Maesteg Golf Club Course Review

Maesteg Golf Club Course Review

GF £25wd, £30we
Par 70, 5,889 yards
Slope 113
GM Verdict – An enjoyable, away-from-it-all moorland course blessed with a James Braid heritage and splendid backdrops.
Favourite Hole – Perhaps the best, but far from easiest, hole is the long par-4 5th where a tough drive is followed by a tougher approach to a tricky shelf green. 

You won’t find this lovely James Braid course in the Llynfi Valley a few miles north of Bridgend on any list of the best golf courses in Wales, but it is a great little find off the beaten track, playing over the kind of springy moorland turf that many golfers find so delightfully accommodating. Despite not quite making it to 6,000 yards, it has a number of surprisingly testing challenges in store. The short par-4 1st certainly looks very tempting on the card, but it plays to a green raised quite significantly at the front and to the left, so your opening approach will require an added degree of precision.

Perhaps most testing of all are the 450-yard 5th with its daunting drive across a vast expanse of scrub and then an elusive shelf green  – a hole you don’t want to be playing into the wind - and the 459-yard 8th that plays gently round to the left and down to the green. This one will prove unreachable for many into the wind, and the club likes to call it the hardest hole in Wales. It’s certainly a contender!

Coming home you’ll remember the lovely drive up between the pines on the par-5 11th, while the excellent dogleg 15th that sweeps stirringly round to the right is another real cracker. The view back up the long par-3 16th is then an absolute picture in the right light. Maesteg may be relatively unknown, but its peaceful, secluded setting, splendid backdrops and glorious moorland turf make it a great option when you’re looking for somewhere a little different for a very modest green fee.