You’ll appreciate the setting at Royal St. David’s from the minute you pull up into the car park in the shadows of the overlooking Harlech Castle. It’s a spectacular view as it’s perched on top of the hill and can be seen from almost every hole. The course itself is relatively flat, but don’t be fooled as the fairways are tight and the rough punishing, so it’s not for the faint-hearted. The greens are true and were exceptionally fast for April, and with the back nine playing straight into the wind, it wasn’t the best day for scoring when your game’s as rusty as mine, but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
One of the courses I played in my recent trip to Wales was the fantastic Royal Porthcawl; generally regarded as the top course in the country. It’s famous for hosting many amateur championships over the years and one of it’s most well known moments was being the course on which Tiger Woods famously lost to Gary Wolstemholme in the 1995 Walker Cup (his last defeat as an amateur).
Like all courses that host major events, the 18th green at Wentworth has been often televised and is familiar to golfing fans all over the world. Not any more! Not only are the strategically placed bunkers still there, but a water feature has added to the drama of the final hole. Owner, Richard Caring, impressed by such an element on most other major courses, decided that this was lacking at Wentworth. Although his course manager, Chris Kennedy, and the course architect, Ernie Els, were dubious that it was a good idea for this particular course, they gave it a go. The result is a man-made ‘burn’ running through a group of pot bunkers in front of the green and resulting in a far more testing finish. This is just the most striking of a number of changes to the course, especially the last five holes, and any golfer who thinks he knows his way around will have to think again!
Royal Birkdale Golf Club: No. 12, par 3, 183 yards.
Royal Birkdale is one of the best courses on the planet and is consistently ranked in the top 30 courses in the world. It has hosted the Open Championship on 7 occasions, most recently in 2008 when Padraig Harrington was victorious.
If you’re thinking of planning your next golf vacation to sunny Spain; here’s a substantiation of why we think it would greatly add to your experience to stop off at Finca Cortesin.
Located in the centre of the Costa del Sol (between Marbella and Sotogrande) you’ll find the Finca Cortesin community; untouched and unaffected by real estate developments and surrounded only by beautiful greenery.
Finca Cortesin Golf Course
Finca Cortesin is hosting next year’s Volvo World Match Play Championship – which was previously held at Wentworth Club.
Spent the day in St. Andrews yesterday, and while Scotland has seen lots of snow and sub-zero temperatures, I’m pleased to say the St. Andrews Links Trust are constantly reviewing the conditions on the Old Course – mindful of the British Open being played there in July this year. Since Sunday there has been enough thaw to melt most of the snow, however the ice is the biggest worry as it can be so damaging to the grass. Apparently the Links have been taking advice from experts worldwide to ensure they treat the ice to have it thaw as quickly as possible. You can watch the progress of winter on the live webcam .
