North Wales Golf Club

We were tempted to play in North Wales because we had beautiful Llandudno as a base for a few days of golfing. And we were aware of the lovely scenery with mountains as a backdrop and the sea so close to the middle-round holes that shots can find the beach. However, on the day we visited, the course conditions (especially the tee boxes and green surrounds) were not quite as pristine as other reviewers had found earlier in the season. The opening holes, beginning with the 90-degree first, are tight to a housing estate on the left before the links move towards the railway line, which runs parallel to a couple of holes. There are plenty of blind shots, but the one which bends the head the most is from the 8th tee over a ridge, followed by an approach to an undulating green. Thereafter, three holes are at the edge of Penmorfa Beach. I can attest that an errant shot to the left risks landing directly on the shingle sand. The par threes on the back nine stood out for me, with the 13th hit down towards a target surrounded by steep sand dunes. The famous, back-to-back par threes, the 16th and 17th holes, cross over one another with the former requiring a blind shot over a dune into a punchbowl green, while the 17th plays back in the opposite direction over a deep grassy chasm to a tiny, raised green that falls sharply from back to front. They are memorable holes on a tight course that just needed a bit more fairway definition for my liking.

This was a nice round of golf with 2 or 3 more spectaculair holes. The course is well set up and you will have an easy start with a short iron of the tee which is very rare. I Loved the ocean view on a couple of holes. There is no driving range but there is a nice chipping area behind hole 18 and the parking lot. I liked the fact that you tee off in front of the terrace on hole 15 instead of on hole 1.

North Wales has a couple of things that make it a wonderful links experience, and a couple of things that are true dislikes. Highlights for me were definitely the reception we received, everybody was friendly and took the time to explain something about the course. The pro shop in general was really good. The holes around the coast are stunning, with amazing views of the sea and surrounding mountains. And the final stretch, where you play two short par 3’s crossing over each other, is unique and a lot of fun. In all honestly, there are a couple of dislikes. The first tee box is quite ugly, and forces a short iron lay up. Afterwards you get to a big open place where you can see around 8 holes, and 10 different groups in one view. This isn’t the prettiest or most relaxing situation. The holes around the turn are blind and not rewarding for first time visitors. As it was dry for 2 months straights, the fairways had their links-y brown color. The fairways were dry but playable. Greens were still very good. They rolled true and gave a real challenge in reading greens. In general, I liked the experience here. I wouldn’t mind playing here again, but if you go on a golftrip to Wales, I would recommend different courses as Wales has a lot to offer.

Sehr schöner,nicht ganz leichter Links course mit interessanten Aufgaben.

Links course in optima forma. Je vertrekt vanaf het eenvoudige clubhuis en langs een woonwijk. Daarna richting zee, waar een aantal holes strak langsgaan. Prachtige uitzichten over zee en berglandschap, super omgeving dus. De spoorlijn ontbreekt ook niet. De laatste paar holes hebben wat meer hoogteverschil. We speelden hier de ‘open competition’. Kwalitatief de baan weer dik in orde, al waren de greens niet zo heel snel.

Het clubhuis ligt aan de weg in een woonwijk. Het dorpje heeft ook een chicke wijk met dito boulevard aan het strand. Maar vooral de aanrader om de North Wales te spelen.