Golfing holidays in Wales
Wales has a lot to offer golfers. It has a comprehensive range of wonderful links and parkland courses, that offer a variety of golfing challenges. There are some excellent concentrations of courses in several areas, making Wales an excellent place to take a golfing holiday as you`ll be able to spend your time enjoying the courses, rather than travelling between them.
Pembrokeshire is home to the UK`s only truly coastal National Park, and is full of spectacular coastal landscapes, and some great links courses. The prestigious Tenby Golf Club, which dates back to 1875 is certainly a highlight not to be missed. This natural golf terrain offers some testing traditional links golfing challenges and enjoys fabulous views, particularly of the monastery island of Caldy. For variety there are two excellent parkland courses nearby. The relatively new Trefloyne Golf Course, set in mixed woodland and opened in 1996, is barely a mile from Tenby and provides a tough test of golfing skill, particularly accuracy off the tee. At the older club at Haverfordwest, founded in 1904, you can enjoy the wonderful parkland course whilst admiring the majestic Preseli Hills.
Carmarthenshire also has a lot to offer the keen golfer on holiday. Situated in the hills above Carmarthen and offering wonderful views of the surrounding countryside, the historic Carmarthen Golf Club, which dates back to 1907, is a relatively short course that offers an excellent test of skill, particularly on its famously tricky greens. On the south coast overlooking Carmarthen Bay is the classic links course of the Ashburnham Golf Club. Founded in 1894, this is where Sam Torrance won his first professional event in 1976. It provides a wonderful challenge, especially when the wind is blowing (which it often is). Another links style course is to be found just west of Llanelli. The Machynys Peninsula Golf Course is a new addition to South West Wales` golf courses, but being the only Jack Nicklaus designed course in Wales it has fast become an essential for any golfing tour of Wales. And even more impressively, was recently voted the "UK and Ireland`s finest new course", by Golf World.
Glamorganshire is the home of the National Golf Course of Wales at Vale Resort. This is one of the longest course outside of the USA, and has a mixture of hazards including woods, large areas of water and tricky bunkers, that is set to challenge golfers of all abilities. In fact, Golf World rates the 16th hole as one of the best par 4`s in UK golf. Situated at the seaside town of Penarth, one might expect the Glamorganshire Golf Club to be a links course. Instead it is a parkland course and, being founded in 1890, is one of the oldest golf clubs in Wales. This is an undulating course set between the town and its lakes, and is certainly worth a visit along with the Brynhill, Wenvoe Castle, St Andrews Major, and Dinas Powys Golf Clubs that are all within a 5 miles cluster just to the south-west of Cardiff. With so much on offer Wales is a great destination for a golfing holiday. There are many specialist companies offering holiday packages, so shopping around can often yield the best golf prices. Golf in Wales is great value for money anyway, especially as travelling costs are minimal, so you are always going to have a great time for a good price.