s club secretary, Howard Jones, “but the club has refused to allow me to travel Europe to find out.”
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Cardigan, 16th hole

Most unusual wildlife
Unless you’re one of those curious types who like to play in the zone with as few distractions as possible, the sudden appearance of a furry or feathered friend can come as a pleasant surprise. Set high above the shores of Cardigan Bay on the west coast of Wales, there’s little in the way of exotic or unusual creatures on the Cardigan course itself. But it’s unlikely you’ll play golf anywhere else in Wales and have the opportunity to spot otters, bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises and rare Atlantic grey seals mucking about in the bay below, as you will from the elevated tee at the 164-yard par-three 16th.
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Machynys Peninsula, 18th hole

Best par five
Machynys is the first Nicklaus-designed course in Wales, situated on the Loughor estuary separating the coast of Carmarthenshire and the Gower Peninsula. Standing on the tee box of the 481-yard par-five 18th hole, you need a solid tee shot over a vast lake (complete with swans for added distraction), setting up a challenging approach shot to a green generously designed to reward ambition and punish the inaccurate. An exciting climax to the course, befitting a quality modern championship links track.
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