In the competitive landscape of British golf destinations, Wales remains the final frontier for travellers seeking authentic golf experiences without the premium price tags that have come to dominate its more famous neighbours. While Scotland claims the heritage, Ireland the scenery, and England the prestigious clubs, Wales quietly offers what might be the best value proposition in British golf today.
Wales isn't without its headliners. continues to hold its own on world rankings and remains highly rated within Great Britain and Ireland listings. This championship links anchors a collection of excellent courses including , , , , , , and .
But what makes Welsh golf truly exciting is how it's benefitting from evolving attitudes about what makes a golf course great.
"What we've seen, reflected in what happened in Ireland, was big resort courses - in this case, Celtic Manor - slipping a little bit down, but that also makes way for some more rugged courses to move up," explains Jasper Miners of Top 100 Golf Courses.
This shift in ranking philosophy benefits Wales tremendously. While Welsh courses may not match the conditioning found at heavily funded resorts or tourist-driven destinations in Scotland and Ireland, they often offer more authentic, characterful experiences.
"As ranking guidance starts to take hold, we see courses starting to rise that perhaps have been held back because of things that we now don't think are as important, like course conditioning," Jasper notes.
To help golfers better navigate the Welsh golfing landscape, Top 100 Golf Courses has implemented sub-regional rankings. "We've now got sub-regions. So we've got Wales as a whole and then counties on the website, but then we've also got North, South, Mid, and West. So we've got four different regions that have rankings as derivatives of the overall top 50 Welsh ranking," says Miners.
Perhaps Wales' most distinctive golfing offering comes in the form of its "common land" courses. Welshpool exemplifies this style, where golf is played across dramatically undulating natural landscapes that offer a completely different challenge from traditional links or parkland settings.
Describing these courses as "rough and ready", they feature characteristics including elevated settings, fine fast-running turf, firm ground conditions, and dramatic macro-scale contours.
"If you think about your region, you have your Cleeve Hills, your Painswicks, your Minchinhamptons, your Welshpools, and they're all cut from that same cloth," explains Miners. "It's like playing links golf in the sense that you have to look at ground contours to see how you want to feed your ball in, but it's just on a macro scale."
These courses feature "rudimentary features. If you could build it with a plough, a few horses, some men and shovels and picks, that's the type of shaping that you're gonna see," says Miners. This creates a fascinating architectural school that transcends the Wales-England border.
The influence of Scottish architect James Braid is particularly evident throughout Wales. Unlike some of his contemporaries who focused on prestigious commissions, Braid seemed committed to democratizing the sport.
"James Braid seemed to have an affinity with growing the game before there was such a thing as growing the game," Miners observes. "He wanted to almost bring this Scottish ideal of democratized golf, golf for the masses to the masses from Scotland into England, and in this case Wales."
This egalitarian approach produced numerous distinctive Welsh courses that showcase Braid's architectural genius despite limited resources. Anyone who "discounts or discredits James Braid's ability as a golf course architect" should visit these Welsh courses, as they'll "probably change your mind fairly quickly," suggests Miners.
While star courses in Scotland and Ireland now routinely command green fees exceeding £200, Wales remains refreshingly affordable. In neighbouring areas, Miners notes it's possible to "play Minchinhampton, Cleeve Hill, and Painswick for less than 60 pounds."
This value proposition is particularly relevant during peak season when Wales offers an escape from the tourist crush. The country is ideal for "high season golf where you're not gonna have to compete with a lot of American money," Miners points out, referencing the international golf tourists who have driven up prices elsewhere.
Beyond the better-known courses, Wales harbours numerous hidden gems. Bull Bay, a Herbert Fowler and Tom Simpson design in northwest Wales, is "a very nice surprise" that's conveniently located for travellers taking the ferry from Anglesey to Ireland.
Even more dramatic is Nefyn & District, which Miners says "makes Old Head look like there's plenty of room," suggesting clifftop holes more spectacular than the famous Irish course.
The region also features architectural curiosities like Painswick, which has a practice bunker but no bunkers on the actual course – the kind of quirky feature that adds memorability to a golf experience.
Wales truly represents "that last little undiscovered bit" of quality golf in the UK, as Miners perfectly describes it. This undiscovered quality makes Wales incredibly appealing in an era when famous courses have become increasingly difficult to access and afford.
From the elegant links of Royal Porthcawl to the wild clifftop drama of Pennard and the rugged inland challenge of Welshpool, Wales offers remarkable variety within a small geographic area. Add exceptional value and fewer crowds, and you have what might be the most compelling destination in contemporary British golf.
For the travelling golfer seeking authentic experiences that won't break the bank, Wales should be at the top of the list – before word inevitably spreads.
In addition to Royal Porthcawl, three other golf courses are ranked in the GB&I Top 100 - those being Pennard, Royal St David's and Aberdovey. The Top 3 sees some movement with Pennard moving above Royal St David's from third to second place. The other movers inside the Top 10 are Southerndown moving up 2 and Ashburnham moving down 2 spots.
From 5 to 20, there is a great mixture of links, parkland and common-land golf courses. Bull Bay is a rugged links of note, Llandrindod Wells, and Welshpool are two excellent examples of common land golf. There is also the well-known Ryder Cup venue at Celtic Manor.
The ranking is a Top 50 with 39 courses on our contender list. No course moves more than 4 spaces down and no course moves up more than 3 spaces, except Welshpool which moves up 7!
The geographic rankings have also been updated. The four areas covered in Wales are North Wales, South Wales, West Wales, and Mid Wales.
