Tee time II

Audi Magazine explores the 10 best golf courses in Britain.

In part II of our British golfing odyssey, Audi Magazine takes on two of the finest courses from Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland.

25 June, 2017


WALES – Nefyn & District Golf Club

Dramatically situated on cliff tops at the foot of the Porthdinllaen headland, that juts out from the Llyn Peninsula into the Irish Sea, Nefyn & District Golf Club is Wales' equivalent of Ireland's Old Head of Kinsale but far more affordable to play. This spectacular clifftop layout is a unique 27-hole course consisting of the 18-hole, par 71 Old Course and the 9-hole par 71, New Course. The run of holes on the Old Course from the 12th onwards along the peninsula – with fairways and tees perched above secluded coves and tiny inlets on one side, and a sandy beach on the other – will live long in the memory regardless of your score. If you fancy a quick pint before the last three holes, then take the footpath after the par-4 15th that leads down to Porthdinllaen Beach to enjoy a pint at the Ty Coch Inn with marvellous views across the bay to Mount Snowdon. 

WALES – Royal Porthcawl Golf Club

Widely recognised as the best course in Wales, Royal Porthcawl overlooks the Bristol Channel on the Glamorgan Coast between Cardiff and Swansea offering sea views from every hole. Founded in the late 1800s, this is as traditional a links course as you will find anywhere, and the golf is on par with the scenery. Over the years, it has hosted several prestigious championships including the Walker Cup, Curtis Cup and the 2014 Senior British Open, won in fine style by Bernhard Langer. The shortest hole on the course is the 7th (122 yards from the championship tees), and is Royal Porthcawl's answer to Royal Troon's Postage Stamp. While the hole is short in stature, it is also treacherous with a narrow entrance to an equally narrow putting surface that is well guarded by small hillocks and a necklace of six pot bunkers that are genuine hazards. Land in one of these and making par will be far from easy.

NORTHERN IRELAND – Ardglass Golf Club

This spectacular old-style links and clifftop gem hugs a rugged headland on the County Down coastline. Ardglass Golf Club really is a course to savour with some outstanding holes. The course begins with a bang where a line of cannons point the way to the green of the par-4 1st. This is followed by the daunting par-3 2nd, and both require a carry across the coastline or cliff tops of the Irish Sea. Holes 11 and 12 (the Amen corner of Ardglass) are particularly exciting, set across from Coney Island made famous by Van Morrison, and on clear days you can see past the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man. The par-3 12th is arguably the course's signature hole drawing comparisons with the famous 17th hole at Pebble Beach. The view from the elevated tee, with a backdrop of the Irish Sea and the majesty of the brooding Mourne Mountains is worth the green fee alone. Ardglass is home to one of the oldest and most distinct clubhouses in the British Isles - a castle that dates back to the 12th century.

NORTHERN IRELAND – Royal Portrush Golf Club

Established in May 1888 and included in every list of the world's best courses, Royal Portrush's Dunluce course has long been regarded as a great test of a golfer’s skill. It hosted the British Open in 1951, when England’s eccentric Max Faulkner lifted the trophy and will make a welcome return in 2019. There are plenty of great holes at Royal Portrush and it's truly difficult to choose just one. On the front nine, the 5th with its cliffside green is a worthy contender, but on the back it's got to be the 210-yard 14th known as Calamity Corner. This testing par-3 calls for a long carry with a long iron or hybrid over an 80-foot ravine to reach the green and to slice or push the ball right will earn you an almost certain double bogey or worse. Don’t be ashamed of taking a four at Calamity Corner – three's are as rare as an unfriendly Irishman.

IRELAND – Ballyliffin Golf Club

The Ballyliffin Golf Club is made up of a remarkable 36 holes meander through this most beguiling of links land, with rocky outcrops, perfect greens and enchanting views of the coast. Principally designed by Mother Nature – with upgrades by Sir Nick Faldo including new bunkering, tees and enlarged greens – the classic Old Links undulates in the glory of its natural terrain and the rippling fairways give the course a unique character and charm. It is the type of place where you can easily imagine the golfing forefathers striding along the sheep-cropped turf with their hickory clubs. The more recent Glashedy Links - designed by Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock - is fashioned around the incredible dunes on predominately higher ground above and beyond the Old Links offering stunning views as you play. The course kicks off with three long par-4s and the challenges never let up – negotiating cavernous peat-riveted bunkers, large contoured greens, fairways that twist and roll between towering dunes and a collection of exciting par-3s. 

IRELAND – Carne Golf Links (Belmullet) 

The special charm of Carne Golf Links lies in the journey required to get there, plus its remote location in magnificent sand dunes overlooking Blacksod Bay and the wild Atlantic Ocean near the town of Belmullet.  

“If ever the Lord intended land for a golf course, Carne has it,” so said the late Eddie Hackett, who laid out the course in the early 1990s. This was his final links layout, and it is now believed by many who have played it to be his greatest challenge. One of Carne's classic holes is the par-3 16th that drops steeply from an elevated tee to a green encircled by dunes. The tough par-4 17th, and the par-5 18th are a memorable finale to this wild and rugged links that makes a lasting impression on all that play it. Complementing Hackett's original eighteen is the recently created 9-hole Kilmore course designed by Ally McIntosh, offering more exciting holes routed through the same huge dunes.