Borth & Ynyslas - West Wales - Wales

We played Borth in early October as we were in the area, plus we are trying to play as many Harry Colt designs as we can. The early holes were featureless, this in itself made them difficult. Once in the dunes at the end of the course things improved and there were 5/6 really good links holes.

Unfortunately when we played the course condition was not good at all. The fairways in particular were very heavy and had poor grass covering.

As we arrived at the course we were greeted by a friendly member who chatted to us about our previous day's golf at Aberdovey, upon which they declared "oh this is a much better course" - as lovely as that member was, I'm afraid they can only be described as delusional.

Borth is bonkers. Its memorable to be fair, but mainly because its so odd. The second is near unplayable in the wrong conditions, there is a reachable par 5 which you cant reach because you arent allowed to cut the corner, or at least thats what the warning signs tell you. Get used to warning signs, there are a lot of them.

My particular favourite warning sign was on a 150 yd par 3, where you are alerted to the risk of the caravan park on the right. The only way anyone could hit the caravans is with an enormous shank, and the warning sign achieves nothing more than putting that very idea into your head.

I dont remember much other than being bewildered. Its certainly a rugged course, and its not one you forget in a hurry, but as a golfing experience its not one I'd rush to repeat.

Borth & Ynyslas is so very very different. To start with, as you approach the clubhouse you realise the course is dissected by and each side of a B road, and very close too without any sort of trees or bushes between. Looks like a holiday course as there are static caravan camps at the end of the road. You are then told the 1st and last 3 holes are the clubhouse side, with remaining holes on the other side extending all the way along one side and then back mainly on the seaward side; they are on a narrow strip of land so you do effectively end up passing people coming the other way. Playing the 1st you realise that severe crosswinds from the sea will affect you on every hole, which on many holes is blowing you towards the road and OB. By the time you cross the road and play the 2nd you realise that there is no course condition, with bare rough areas purporting to be fairways; can't remember a decent lie all the way round. Greens in July 2019 were average at best and slow. You imagine that this is the way links golf used to be, with basically holes cut for 18 pins on a piece of spare land near the sea.

I thought the first three holes were very flat and bland and I was worried what we had let ourselves in for. After that however the course was decent with a number of holes threading through the dunes. Some interesting pot bunkers (some the smallest you will ever see) and a number of tees adjacent and overlooking the beach added to the enjoyment. I thought the short par 4 5th was a cracking hole, however the best stretch was from 10-12; the 10th is a par 4 of 409 yards defined by dunes, the 11th is a short par 3 from an elevated tee adjacent the sea and the 12th a delightful dog-leg par 4 of only 326 yards where direction from the tee was a bit of guesswork. From hole 4 onwards it really was enjoyable. Ranking is a bit high for me (mainly due to conditioning) and in West Wales I would certainly put Cardigan higher.

I can't really think of another course I have played like this. Basic raw links golf on a narrow stretch of land with wind and sea views. Wouldn't want to play it all the time, but so glad we did

Well worth a visit to add this to your list played.

Not up to quality of neighbour but still a good test.

Borth has a wonderful setting, the cliffs to the back of the first tee remind one of being on the South Coast of England or the North York moors ... its a great frame. The course is a minimalistic links, almost a journey back in time. There are a few weak holes, particularly the par 3 7th which is pretty much a green in a farmer's field.

Overall though, it's a classic links ... small greens, tiny bunkers and in a fleeting glances a little like the Old Course.

If you're in the area then play it ... probably the best assessment I can give is that if you're at Aberdovey for 3 days then play Borth. If only at Aberdovey for 2 days the just play Aberdovey twice. That's not to say Borth is bad, just it's neighbour is outstanding.

Borth & Ynyslas is a classic ‘out and back’ true links course. It may not be in the same class as its near neighbour, Aberdovey, located on just the other side of the Dovey Estuary but lovers of links golf will find enough here to warrant a visit.

However, those who have a dislike for the superior form of the game will probably hate it!

Established in 1885 Borth & Ynyslals is one of the oldest, arguably the most senior, in Wales. There is no doubt that it is a traditional links course with a rugged, at times almost scruffy, feel to it. Some of the tees were a little unkempt, the fairways hadn’t been cut for a considerable amount of time and there were animal scrapings on some of them. That said, it kind of works here and I loved it.

There was a real feeling of this is how golf was played many decades ago, almost like going back in time, and so much the better for it.

Equipment may have developed over the years too and where modern technology has rendered many courses obsolete the challenge of Borth & Ynyslas remains. Running on a narrow strip of land just a stone’s throw from Borth beach I can imagine the wind howling off the sea and making the course play a lot more difficult than its 6,086 yards may suggest.

Ed is the founder of Golf Empire – click the link to read his full review.

A really nice traditional links course, and as with all such Welsh courses great value, a quick game and a friendly welcome. As other reviewers have mentioned you really need to be on your game from the off as the first few holes are really tight and intimidating. Given that it is an out and back, there must be many "dog licences" handed out here leading to a subdued walk back. We played in a two club wind from the South West which made a memorable game of golf playing lots of punch shots on the way back from good turf. Highly recommended, definitely worth your support.

I played at Borth 2 weeks ago as part of a club outing and like past visits we had a warm welcome from the chatty clubhouse staff who supplied us with excellent pre and post round food and refreshments. As is customary in a round at Borth it was yet again a windy day, with a northerly blowing throughout our round making the opening holes facing north an even tougher challenge and what a brute that par4 454yrds 2nd hole is! As narrow a fairway can be with the sea on the left and the busy road on the right in a slicers landing zone, its surely one the most intimidating tee shots on any course. Indeed the busy traffic on the A road which cuts through the course does come as a hazard on the 2nd, 16th 17th and arguably one or two other holes. A slice or a shank on any of these holes and there is a risk of hitting a passing vehicle. I had the unbelievable sight of a lady passenger stepping out of a white transit van and taking a ball i had (dreadfully!) hit onto the road from the 2nd fairway! I thoroughly enjoyed the five par 3's, all of them a challenge and different to each other, 14th making you hit away from the sea towards the left portion, too much left towards the bailout area leaves you with delicate flop over 2 pot bunkers to a narrow strip of a green. 11th with the green surrounded by mounds playing from an elevated tee is another good short hole. Unfortunately the longer holes are uninspiring and like another review they are mostly featureless and short. Most tees i found to be scruffy but the greens where nice to putt on and rolled true. Its was always going to be a challenge to lay a course on what is a relatively narrow piece of land with limited scope and feature but its a challenging traditional links course without too much wow factor.

Played last week between Xmas and New Year, the weather was not good (it got very wet) so the greens flooded towards the end of the round. The course is an old fashioned links i.e. out and back and is slotted in between the sea and the road. The first and last few holes are a little bland and flat, the better holes are found from the 6th to the 14th. The 2nd tee shot is quite intimidating with the sea very tight on the left and the road very tight on the right so a good straight drive is required to have a chance of making your Par 4 here. The Par 5’s on the front nine are short and are quite accessible in two shots. Overall OK but not as good as Aberdovey, Porthmadog or Royal St David's. The good food / drink in the clubhouse was most welcome after our rainy day on the links.

Having recently returned from Borth after the Welsh Team championships I have slightly mixed feelings about the course. The front 6 holes were played into a stiff 20-25 mph wind and they can only be described as BRUTAL!!. In a tournament mainly consisting of scratch golfers, bogeys on the first 5 were usually good enough to win the hole. The 2nd, played into the wind is by far the toughest hole I have ever played. Driver, 3wood par 4 with OB right and water left - OUCH!!! The course goes straight out for 8 holes and the last 10 come straight back in so there is very little variation in wind directions which in my opinion, make the course a little bland. The greens were very quick and true even if they didnt look that good, they putted very well. The only criticism I have is that the course is quite featureless. If you only play once, you often forget many of the holes and I felt I was just going through the motions on many holes as there is not much going on here. In my opinion it is still well worth a visit as the front nine is a great test and the greens are very good but I dont think it is quite up there with local courses Aberdovey and Royal St David's.