Ocean State Golf

This writer had a unique opportunity to visit Wales during September. It was in conjunction with Wales hosting the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor Resort (pronounced Keltic) in 2010 and four golf writers from the States got to play four writers from Europe in our own “Writers Cup” held at the three Celtic Manor courses the same days and in the same format as the event at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky.

Since Wales is five hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time, we got to play then watch the matches. It’s a good thing that the USA team played better than their writers did. Enough said.

Ever since 2001 when it was announced that Wales was going to host its first ever Ryder Cup, the country has been touting its golf. They have a great deal to tout as we played some of the best courses we’ve ever played in the world.

Most people think of going to Ireland or Scotland for their links golf. Wales should definitely be included with those other two countries when considering a golf trip to the British Isles.

“We like to think that Wales golf is like it was in the rest of the British Isles 20 years ago,” said Jane Harris, Media Relations Executive for Visit Wales and our hostess for the trip. “Our courses are spectacular, but our prices are very reasonable. It’s golf as it should be,” she added.

“With the Ryder Cup coming to Wales we have seen a huge boost for Wales’ unique brand of golf. Our courses are no longer ‘best-kept secrets,’ they are on the worldwide map,” said Rob Holt, chief executive of Ryder Cup Wales

2010.

Cardiff, the capital of Wales, is less than two hours from Heathrow Airport in London. It is a port city that has changed drastically from the coal-exporting place that it was for over one hundred years. “Coal mining was our country’s largest industry, but that ended about thirty years ago,” said Harris as she showed us around the port area that looked quite similar to the changes happening in Providence with many new restaurants and shops for tourists.

About 300,000 people live in Cardiff and over 60 percent of the country’s population lives in the southeastern corner of Wales.

Our first stop was the Parc Hotel in Cardiff, a very nice Victorian hotel and one of its historic buildings. Cardiff makes an excellent hub for golfing in the southern part of Wales with many top hotels.

Folks talk about the rain in Wales and the rest of the British Isles, but the only shower we saw in seven days was as we were heading to our first round of golf at Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club about 20 minutes from downtown. As we pulled up to the cozy clubhouse and pro shop the rain stopped and we never saw it again.

Pyle and Kenfig was a tale of two dramatically different nines. What was different about the course was that a quite large (for Wales standards) road went right down the middle of the course. “During World War II the armies (American and British) requisitioned much of the course to build that road,” club professional Bob Jones told us. The members purchased land closer to the sea, and the back nine has high and deep dunes that require precise shot-making to score well. Originally designed in 1922 by H.S. Colt, the fee is for 27 holes so that you get to play the back nine twice. You’ll score better the second time for sure and you will love the links’ holes.

Our second accommodation was Egerton Grey Country House located close to the airport. This nine-room luxury hotel, originally a distinguished country house and also a rectory at one time, dates back to the 17th century and is beautifully restored with wonderful antiques and lush gardens. Great food and a cozy setting make this a great location for couples.

Our second stop on our golf trip was Southerndown Golf Club. Founded in 1905, this course was a regular stop for Harry Vardon, James Braid, Willie Park and more recently Donald Steel. It was planned as a 7,170-yard course when St. Andrews measured 6,323, but was scaled back to the present 6,449 yards. As you wind your way up a steep hill to get to the picturesque clubhouse you will be amazed to see thousands of sheep. Yes, sheep are all over the golf course, but it really only adds to its charm. “We have six million sheep in Wales and only three million people,” said our driver as we pulled into the parking lot. Most of the land in the area was given to the people back in ancient times with the caveat that farmers would always be able to tend to their crops and livestock. There are still two farmers who use the golf course land to graze their sheep and it is indeed unique. They get out of your way, but you do need to watch for their droppings.

Similar to our Canadian geese, I guess.

The first hole goes straight up a large hill, then you stay on the crest of that hill for most of your round until 18 when you come back down to the clubhouse. The fifth and seventh are both par 3’s and spectacular. You look over a cliff and out to the sea from many vantage points.

Our third course makes the top five list of courses played anywhere in the world by this writer. Royal Porthcawl sits along Swansea Bay, and the first three holes run right along the water. You actually can view the sea from every hole on the golf course. The beautiful design with firm fairways and diabolical pot bunkers that seem like they are magnetized to draw golf balls is a golfer’s dream. We played on a windless day, but our playing host, Dylan Williams of Wales Golf Vacations, said that varying winds make the course play quite different each time.

The seventh hole measures only 122 yards but it might be one of the best in the world. We had scores ranging from 2-7. The pot bunkers and sloping greens will be a great test, but one you might never forget. Tiger Woods played here as an amateur in the Walker Cup in the

1995.

Our accommodations for the last three nights were at Celtic Manor Resort and we got to play all three courses on the property. The hotel is the largest in Wales and offers great views of the golf courses. The Ryder Cup players will be staying there in 2010, and the two wings of the five-star hotel make a good way to split the teams.

Celtic Manor Resort was the brainchild of Sir Terrence Matthews, a Welsh telecommunications entrepreneur who was born on the property when it was a maternity hospital. The land sits high on a hill and the Manor has 330 rooms, 32 suites and is a five star Resort Hotel. There is also a convention center, exhibition hall, two health clubs and two spas, five restaurants, tennis, fishing, shooting and mountain biking on the property.

Ian Woosnam, captain of the winning European Ryder Cup team in 2006 and a native of Wales, said, “My connection with Sir Terry Matthews’ masterpiece goes back to the 1990s.

I was attached to the club as touring professional for seven years and it has been great to watch the resort grow. The new Ryder Cup course is a world-class venue that will set the seal on Wales’ arrival as a major magnet for golf tourists.” Roman Road, the first course built on the property in1995 and designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., is a fun test of golf. The name of the course is derived from the ancient road that the Romans built that crosses its fairways. The Celtic Manor Wales Open was played there from 2005-2007.

The Montgomerie course, designed by Colin Montgomerie whose Ryder Cup exploits are legend, was the last of the three courses to be built in 2007. Deep pot bunkers and some forced carries make this course a good challenge. The par 5 third hole goes steeply downhill into the valley, and the morning that we played it the fog was still in the valley.

Looking down into the white soupy fog was certainly a different experience.

The Twenty Ten Course was the first course ever built for hosting a Ryder Cup event. A par 71 that measures 7,493 yards (don’t play those tees unless you are a very low handicap player) offers plenty of risk/reward challenges.

Twenty Ten has water on 15 holes. It might be a good idea to pack a few extra balls in your bag. The greens are very large and quite undulating. Large sloping (similar to TPC courses) offers spectators grand views of the competition. Try to stay off those slopes if you are playing, because the native fescue and grasses have a way of swallowing golf balls.

The Twenty Ten Course has its own clubhouse and dining area, and it is truly firstclass.

First-class would be the description of the whole Celtic Manor experience and should certainly be on a golfer’s list of places to stay and play in Wales.

We were very fortunate to visit Wales and try some of their wonderful golfing venues.

With over 200 courses in the country, there is truly something for everyone. We always try to ask for names of some of the courses that others highly recommend that we didn’t see and we were given a long list. Making the mustplay list included: Rolls of Mommouth, Aberdovey, Royal St. David’s, Nefyn, Pennard, Llanymynech, Ashburnham, Conway and Tenby.

We saw quite a few Americans touring on golf packages. Dylan Williams said that packages are customized for every type of player and group. He added that hiring a tour driver for your stay was a great idea. It will be fun watching the 2010 Ryder Cup from Wales. It would be much more fun to get back over to Wales and try out some of their other great courses and savor the wonderful hospitality and friendliness of the Welch people. Maura Nolan, who has been operating tours to the British Isles for twenty years from her office in Stamford, Ct. said, “We are sending many more people to Wales in recent years and they love it. They enjoy the remoteness, love the links courses and the great value.”

* Visit Wales www.visitwales.com
* Golf Wales www.golfasitshouldbe.com
* Parc Hotel www.thistle.com/hotels/cardiff
* Celtic Manor www.celtic-manor.com
* Wales Golf Vacations www.walesgolfvacations.com
* Maura Nolan www.irish-links.com 1-800-824-6538