Discover golf in North Wales
The fourth and final leg of Jeremy Ellwood's road trip saw him taking in some of the most remarkable scenery and golf courses of all
My earliest golfing experiences of Wales may have been in the Valleys in the south, but my first visit to the country was on the annual school fell-walking trip to Snowdonia in the north when I was 14, long before a golf club had ever found its way into my hands. I remember falling in love with the rugged, spectacular scenery, and those two adjectives could equally apply to the first stop on the last leg of my golfing road trip through Wales - Nefyn and District Golf Club on the Lln Peninsula, which I tackled again after a very comfortable night in nearby Caeau Capel Hotel.
It is quite simply without equal on the UK mainland, partly because of its unusual hole count (26, sharing the same front 10 before splitting into Old and New final eights), but more because of the quite unbelievable terrain over which the closing eight holes of the Old course play - a sliver of a headland called The Point. It provides a rollercoaster ride of thrills, packed full of unlikely shots and sheer drama, with holes that will leave you scratching your head in disbelief, wondering whether you've perhaps inadvertently strayed into one of those World's Craziest Golf Holes calendars.
But the holes are very much for real, with blind shots, heart-stopping drives, stunning views and, mercifully for some, even a handily placed pub - the T Coch Inn on Porthdinllaen beach - where you can stop mid-round to catch your breath and take it all in. It was here over a century ago that a group of locals first had the inspired idea for a golf course on the headland, so where better to raise a glass to those whose vision has bequeathed us one of Britain's most memorable golfing experiences.
A trip to Nefyn and District Golf Club:
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Jeremy Ellwood (Jezz) has worked in golf since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all the Top 100 plus 94 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified to compare our premier tracks. He has played over 1,100 courses in 35 countries, from remote nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to grand international resorts, hitting the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he'll be blissfully content.
Contact Jezz on X - @JezzEllwoodGolf
Jeremy is playing...
Driver: Ping G425 LST
3 wood: Srixon ZX
Hybrid: Ping G425
Irons 4- to 11-iron: Honma TWorld TW747Vx
Wedge: Ping Glide 54˚
Putter: Ping Fetch