St Pierre (Old) - South Wales - Wales

Disappointing.

After a friendly reception by the starter, who told us how the course was in great condition and the greens were up to PGA standard, we were looking forward to our round. I am not quite sure when the PGA standard had last been checked but we quickly found out the greens were bone-hard on approach with some severe craters making putting particular unenjoyable.

Having played a few years ago the course has definitely appeared to let standards slip and even at £30 feels a bit overpriced in its current state. We shall not be returning anytime soon.

Sept 2021 - greens diseased and look terrible, course is fairly bland with a few stand out holes. £25 for the open day was just about right. I'd be asking for a refund if it cost any more tbh. not worth the 2hr drive.

St Pierre is a well established course that has hosted many prestigious events and was probably once the premier course in Wales next to Royal Porthcawl , but for me with the exception of the finishing holes 15 to 18 the course is just a decent track with many average holes. Simply there are many better courses in Wales and at far better value also but it’s not to be avoided just don’t expect too much.

A nice course, with some really nice holes. But looking back, a few of them merge into one.

St. Pierre is dominated by large trees with huge canopies and must be a typical example of a mature parkland course. Played it in July 2017 and the greens were generally in good condition, not quick, but not slow. The course seemed pretty soft underfoot with little run on the fairways making it play quite long. Greens were also soft making it very much target golf. Thought the biggest test was positioning oneself off the tee as it seemed you needed to know which half of the fairway (not huge to start with) to be on to avoid the huge (both in width and height) trees with your second shot. Not knowing the course I found this particularly difficult, if not unfair at times; for example I hit the middle of the 2nd fairway but was totally blocked out for my second to the green, which was a shame because I thought this was a nice looking uphill dog-leg par 4. Also thought the par 4's at 5 and 10 were interesting holes, with the 10th (stroke index 18) being a short dog-leg requiring an accurate drive and short iron to a back left flag located next to a pond. Must admit (unlike other reviewers) didn't think 18 was a good finishing hole as it is just a long uphill par 3, which with the lack of run was all about length. Infact I thought the par 3's generally let the course down and this is partly why I am giving it a 3 ball rather than a 4 ball rating.

Despite "typical Welsh rain" I really enjoyed the course. Good variety of holes and well presented. Recommend a visit. Only downside (nearly) was that having entered an open AND had a confirmation of my time, om arrival I was NOT on the start sheet ... as I say, it was only nearly a downside and luckily it worked out but after a long drive it would have been VERY annoying had my entry been missed out !

I'm not usually a fan of resort golf courses, but was here on a Society trip which was enjoyed by all. This is a very pleasant parkland course with mature trees coming into play on most holes giving challenges off tees. Some nice changes of elevation, and as noted by other reviewers the 18th is a great finishing hole. The Forest of Dean is beautiful as is the foodie town itself, so taking advantage of the stay and play deals is recommended if visiting the area.

The Old Course is built around a 11-acre lake however water only comes in to play on 4 holes – 10, 15 17 and 18. I found the first five holes to be relatively uneventful however that soon changes. The 6th is a beautiful downhill par 3 with a great view but any errant shots to the right are dead. #7 is a sweeping dogleg right par-5 that is well tree lined to a narrow green. #8 is a short par 4 where you need to find the narrow landing area leaving you with a short approach. I found out that no matter what your handicap is you can’t play the back tees as it is saved for competition play. Yellow is for members tees, which I played, while the reds are forward. There are no blind shots to contend with here but most greens have swales around them. Bunkering is scarce are not very deep and the yardage makers are to the middle of the green. This course is well manicured and definitely has a parkland feel to it with some trees even encroaching onto the fairway. My favourite hole is probably the 17th a par 4 where a well -placed drive with leave you with a mid-iron to a tricky green perched out on a peninsula. 18th hole is one of their toughest. At 235 yards you have to cross over the edge of the lake to a raised green. With out of bounds are left and long, a precise shot is needed here. To read more about golf in Wales visit http://golftravelandleisure.com/category/europe/wales/

I have played St Pierre a few times and I was quite surprised to see it not higher on this list! Particularly as it is below The Celtic Manor Roman Road course, which while a nice course has always felt rather soulless and sterile to me. I played St Pierre a couple of weeks ago and it was in fantastic condition. It is lovely place to play in autumn because it has some of the most amazing trees I have ever seen on a golf course. The layout is top quality and the changes made recently mean there are no really weak or easy par holes now. The greens were extremely quick, it turns out they have a new machine which irons the greens! It certainly had made them much quicker than I ever remember. The tees and fairways were also in very good condition for this time of year. The day was a pleasure, the golf shop is well stocked and staff friendly the only downside I can think of was that the prices in the clubhouse were a little expensive, but you expect that when at a Marriott hotel. All in all a really good experience and one that I will continue to return to again and again!

Expectations were pretty low when I played the Old course for the first time last autumn. I’m not a big fan of resort courses, especially those branded by Marriott, but I have to say that I liked the course and the St Pierre experience much more than I thought I would. The course itself was in good shape with true greens and tidy tee boxes and the Old reminded me a tad of the Arden course at the sister Marriott, Forest of Arden. The main difference here at St Pierre is that the elevation changes make St Pierre more interesting than the Arden but in all honesty there is little to choose between the two venues from a quality perspective. Both are just about capable of hosting a modern tournament (7,000 + yards) and both have the infrastructure to deal with such an event. I particularly liked the par threes at St Pierre and the closing hole on the Old has a great deal in common with the Arden’s finale but the Arden’s 18th is a fraction more dramatic. There are some amazing credit crunching deals to be had a St Pierre and if you shop around you could pay in dry roasted peanuts for 18 cracking value holes. No wonder the car park was full and the clubhouse bursting at the seams when I visited.