Jason Comber

I have just returned from a golf weekend here and, given the lack of reviews so far for the club, I thought it would be good to write one to help others who might think about making the journey here! This was our 3 times rearranged event, first booked for 2020, so the anticipation was high, and I am pleased to say the club really delivered. It has 27 holes so over 3 days we played each 9 twice in 3 different combinations, so the set up is perfect for a short break.Of the 27 holes, the Lakeland/Parkland combination is considered the premier 18, but I have to say the Woodland is a nice complementary 18, providing something a little different.The course is set in a beautiful Area of Special Scientific Interest, away from any town, with hardly any buildings to be seen anywhere – you really are away from it all here, although we were surrounded by the sound of tanks on Monday as the proving grounds at Bovington are only a mile or 2 away! Not something you hear on many golf courses! The surrounding land is heathland, but in reality the courses are parkland in nature.It’s a fair course, perfect for groups of mixed ability, most of it is there in front of you, sometimes it’s quite tight and penal but there are no tricks – hit the shot required or be punished! I really enjoyed the challenge. The overall condition of the courses is very good, with the greens running well, the thoughtful design elements creating some lovely shapes & views, the greens in particular sit into the landscape really attractively and provide for some intriguing shots and recoveries. On the downside the fairway grass was a little long, so we were still placing and on the Monday the bunkers were unplayable due to huge overnight thunderstorms. The bunkers are very distinctively shaped and attractive to look at creating a unique feel to the layout, but the sand was a little firm & cement like, possibly resulting in the drainage issues on Monday which meant they filled to a great depth, to such an extent you could lose your ball in them! I guess this would not be an issue in most normal climatic conditions.Off the yellows (the only tees we played) you must think your way round the course, you can’t just stand on the tee and hit driver. There are many holes where you have to think where to lay up, and some are so tight that even if you are on the fairway you can be blocked out, and have to manufacture a recovery. It may not be the fairest in those cases but it created some extra interest and posed a challenge that you don’t always get on courses these days, so I enjoyed unlocking the puzzles. Having said that it really helped when you had played those holes once before; second time round you knew what you were doing. Doesn’t mean you can execute the shot of course.I won’t detail all 27 holes, but the best holes include:On the Lakeland, the 3rd is a tough short par 4 where you have to layup in the right spot before a mid-short iron into an attractive, sloping green. The 5th is the first of a few holes where you have a diagonal ditch to negotiate off the tee, that makes you think about the drive and then a long second to a 2 tier green, whilst the 6th is a long par 5, probably the best one, which is stroke 1 for a reason as you have to plot your way down to the green avoiding well placed sand and waterOn the Parkland (interestingly named as it probably has as much water as the Lakeland), the 3rd is an intimidating hole with water up left and then in front of the lovely looking green. The 5th is a sharp dogleg where the drive, probably a 3w or less, is crucial, avoiding the ditch and the trees on the corner of the dogleg to give you the best chance of reaching the well defended green, sitting behind a massive bunker; it’s a good example of how this course is not all about length, but more about precision.The 7th is a nice par 5 with a centre-line bunker to avoid off the tee, while the 2nd shot is all about setting up the pitch across a ditch to the green. The par 3 8th is a typical Dorset Golf Club par 3, a good-looking mid length, fairly flat hole, to a well-sited bunker-surrounded green. Most of the par 3 were lovely but maybe all a bit samey in terms of length (although I am a massive fan of 150-170yd par 3s, rather than longer ones so it wasn’t as much of an issue for me). They all face different directions so a offer a different challenge, while some had trees in front of greens to add a little quirk/thought. The Woodland is much shorter, but like I said earlier complements the main 18 well. It really is tight in some spots, mainly from holes 2-8, with rhododendrons everywhere, which as we were in May were beautiful. If you were as little as 2m off greens /fairways you would be dropping a ball. Some would say this is unfair, but its there in front of you – just don’t go in it! The 2nd is a great driving hole with bunkers, bushes and a diagonal ditch to avoid before a straightforward approach to the green having done the hard bit off the tee! The 3rd and 7th are probably too tight to be honest, with literally no margin for error. If you are not within 5m of the centre of the fairway you are dropping a ball or blocked out and having to be creative! But both have their charm, with lovely greens. Golf was never meant to be easy!To complement the courses, they have good practice facilities, a great halfway house (although they ran out of food on both days too soon, but did deliver 4 sausage rolls to one of our groups on the course, which is an example of the customer service you can expect). It is set up for groups like ours with good clubhouse food, as well as having pool/darts/table football in the room next to the bar which gave us some great evening entertainment. I found all the staff to be helpful, rooms in the hotel were fine and the lodges look good, but I cannot comment as we stayed in the hotel rooms. So based on the scoring system it’s a 4 to 4.5, it merits a full day and it’s a good location for an overnight stop due to 27 holes and the beautiful location and good facilities. However, based on my other reviews the course is probably a 4, it’s not in Broadstone/Parkstone league when it comes to Dorset courses but not many are, the ranking might be about right, but I haven’t played all the others. It is a very good club & course and excellent value when booked as a short break! I really enjoyed it and would definitely go back.

Cards on the table, I love Westward Ho! I favour older courses over newer ones, and they don’t get much older than RND, as its known. The oldest course in the world outside Scotland is a delight, a real museum piece (as is the clubhouse). Its fun, quirky, surprising, never boring – a real antidote to modern larger scale courses. I know its not everyone’s taste, but everyone should try it once if they can. A friend joined me to play it for the 1st time and loved the course. Ranking RND is hard, its definitely a 4.5 at least, but I believe has enough quality, history and uniqueness to edge up to 5; there is a special feel to the place and for that reason I am going to go with my emotions and go high... Together with Saunton it can form a weekend's golf to rival any in England.I grew up at Saunton over the estuary and therefore have not played RND enough but I am making up for that now. If I were to be a member I would choose Saunton, however, in terms of a one off round, the value is to be had at RND, where green fees remain great value, especially when the kind pro cuts a deal due to a late-ish tee time and bad weather. At £35 there cannot be better value in the UK?We played RND last week in the teeth of the storm that swept through the UK, so even walking was tough on some of the holes back into the wind, but we had a blast.I was concerned that there was standing water on the 1st and 18th due to exceptional weather (the lowest art of the course), but the rest of the course was bone dry and in really good nick. The greens were excellent as usual, and downwind putts were treacherous despite this being the last week of October. Some people complain about the rough and ready nature through the green but I love the naturalness, the sheep and the horses adding elements to the experience you don’t get at most courses. Its a special feeling standing on the 1st tee looking out over that timeless piece of land, anticipating the ages-old challenge ahead...Yes, its wide open in places off the tee, but then the greens might be raised a little, run away from front to back or are cunningly protected by little pot bunkers. The beauty of golf is that every course is different – embrace uniqueness I say!The Club are in the middle of creating 2 new holes to mitigate the effects of coastal erosion. It’s a shame as I loved the holes around the turn as they were, but time and tide literally wait for no man! So we played the new par 5 7th, which will mature into a fine hole, with a tempting risk / reward carry over reeds to the green. The old 8th is still in play as they build the new one; its difficult to see how that will look and play at the moment, but it will give great views over the estuary. The new 9th tee will turn it into a par 4 – I love that green complex, but I am not sure its suited to a long approach as a par 4!In terms of the rest of the course, the par 3s are superb, facing different directions and are well protected. The par 4 3rd, 4th, 6th, 10th, 11th and 15th are all strong holes which pose different challenges and test every club in the bag, whilst 18 is a tough finisher keeping you honest to the end. My heroic attempt to carry the ditch into the teeth of the storm was always destined to fail, but it couldn’t dampen my enthusiasm for this timeless classic!

If we start by looking at rankings, I think 5th in South Wales, is about right. Would I prefer to play any of the ones below over this one? Probably not, though it would be a close run thing between P&K and St Pierre, Rolls, Newport and Clyne (for which I have a soft spot).So, in terms of score, I would score P&K a solid 4 – it’s definitely a good course to seek out if in the area. 4 for me, is therefore fair, though if ranked 5th in South Wales then you could argue for a 4.5! When I look at past reviews, in my opinion, the 2.5s and 3s are a bit harsh, compared to scores I see for other potentially lesser courses – it almost seems as P&K is being judged against different standards, maybe due to the difference in look & feel between the 2 nines. When I see words like over-rated (how can it be – it only scores 3.5, so who is over-rating it?) or run of the mill parkland (it’s not – its heathland with links feel for a start), good to boring and bland I wonder if I am playing the same course. I feel the strong language is a little over the top and is harsher criticism than I have seen for other courses on this site that have similar flaws and issues. P&K doesn’t claim to be the best course in the world and is fairly priced for what it is (it does represent excellent Value for Money in my book), which is a solid, welcoming course in beautiful surroundings. I also see comments about using the dunes better – I guess not every course has the money (or desire) to do what has been done at say Trump International or Castle Stuart, nor would they necessarily be allowed to given the adjoining land is a Nature Reserve and SSSI. There is a place for all types of courses, and I just wanted to share my counter opinion so people can judge for themselves. Each to their own I guess though – I just like the place and see it for what it is… The R&A also must share my view as they have used it 3 times this century to host the Amateur Championship (with Royal Porthcawl), so consider their opinion as well, and not just mine!Clearly the front 9 is not as exciting as some of the back 9, but the holes are strong – I like 2 which is a challenge to hit the fairway, whilst 5 and 9 are visually appealing par 5s, and the 2 par 3s are sporting holes, with good greens. 7 is also a strong par 4 which requires good placement. As other reviewers have suggested, the back 9 is excellent in the main, with 11-16 being top drawer in my opinion and would not look out of place on any course in the UK. The conditioning has always been excellent whenever I have played as well. I tend to play during the winter when other courses in my area (Bristol) are wet and I always look forward to playing P&K (as well as Royal Porthcawl & Southerndown) – how lucky are the people of Glamorgan to have these courses on their doorsteps?

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?

I played at Ashburnham on the weekend as was once again really impressed.  The excellent growing conditions this year meant the course was in great condition with good definition between fairway and rough and first class, smooth (but slightly slower than expected) greens.  The view over the estuary and the Gower peninsular from the clubhouse whets the appetite, and although the first 2 and last 2 holes beklow you are not everybody’s favourite, for me they only suffer in comparison to the rest of the course.  The 1st is a fine par 3, and the second a tough par 4, “spoilt” by the road and the houses nearby, but you’ll always be happy with a par!  Once out on the 3rd the course is nothing other than a delight.  The standout holes start with the par 3 6th with a raised green and no bail-out, and you then enter the toughest stretch, with 3 holes of great variety and trouble everywhere.  The tricky 7th is just over 300 yds but has a low SI for good reason.  For non-members the par 5 8th presents a tricky challenge with the second shot, whilst 9 is just a tough par 4 with a green hidden behind a knoll.  The pace continues right through to the 15th which is always a tough par 4.  The 18th divides opinion and sure a long uphill shot to a raised green is not the best finish, but it keeps you honest right to the end.    In summary, a tough track that allows little margin for error, and due to its out of the way location is an absolute steal with a green fee much lower than better courses elsewhere.  It’s a bit of a trek for most, but absolutely worth it, and right up there with the best that Wales has to offer.

AberdoveyI played Aberdovey with my father in law last week on holiday on a sunny afternoon in a 2-3 club wind, coming off the sea so not really helping on any hole. I have to say we thoroughly enjoyed the round, and the course ranks as one of the best I have played.  I love links having grown up at Saunton and this compares very favourably with there, Royal St David's, Ashburnham and Royal Porthcawl. I loved the bunkers with their uncut grass fringes, the holes were all different and memorable. The par 3s were all different and challenging, particularly the 9th and 12th, which had just opened again following the storm damage.  There was still water on the course, but that is to be expected after the winter we have had, and the overnight storms we experienced. The condition of the course was excellent. The par 4s were varied, and the par 5s were a welcome birdie opportunity (not that I took advantage). Great value for money as just £37.50 at that time of day. Welcoming pro shop. Beautiful surroundings. Aberdovey has it all, and is thoroughly recommended.  Our holiday cottage overlooked the 17th so the course was calling out to me the whole week, it's just a shame we only got to play the once. I will be back...