Glamorgan - Wenvoe Castle Golf Club
A golf course of "highly contrasting halves"
Wenvoe Castle was built in the late 1800s, but in 1910, a fire gutted much of the original structure. Before the golf club was established in 1936, several buildings were renovated, and the magnificent old mansion house serves as the membership's clubhouse.
Before the C. K. Cotton design company upgraded it, famed course designer James Braid modified the course, one of approximately twenty he worked on in Wales during his career. The modern layout, which is made up of two nine-hole loops, measures 6,514 yards from the back tees and plays to a par of 72.
It's been described as "a course of two highly contrasting halves," with plenty of trees and steep fairways on the front nine, all but one of which is played downhill. The inward half then flattens out, widening the fairways and reducing the inflence of the trees along the edges.
The first hole, which measures 537 yards, is played from a high tee position into a valley before playing uphill to a bunkerless green. The eighth hole, which measures 482 yards, is also worth a mention because it's the longest of the par four holes and poses a pleasing challenge. At the tenth hole, which measures 401 yards, you'll find yourself playing across a small pond before reaching a sand-protected, two-tiered green.
The Club has very active sections for men and women with both having their competition day on a Saturday. Having said that there are lots of opportunities to play during the week whether it is as part of an informal group, in one of the teams or in the knockout competitions that are held in the summer.
It has extremely good bar and restaurant facilities: including a lively club bar with a snooker table and a large TV showing Sky Sports; a comfortable lounge bar with panoramic views of the course; a restaurant that seats 40 and serves freshly cooked food; and a patio where you can enjoy a drink and a meal or snack while watching golfers on the 18th.
There's also a well-sticked pro shop where you can stock up on some premium golfing brands such as Nike, TaylorMade, Ping and Titleist; or book some tuition with the course pro.
