Rolls of Monmouth - South Wales - Wales

Let’s start with the rankings - the course is ranked about right, I would put it ahead of most parklands in South Wales, on a par with Newport and ahead of both the Montgomerie and Roman Road at Celtic Manor. 4 = good course to seek out, 4.5 =one of the best, worth an overnight stop – so I am between the 2 as I did travel 1hr and a half to stay overnight and play twice. On balance a 4 is right, and I would recommend for the experience…

In response to previous comments, I don’t find the hills here an issue, not like on other courses, like Celtic Manor or Castle Combe for instance. They are never so severe as to spoil a hole, the contours add to the challenge without being excessive.

There are no recent reviews, so it’s good to report that the conditioning was excellent throughout, with the possible exception of the consistency of the bunker sand being a bit variable, but that’s a small gripe.

I am a 7 handicap and found the course to be stimulating and challenging – most of the holes have a puzzle to solve, be it position off the tee or a good green complex, so I would not be as harsh as some of the others about ‘average’ holes – the round flows well and each hole is different. Not every course needs to be (nor can be) a world beater and throw 18 world class holes in. I would argue there is shot making required – not every tee is a driver, not every 2nd shot to a par 5 is a wood – you have to plot your way round – which is refreshing.

Golf, for me, should be, first and foremost, fun and played in beautiful surrounding and this course ticks those boxes… I love the peace and the tranquillity and the views – so much so I forgot about Covid and Brexit for 2 days!

I should also say that its excellent value for money – at £40 the green fee is remarkable value for a good course, so they are not pitching themselves to be something they are not and full credit to them.

The greens are the main defence, challenging due to slopes and contours and add massively to the fun and challenge - there are no easy putts and you need to miss in the right places and they were certainly running fast.

A few issues I would raise regarding the layout - the tree on the corner of the 12th is too big, the yellow tees on 3, combined with the dogleg made the drive too short to be meaningful (just put them back on the white box, sorted), and 11 is a driveable length par 4 but there is too much risk and not enough reward in going for it, but I am picking.

Other complaints about the 7th for instance I don’t necessarily agree with – it’s a par 5 that you have to plot your way down; a really good drive can get on in 2 but if not then you need to think carefully about your shots – variety is the spice of life and there are other par 5s where you can go for it in 2 and there are genuine 3 shotters… so it works well for me. The view off the tee is sensational anyway!

Yes, there are a number of blind shots, but again not so much as to impact the fun or challenge. There are a number of drives over the brows of slopes, but there are no blind shots into greens if you have got your drive away. More marker posts could help those that haven’t played the course before.

I should add that here is excellent on course accommodation – there 3 self-catering lodges, well-appointed and fully equipped. Rolls is therefore a special place to stay – to open your bedroom curtains and see deer outside your window is a great start to your day!

The place also has excellent, helpful staff who helped make our stay very welcoming.

So all in all, a really good course in a magnificent setting – what’s not to like?

Came here with my Dad as part of a weekend rugby trip and I must say, having read some glowing reviews beforehand, that we both left pretty disappointed.

The house is of course magnificent and the grounds as picturesque as you would expect in this part of the UK. The long, atmospheric driveway past the 1st and 2nd into the car park and signing in to a welcoming and helpful pro shop taking up a wing of the awesome house gets it off to a good start, but from the portacabin like clubhouse onwards things were less inspiring.

The first and second are straightforward and solid enough opening holes, with blind tee shots down and then up a hill with short iron approaches though the handsome grounds, but from then onwards the plot of land didn’t really seem to fit a golf course, with an unconvincing layout and a few too many so so holes. The 3rd saw my dad and myself both lose what we thought were decent drives, running out of fairway on what turned out to be a near 90-degree dogleg left up one of many slopes, setting the tone for what was to be a frustrating round. While it seems a stupid criticism, the frequency and severity of the hills does get boring – the fairways slope down, up, left and right, with trouble in often unfairly penal places and a ridiculous lack of marker posts, making for some weird holes, a lot of blind shots (including to greens) and in our case a handful of lost balls. However, the lowlight of the day came after the 18th, with some of the worst food I can remember eating since my school canteen in a monstrosity of a building that would be better described as a plastic and concrete tumour on the main house than a clubhouse.

The courses main defence are its greens, which were consistently good throughout the round, and a strong collection of par 3’s, along with the phenomenal manor house. All in all, it’s worth playing if you are up in the area and after a round, just remember your packed lunch.

Although there is nothing wrong with Rolls, it is route one golf, no shot making required, just whack it as far as you can and fly a mid iron to the centre of the green. The greens are normally very good though. I always enjoy it here, but the reviews are overrated, everyone at the club works very hard and make your day a pleasant visit, but for variety of golf shots it is sadly lacking, if you're the sort of golfer that likes Liphook, Stoneham, The Berkshire etc and you're in this area looking for a game then Newport GC is for you, but if you're a fan of The Belfry, The London etc then you'll enjoy your day.

Nice enough course, in fact very nice, but let's not exaggerate. A lovely spot, good greens, but very poor condition fairways and tees. Too many blind shots, especially too many blind second shots.Very good par 3s, including a cracking finishing hole, across water towards the fine old mansion.A friendly welcome and a good lunch in the clubhouse.We'll play there again, happily, but it is not really a top rank course.

Having read all the rave reviews I was really looking forward to my visit - what a let down!First gripe - visitors only allowed to use yellow tees. This reduces many of the holes to a drive and a wedge. If we have paid a full green fee why can't we play the full course?The course starts with 2 very bland par 4's - each of which are semi blind and are no more than a drive and a wedge of the yellows. The front nine in general was exceptionally easy - I was level gross of 12 without holing anything. People have commented about the par 5 7th - not sure a par 5 that requires a drive and 2 wedges is a great hole. You could go for it in 2 but there is so much trouble near the green that it doesn't merit the risk.The back 9 is better and does require the use of a few more clubs in the bag - the par 3 13th in particular is a tough hole with water lurking right. The 17th is a decent enough par 5 but there is just no trouble - hardly any bunkers, no rough to speak off etc, etc. The 18th would be a very good finishing hole off the whites, but of the yellows it was a fairly undaunting mid iron to a large green. Overall, a well presented course, with good greens in a very nice setting, but with too many blind/ semi blind holes. If you want to be tested then this is not the place unless you can play off the whites.

A fantastic "hidden gem" set in the stunning grounds of a country house. Some visually stunning holes, very tricky greens and four exceptional par 3s. Definitely worth a visit despite the rather remote location.

Could everyone stop raving about this course please?I have been making an annual pilgrimage to this "best kept secret in golf" for years - but the secret will be out if everyone keeps going on about how wonderful it is.Truth is, its magnificent - holes 14 to 16 perhaps a little weak (by comparison) but the rest is as good as any I have played anywhere in the world. 5, 6 and seven among the toughest stretches you'll ever find, and everywhere those breathtaking views!It's usually pretty quiet as well, so please, if you do play it, don't tell anyone else!!!!

Really top rate course, well kept even in November with some well thought out holes. The course is very fair and the greens true. Scenery fantastic and a great bargain - £39 for a bacon roll and coffee beforehand, a round and lunch afterwards.

A decent parkland course-but not much more than that.The course undulates around the estate in a pleasant but not totally inspiring fashion.The par 3 13th is picturesque down the hill with a pond on the right but there are several flairly bland holes.The main defence of the course are its greens which are undulating, difficult to read and rather slow .The welcome is friendly and the clubhouse decent and for £40 per day its not bad value-just don't expect it to be superb.

This is without doubt the best golf course i have ever played.I live near Heathrow and there are a few of us now that travel every year to play this course for 3 days ( 36 holes a day ).We have just come back from there and it was yet again superb!.The course is a fair test of golf, with some excellent views of the welsh coutryside.The holes that will impress you are.....well all of them, 1 thru 18The par 3's are second to none, the best by far being the 13th, but only just from the stunning 18th.This course truly is a must and at such good prices you cant go wrong.