Royal St David's - North Wales - Wales

When golf is discussed in the United Kingdom the top tier courses located in Wales usually get far too little attention. I've been to the country on two different occasions and I have had the opportunity to play just about all of the key candidates generally praised for their qualities.

My time at Royal St. David's had me scratching my head in bewilderment. The course is blessed with some incredible scenery -- Harlech Castle located on high ground provides views from just about any hole on the course. You also have in the distance the outline of the Snowdonia Mountain Range. Nearby just west of the course is the beginnings of the Irish Sea. Add all of the off-course elements and it's quite impressive.

The issue I see for Royal St. David's is a layout that's blessed with one quality nine -- the inward half. The outward nine is simply functional golf -- nothing bad per se but nothing of stirring qualities either.

As a par-69 course Royal St. David's has back-to-back par-5 holes on the front side with no less than five (5) par-3 holes for the entire layout.

After playing the front side I was wondering when the course might hit its stride. That momentum starts at the long par-4 10th. When you finish the fine par-3 11th you cross over a road that separates the course and begin the final stretch of holes to its conclusion.

The key difference?

The terrain for the final few holes does draw one's attention. Holes #12 and #13 are solid par-4 holes. The long par-3 14th is exceptional -- played into the prevailing wind it can mean anywhere from 2-3 clubs more to cover its distance. I was saddened to learn that the original blind shot to the target was eliminated some years ago. It's a first rate hole and anyone who can claim to have hit the green in the regulation stroke has done well.

The par-4 15th that follows is truly one of the finest holes in all of Wales and likely can be included on the short list of top tier holes throughout the UK.

The hard part comes when standing on the tee at this bunkerless 439-yard brute and getting a clear idea on your target line. The fairway is aligned on an angle so working one's ball off the tee on a left-to-right basis is preferred. The fairway actually is wider when shorter off the tee -- the deeper you go the more stringent the hole becomes. I can't stress enough how exacting the requirements are here from the tee -- failure to pay heed can easily mean a quick reload. The green is separated from the first part of the fairway and is beautifully positioned and contoured.

The 16th is a fine short par-4 which starts from an elevated tee -- the sea immediately behind you and is well defended in the drive zone. The long 17th at 431 yards is also a fine hole. The tee shot must escape a trio of bunkers that protect fiercely the right side and out-of-bounds on that same side must also be avoided. The fairway is especially rolling so balls can kick to either side. A true adventure.

The concluding 201-yard par-3 18th hole is one that commands one's attention but I found it sufficient but not particularly memorable. I've played an assortment of other courses ending with a par-3 such as Garden City, the Geronimo Course at Desert Mountain and the Cascades Course at The Homestead -- and the one at RSD's is behind each of the aforementioned. I have read where some claim the par-69 here is the toughest for its type. I would urge those taking that view to head to Wannamoisett across the pond in Rhode Island.

As I said at the outset -- Royal St. David's has plenty of elements -- off course and on -- that certainly will carry the day for many who play there. For those who are design connoisseurs the totality of what could have been present is the key element that left me wanting more and likely others will feel similarly. It's too bad the land used for the final five (5) holes could not have been more in the mix. All in all, a worthy course to play and one where spending some time in Harlech will clearly complete the visit in fine fashion.

by M. James Ward

Very few links courses can boast that all of their holes are in dunes or unmistakable links like. Invariably, there are some holes that route inwards where the topography is flatter and more heath like. RSD is in this cohort but the inland holes are very strong holes especially 3,5 and 12. The finish is sublime and the setting haunting (in a good way). Just a top golfing experience.

Played RSD at the end of September and was fairly disappointed. Had played Aberdovey the day before, which was excellent, and I think that given its ranking my expectations were high but it did not do a great deal for me. I am not sure what classifies as a links course but apart from holes 14 through to 16 which are played through the dunes the rest of the course is situated on flat fairly featureless land. Sure there are great views of the sand dunes, but none of the sea. Although there are also great views of Harlech Castle and Snowdonia it is what is on the golf course that counts. The first 13 holes are basically on a flat field. Although August and September had generally been very dry in much of England and Wales many of the fairways had large amounts of standing water and 70% of the bunkers were full to the brim with water. One local said that there had been a lot of rain particularly in the Harlech area, but Aberdovey 30 miles away had no standing water at all. There are 3 proper links holes 14-16 but I hardly think that this qualifies it as a links course. Greens were good and true but quite slow. At par 69 it is a very tough course but with so few par 5's and so many long par 4's it felt a bit of a slog bashing a driver off the tee on almost every par 4. It is a good course but no more, in fact if I had to play at a course every week I would rather play at Conwy. Top 100 in UK, no way.

Royal St David is pure links golf at high quality. Prior to playing stroll up the hill and tour Harlech Castle and get the low down on the land RSD sits on. Play the course. Eat dinner at the clubhouse as they do a grand job and the walk away from the club with the lite Castle is quite special. They say par 69 but candidly there are a couple 4’s that should be 5’s. A very strong course which we were fortunate to play on a Member Match day. It was in great shape. It presents pretty much what you expect. Great views of the castle all day. Strong golf holes from start to finish. The 3’s are quite difficult. One playing 216 into the prevailing wind. It is not often you’ll play a course off standard tees and play off SSS at 4 shots over par. RSD is a must play. Exceptionally welcoming club also.

I'm a keen golfer and have played most of the top courses in Scotland (88 out of the top 100) as well Birkdale/Lytham/Hoylake and various others at home and abroad. Royal St David's compares favourably to them all and I can honestly say hand on heart I have never played on better greens in February than I did last week - massive compliments to their green keeper. You always fear that some clubs may be a bit stuffy or snooty before you play them (for some reason even more so at a 'Royal' course) but this was certainly not the case at Royal St David's. From the very warm welcome of Head Pro Gareth Lewis (chatting away when I arrived early and even gave me a free strokesaver), to the friendly club steward and then chatting to the lady members (who'd been out playing) over lunch in the clubhouse including Ann Lewis (2013 British Ladies Senior Champion) - everyone was very friendly, which only added to the enjoyment I had from my 36 holes of golf. If only that birdie putt hadn't horseshoed out at the 18th for a level par 69 it really would have been the perfect day! Great course, great club, play it!

I first played at Royal St David’s seven or eight years ago in torrential rain and so was taken aback by the stunning scenery, which was obscured previously, when I returned in early August. The sea may not be readily visible but Harlech Castle and the mountains of Snowdonia are a decent substitute. This is a challenging course which requires all the clubs in your bag - seven of the eleven par 4s are comfortably over 400 yards. The condition of the course was very good although like the previous reviewer I found the greens a little slow. With the exception of the 18th there are no really weak holes and sorry Jim I disagree with you about the 14th. In my opinion Royal St Davids fully merits its 2nd place in Wales and I look forward to coming back in the future. DS

Played in the open week at Rotal St David's. The welcome was excellant and the course in good condition, albeit the greens a touch on the slow side. Although the weather was wet on one day it was easy to appreciate this is a serious golf course with a tough back nine and a par of only 69. Reminded me very much of Saunton (my home course) located behind the dunes with the sea out of sight. Really enjoyed the front nine with the castle towering over you and the mountains in front of you as you play 5 and 6 (my personal favourite holes). Then the really tough back nine (which we played mainly into the wind) with dunes more in evidence on 14-16. Biggest drawback is on the last few holes where the 'eyesore' buildings as per the last review (although not the golf clubs fault) do detract from the course. Would rank a bit behind Porthcawl (for a championship course) due to lack of change in elevation/variety and also Pennard (personally still my favourite Welsh course). Thoroughly recommended. DB

Having now played Aberdovey, Royal Porthcawl, Royal St Davids, Pennard, Ashburnham and Celtic Manor 2010 I think I am reasonably well placed to review top Welsh courses. I would rate this third best after Royal Porthcawl and Aberdovey. Played the course in late May 2013 and a warm, sunny, breezy day. I have to say that it didn't wow me as much as Aberdovey did. Good condition and fun holes on the front 9 but it was a pity you don't start getting into the sand dunes until early on in the back 9. The bunkers are a little underwhelming and not what I would call classic links bunkers as the bunker lips were rarely raised up (which gives links holes real definition). Have to say that the 15th is a magnificent par 4 however, while the 220 yard par 3 14th was also an excellent hole. Some real eyesores (ex police headquarters & burned down hotel) spoil the view of the huge hill that flanks the course. A solid track, but I guess I was just expecting a bit more. 7/10.

In my opinion, definitely the best kept course in North Wales (haven't played any down South). As a member of Royal Liverpool, and a frequent player at Conwy; Royal St Davids is a class above to Conwy, and is on par with Royal Liverpool. This all relates to the conditioning of the course. With respect to the enjoyment, I found Conwy and North Wales GC to be more enjoyable, i.e. better views. Relating to the toughness of the course, it's a difficult course, however, it will reward single figure players if they play well. If you get on a run, the front nine is quite scorable.

Played the course this weekend and was disappointed by the amount of standing water on many of the holes,most of the bunkers were also flooded and they even had a generator running a pump between two of the holes. Some of the visitor tees, and we are in the middle of March, were awful, basically just on the tufty marshland fairway. At the price point we paid as a group this wasnt great value. The greens were reasonable for the time of year. The course obviously suffers from poor drainage so I would not recommend unless theres been a dry spell...so when would that be ? In comparison Nefyn which we played in the same weekend was much better drained and at half the price I now think Harlech might be trading on their Royal status somewhat.