Wales is the first home country to get our latest re-ranking treatment

With a twist of irony and honesty, the Welsh Tourist Board promotional material made me smile: “For the many who have tired of sunloungers… Wales. Home of proper holidays. Phrasebook optional, sense of adventure essential, indifference best left at home.” This doesn’t get me too excited, as we all know family holidays with the umbrella perpetually raised are no fun at all. However, the 38th Ryder Cup, hosted at Celtic Manor at the beginning of October 2010, has done Wales the world of good from a golfing perspective and has catapulted sales of wet weather gear to stratospheric levels.

Wales is not a destination that normally features highly on the itineraries of travelling golfers who are generally more focused on visiting Scotland and Ireland. However, for those serious golfers who are seeking quiet fairways, affordable green fees and lesser-known gems, read on.

For the last few years we have been looking at Welsh courses very closely and we were first to rank a Welsh course in a World Top 100. Naturally, 

 in the USA followed suit a year later and also ranked Royal Porthcawl in their 2009 World Top 100.

Wales can possibly boast four or five world-class courses and its golf course strength lies in its diverse and often rather remote seaside courses. Royal Porthcawl, in the south, is foremost and Royal St David’s in the north is not far behind. In fact, according to you, the golf course reviewer, St David’s is your favourite Welsh course.

We are working on our new Welsh rankings for 2011 and part of our process is to factor in (alongside all other published ranking data) the reviews which you've posted on the Top 100 website. The golf ball rating system not only makes this site come alive but it also provides an alternative perspective, which is devoid of any commercial pressure. Each and every one of your player reviews counts.

It is our belief that Welsh golf courses deserve close inspection, so we plan to grow our Wales rankings from our current online Top 20. We have compiled the following list which is based on the many Welsh golf course reviews posted on the Top 100 website since the beginning of 2008. Your list is somewhat different to most Welsh rankings, but we do not see that as a problem, we see it as a benefit. We will take your data and factor it in alongside all other published ranking information to create a new list of top Welsh courses. Keep checking the Top 100 website over the next couple of weeks. Wales is the first home country to get our re-ranking treatment.