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Royal Porthcawl, Wales |
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Royal Porthcawl Golf Club
Rest Bay
Porthcawl
Mid Glamorgan
CF36 3VW
Wales |  | Charles Gibson, Harry Colt, Tom Simpson |  | Peter Evans |
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 | +44 (0) 1656 782251 |  | M4 J37, 3 miles to Porthcawl |
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Golf Club Website
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 | Contact in advance – weekdays only |  | Michael Newland |
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Royal Porthcawl Golf Club is located off the beaten track, east of Swansea and west of Cardiff. Despite being the highest ranked course in Wales, it remains relatively unknown.
The club was founded in 1891 and Charles Gibson, Royal North Devon’s professional, laid out a 9-hole course on Lock’s Common. In 1895, an adjacent piece of land became available and Ramsey Hunter created an 18-hole layout. Porthcawl was granted its royal title in 1909 by King Edward VII. Over the years, the layout has been extensively modified, primarily in 1913 by Harry Colt and by Tom Simpson in 1933.
The first four holes and the last six holes represent classic links golf, but the holes in the middle rise up onto higher ground, offering fantastic views across the Bristol Channel. This middle section of the course, with plenty of gorse, has distinct heathland characteristics. Darwin completely disagrees with our sentiments. He wrote about “the very excellent links of Porthcawl. Links they may worthily be called, for the golf at Porthcawl is the genuine thing – the sea in sight all the time, and the most noble bunkers.”
Royal Porthcawl measures 7,065 yards from the back markers, but position from the tee is just as important as distance. Gary Wolstenholme will vouch for this. Wolstenholme played Tiger Woods in the 1995 Walker Cup here at Porthcawl and despite being constantly out-driven by Woods, Wolstenholme controlled and positioned the ball better and secured a famous victory at the last hole.
The Bristol Channel acts as a funnel for Atlantic gales and the course is fully exposed to the wind. It’s not a traditional out and back layout – the holes loop back on one another, playing in various directions. With an absence of trees and dunes, the wind plays a powerful role.
Royal Porthcawl is a convivial, relaxed place to play golf in beautiful surroundings. Check out the Royal Porthcawl Golf Club website, which offers a good description of each hole with photographs and a course planner. Click here for more. | |
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If the above course review article is not accurate, let us know by clicking here |
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 |  | | Average Reviewers Score: |   | | | A superb challenge in a gorgeous setting. No massive dunes here, but terrific sea views because of that. The par threes are all wonderful, and the 14th one of my favorites anywhere. A tiny target in a cross-breeze.
All that stops this being a 6 baller are two things: a slightly over zealous rough clearance programme making it a shade more forgiving of wide drives than can have been intended, and the last two par fives that are both a shade too similar to one another, and a shade to much an uphill slog for my personal taste.
Make no mistake though, this is a brilliant links, as good as or better than many more famous. |
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| 14 April 2013
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| | To echo the preceding reviews, a tremendously challenging and enjoyable Championship links. It was perishingly cold and I played badly, but still loved it and can't wait to go back. Classy yet friendly, a straight up 6 ball course. |
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| 10 April 2013
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| | Played Royal Porthcawl yesterday in a very strong breeze and I have to say that without doubt it is the best and hardest course that I have ever played.
The front 9 is some of the rawest links golf you can possibly see with the sea coming into play on the first 3 holes; all long, tough par 4s.
I am 1 handicapper and shot 83. You dont have to be way off line here to find real trouble. I can imagine that the higher handicapper could be chewed up and spat out pretty ruthlessly round here so make sure you take plenty of balls.
I can see why the R&A are taking the Senior Open Championship here in 2014, 2019 and 2022 with the view to possibly adding it to the full Open roster.
As somewhat of a golfing purest, links golf for me is the purest form of the game and this course can more than hold its own with anything that the courses on the open roster have to offer.
Superb!! |
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| 25 June 2012
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| Response: | | | thomas | 09 November 2012 | | Royal Porthcawl is simply pure class. Top notch in every way. Lovely mostly oldie-worldie style clubhouse. Very efficient, friendly and obliging staff. The course itself constantly twists and turns in different directions and is a really strong test of golf with many fine, tough holes with numerous well positioned deep fairway bunkers. Even from the centre of the fairway (or the tee on the difficult par-3's) the greens are mostly difficult to hold being steeply contoured and heavily bunkered - if you miss them on the 'short side' you'll do well to make an up-'n'-down. The 1st tee to the 3rd green is a tough opening sequence into the prevailing wind whilst the 4th, is a hard to hit par-3 with a very contoured green. The re-greened par-5 5th offers a little respite then it's the 6th, where care is needed, and the tiny semi-blind par-3 7th. The 8th turns left around the practice ground wall then there's a very fine stretch of challenging holes from the 9th, with it's new green complex, all the way to the raised green 15th. The 16th and 17th play gradually up a hill and then it's all downhill straight towards the sea on the 18th with views across to Devon and Pembrokeshire. An excellent new short game practice facility has recently been added, a splendid touch, far to often overlooked at other clubs. RPGC is a splendid place to spend time. I thoroughly recommend it. |
| | Links courses can be odd things for many reasons. Many love their quirkiness and their raw, wild aesthetics, while some will dislike their sometimes rather industrial backdrops. Royal Porthcawl does have some industrial vistas with some of the few remaining heavy industry sites in South Wales off to the West. Royal Porthcawl is quirky for many reasons but for me the greatest quirk about the place is that this world class course exists solely for the quality of golf, with no snootiness, and some way from any large city, although the M4 motorway makes it so accessible.
Like almost all links courses the greens were still in tip top condition in March, at a time when many parkland dancefloors will be tigned and sanded to more closely resemble dimpled, dusty shortbread.  The course may also play a touch more easily in March than summer with the rough low and the greens not too quick. On my few trips into greenside bunkers they did not contain that much sand but were all consistent with each other. Due to the reduced winter rate in March, two holes were on temporary greens, which is always a shame, especially when it affected the excellent holes 5 and 9, which appeared to being having major surgery. However, it would be difficult to choose which two greens you would prefer to be out of commission, even if you had the choice, such is the quality and variety of all the green complexes.
Links courses are known for their flatness so this course – thanks to holes 5, 10, 12, 13, 17 and 18 – must qualify as one of the more mountainous. I know Cruden Bay has greater changes in elevation but I struggle to think of any links course to match the slopes here. The 17th was a great reminder for me (not that I needed it) that links golf demands a high level of focus for each shot. Standing on the 17th tee, on course to match my handicap, I left the green a few minutes later with an 11 and a good lesson learnt. The day was further enhanced by dry weather, a good breeze and a blue sky adorned with fluffy white clouds and vapour trails tracing the progress of jet-setters to distant shores. Stunning. |
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| 26 March 2012
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| I don’t post reviews on the Top 100 website because I feel my opinion should be kept to myself. However, I am compelled to write an account of a recent visit to Royal Porthcawl.
After being too long away, I returned to play Porthcawl some eight years after my last visit. The reason for the relatively short trip from my home in Devon was to  meet up with Fergal, our US Consultant, who is significantly more than mid-way through an epic journey, whereby he’s aiming to become the youngest person to play the World Top 100. The recent inclusion of Royal Porthcawl in a notable American magazine’s World Top 100 rankings made me smile, as we were the first publication to rank Porthcawl in our World 100 back in 2006.
Playing golf with Fergal is firstly a pleasure; secondly it’s a rather daunting experience for the average golfer (of which I fall squarely into that category). My rather paltry 10 handicap is no match for a +1 golfer who wants to see every course from the back tees. Under normal circumstances, I play off the regular mens tees or perhaps, if I am feeling lucky, off the mens competition tees. Fergal naturally wanted to experience the Walker Cup course, so off we went on the first, all the way back along the side of the pro shop to the tips where only fools and scratch golfers care to tread.
Since I last played Porthcawl, David Williams extended the course and, more recently, Mackenzie and Ebert have been advising the club on various aspects including bunker changes and green modifications. Indeed, both the 5th and 9th greens were out of play in March 2012 as they have been reshaped and re-laid over last winter. These latest changes are sure to make Porthcawl a wonderful test and will stretch the field when the Senior Open Championship comes here in 2014.
There are so many things I love about Porthcawl… the uninterrupted sea views, the revetted bunkering, the topography (which is an easy walk but could never be described as flat), the magnificent greensites, the one-shot holes, the brutal closing stretch and, last but not least, the conviviality of the wonderful club itself. If I lived within a 30-mile drive of Porthcawl, I’d join. It’s the best course in Wales by a comfortable margin and it’s perhaps the best Welsh golf club too. A worthy World Top 100 course and, in my book, it’s outstanding. 9/10. Keith Baxter, Editor-in-Chief |
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| 25 March 2012
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| | A brilliant course, with four of the best opening holes I have ever played, and I have played a lot of the courses ranked in the world top 100. The only blemish to my mind are the sixth and seventh, both of which look completely out of character to the rest of the course and play away from or out of sight of the sea. The proximity of an enormous house to the seventh green is also a blight on the landscape. But these are minor gripes. The opening stretch of the course, played alongside the sea, is wonderful. All of the par 3s other than 7 look great and demand well struck shots, and the finishing hole with the green nestled beside the beach caps of a thoroughly enjoyable round. The course has always been in great condition when I have played it, and the clubhouse is absolutely charming. I couldn't decide between 5 and 6 stars, but have given it 6 on the basis that I wouldn't even have to consider the choice if it were not for holes 6 and 7. A course worth making the effort to play. |
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| 21 July 2011
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| | Royal Porthcawl has, alongside Royal St George's, the most amazing and dramatic set of greens I have seen. Not only are they beautifully contoured and sloped, but they were also fantastically fast and true. For those 18 pieces of grass alone, this place should not be missed. The club atmosphere is also very friendly, familial and unformal, unlike some of the other "royals" across the kingdom. The course is more hilly than I had anticipated from pictures and a little quircky in places (drive at the 1st crossing the 18th fairway). The dormy house is not as nice as the one at Lytham, but nonetheless a nice place to stay. Very much recommended. Cedric |
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| 14 April 2011
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| | I played Porthcawl in early March. Course was in superb condition. The greens especially were playing very fast and true. The greens seem in many places to be mere extensions of the fairway, with many of them being open to typical links bump and run shots. One or two blind tee shots, but all not excessive. Having played many top championship courses, I would rate Porthcawl as one of the best courses never to have hosted an open, alongside Nairn and Hillside. The clubhouse is an extremely cosy place to reflect on your game afterwards. |
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| 25 March 2011
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| Response: | | | Webbedrobin | 25 March 2011 | | Agree totally with this review. Played for the first time yesterday on the bargain winter rate (cannot afford the summer rate!). Excellent welcome in the pro shop. A good score on this course is well possible but getting used to the lightening fast greens took some time. A great advert for Welsh golf. |
| | | You can see the sea from every hole lads. Enjoy yourselves, she's a beauty". And as if by magic those enthusiastic words from a member, as he walked off down the 1st stirred the Welsh mist which came rolling in and had consumed us by the time we'd teed off on the 2nd. With visibility down to at best 150 yards, at worst 100, a course with an already hard reputation became a whole lot harder. I think this is the 1st time I've ever found myself asking for a breeze. I'd just presumed from my limited links experience that 25mph cross winds were a given. However, having spent 2 hours in the car to get here we were determined to not let it spoil the day. So, adopting Arnold Parmers attitude of, hit it, go find it and hit it again we preceded to have great time. Stand out hole for me was the 120 yard 7th, but that's down to it being literally the only hole to stand out in the mist. The course condition was really beginning to come alive after the winter and the greens were in tremendous shape. It’s hard to judge the 2 nines but in the mist the front nine felt that little bit wider where as the back was placing more demands on accuracy off the tee, I'm not sure if this rings true on a clear day though?
We had been warned about 15 and 16 being card wreckers but in the mist 12 and 13 were brutal with both approach shots truly being hit and hope after much study of our course guide. The much talked about bunkers here are tough although it was the fairway Bunkers on 17 rather than the 2 greenside (9th and 14th) I visited during the round which cost me dearly and just took the edge off a cracking stab at this course 1st time out. But I have to say they did not ruin what was a very funny afternoon for myself and playing partner. A special mention must go to the members at this fine course, they are a credit to themselves and their club, I can truly say I've never meet a friendlier bunch in 10 years of playing.
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| 24 March 2011
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| | I played Royal Porthcawl on 8th February 2011 on a sunny, 7C breezy day. The course is massively under rated in my humble opinion. It’s simply a beautiful course , literally all the holes have a view of the sea. I’ve played Royal Birkdale and it’s up there with this great course. I just can’t understand why it hasn’t hosted The Open? It’s a steal £75 for a day ticket including lunch in the Winter & £140 for the same deal in the Summer. |
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| 16 February 2011
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| Response: | | | DF | 17 February 2011 | | Sounds fantastic. Quick question - during the winter months do they play off mats/close the fairways etc. Thanks. | | | DP | 18 February 2011 | | The course is fully open, except where they are repairing, some bunkers etc. But all tee boxes, all fairways and all greens are open. And I agree, this course is highly under rated! |
| | | On our most recent trip to Wales, out of the 8 courses we played, this was out top rated course. The golf professional was most friendly, the course, while being overseeded and greens recently aerified was in good condition (workers everywhere grooming the bunkers, which were PERFECT), and the golf course was an outstanding test of golf. Picturesque, difficultl, but fair.
Do NOT MISS playing this course on your tour of Wales. |
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| 17 September 2010
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| Royal Porthcawl is a stunning links course. I have been fortunate enough to play most of the UK's finest links courses and I would put it in the same league as Royal County Down, Royal Birkdale, Turnberry and Waterville. The course smacks  of class the second you arrive and set eyes on the first hole which has fabulous riveted bunkers (a feature of the course) and hugs the beach. In fact, my playing partners and I struggled to identify any weak holes (which is not the case at RCD and Waterville). All the short holes are marvellous and you will feel a hint of relief if you manage to avoid the many cavernous bunkers that surround them. Other than the 2 or 3 blind drives, everything is there in front of you and it really is a real treat to play. The greens were running extremely quick and very smooth when we played it mid-August 2010. I would advise getting there at least an hour early to make use of the excellent driving range (5 minutes walk from the clubhouse). The bar feels nice and old school however the food was perhaps not quite in keeping with the best course in Wales. If you are reading this and considering playing it, do not hesitate. It is a steal at £98 for a round, as the course itself would be more than worthy of hosting an Open Championship (it has held just about every other Amateur event including the Walker Cup and British Amateur). |
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| 13 August 2010
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| Response: | | | Will | 12 April 2012 | | it's my house the White one |
| | | In a word, class! Royal Porthcawl to my mind is the best of both worlds, a big course yet with a small club feel. A marvellously tough but honest test of Golf in a stunning setting so that you don't mind being beaten up by the rough, bunkers or greens! Off the course the members were friendlyness personified and rightly proud of their fine course and clubhouse. Make the effort and go visit. |
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| 10 March 2010
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| | Royal Porthcawl is a MUST PLAY golf course. I am fully in love with the place. In my humble opinion this is the second best course in the UK (of those which I have played…57 of the top 100 in this list). It is magical. Just sitting here writing this makes me homesick for the place! I have only played there 3 times but I would pay double the 90 odd quid a round costs…without blinking…and I’m a poor bugger! There is such a wonderful selection of golf holes and all angled differently so that the wind is never from the same place, the staff are some of the friendliest around and the club house has to be seen to be believed! If ever you are in south Wales go there and play. You must. I implore you. You will not regret your decision. In fact even if you are not going to south Wales make plans to. It is awesome! |
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| 18 January 2010
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| | One of my favorite links courses, I have played Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool, Royal Portrush and Royal County Down. The day we play was sunny and 65 degrees, this course offers wide variety of holes. The greens were often elevated and quite fast if you get above the hole. The 2 par fours on the back side 15 and 16 were very challenging especially against the wind. The par 3 on the front nine were also very difficult. I would recommend the course to anybody wanting a challenge and beautiful surrounding. |
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| 19 October 2009
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| | What a superb golf course!! This is links golf at it's magnificant best. The bunkering is probably the best I have ever played and really makes you think your way around the course. The greens were not the best and quite long but this was because they were holding the European Seniors open the week later so they were letting them grow before cutting them. The views from nearly every part of the course are spectacular, with the sea being visible from nearly every tee. I have played a few of the courses that are on the open rota and this is every bit as good if not better than the likes of Royal Lytham etc. If they could add the infrastructure required to host an Open then I can see no reason why it couldn't hold an open championship, it really is that good!! Bit Pricey though; £95 a round, but worth every penny! |
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| 04 June 2009
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| | After a weekend in St Andrews, Royal Porthcawl was slightly disappionting. It was in excellent condition dispite heavy rain. It is a bit flat and lacks spectacular dunes. But against that you d get a view of the sea and some interesting holes. It is not a out / in links course which means you get the wind helping some holes and not on others. All in all an enjoyavble experience. |
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| 05 October 2008
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| | Played late June 2008 on a clear day with the breeze blowing 25-30 mph. The course played difficult, particularly the rough, which was so dense that any ball into it was at risk of being lost. Though it is fairly flat, Royal Porthcawl stands up well to the Open courses of Scotland and England. |
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| 03 July 2008
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| | A truly fantastic golf course. Definitely Wales number one course. My friend and I come over to Wales every year to play golf and this is the second time we've played Royal Porthcawl. It is a beautiful course and challenging, which s great because it makes you concentrate on every shot. Thoroughly worth the green fees. Also the staff were very pleasant and helpful. |
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| 08 December 2007
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| | Just came off the course and both myself and my son felt the course was excellent. Each shot makes you concentrate. From the need for accuracy to hit the fairways, to the daunting approach shots to greens protected by deep bunkers. When you get to the greens, they are subtle, in perfect condition with a true Roll. Well worth the £80 green fees and a must to play. |
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| 27 July 2007
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| | played here twice in may 2007, after a long absence. still a great layout but a stretch of poor weather clearly has impacted the condition of the fairways in particular. visitors who want/need caddies will probably be disappointed, as we were. |
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| 18 July 2007
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| | Royal POrthcawl is one of the best courses I've ever played on. They have recently extended the 12th hole which is now even more challenging. The course is looking fabulous. Even though the wind causes a few problems, its gets you to concentrate, which leads to a better shot, to a better game. Every one visiting Wales should play a round at this marvellous golf course. |
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| 24 November 2006
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| | Played the course as part of a society last week and thoroughly enjoyed it.The place oozes class.the first three holes are probably the only true 'links 'holes and are tight to the sea on the left.
The course then turns inland and becomes more heathland in nature.We found the course very hard and fast and had great difficulty holding the balls on the greens downwind.The bunkers are penal and some of the slopes on the greens are severe (especially 1,9 and 18) .I thoroughly enjoyed it.The 5th is fantastic,the par 3's are very tough and there really isn't a weak hole on the course.A friendly welocme from the pro shop helped and they let us play off the white tees also.
If you are in the area swallow your pride,pay the hefty green fee and enjoy.The walk down the hill to the 18th green will lift the spirits. |
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| 12 September 2006
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| | Unlike other reviewers we found the staff to be universally friendly especially in the Pro-shop and bar. Our poker habit was accomodated by giving us the keys to The Committee room with no curfew!
The course is wonderful. The greens look patchy but 'putt well'. Only grumble (like a previous reviewer) is that there was insufficient sand in the bunkers..many a bouncing sand iron.
Our parties handicap's were 5, 9, 9 and 27 and we a scored between 25 and 30 stableford points each off the white tees. This is a fair reflection of the course that is certainly difficult but not brutal. |
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| 27 July 2006
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| | One of those subtle courses that grows on you.No stunning holes but no poor ones either.All very classy,interesting and varied.Lovely sea views and a nice low-key sort of feel to the place.Wonderfully quirky old wooden clubhouse-if you've never seen red roofing felt before then that's because Royal Porthcawl grabbed it all ! We sat out on the veranda with a few beers at the end of a very hot 36 holes and watched the surfers do their stuff on the beach below.All very pleasant.Would definitely come again.One little grumble...could the club maybe spend some of our not inconsiderable green fees (£120 for the day) on a bit more sand for the bunkers? Whenever we tried splash shots we seemed to hit a hard base below the soft top layer.S'pose the answer is don't go in them in the first place ! |
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| 19 July 2006
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| Response: | | | Peter Stephens | 21 October 2010 | | Just to let you know the "old quirky" clubhouse was originally one half of the Chinese pavillion at The Great Exhibition, Swansea Bay GC had the other half. |
| | | An excellent links course! This course deserves to be included on the Open rota - however space limitations between fairways and around the 1st and 18th could make spectator logistics difficult. If you venture west of the Severn bridge, don't miss this one!! |
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| 27 May 2006
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| | Great layout and very tricky in the wind which always seems to blow. Greens and fairways however very dissapointing even for this time of year. Should be far better to justify the current ranking.Staff could also be more attentive and where else can you order your sandwich by phone.
remote and sometimes offhand. Such a pity but still worth a visit |
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| 10 May 2006
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| | Undoubtedly the finest course west of the Severn Bridge. Hardly a weak hole on the course, truly spectacular bunkering and superb greens. In my experience the finest set of par 3's I've yet to come across on any course. Just a shame the green fees have rocketed over the last few years so our annual pilgramige is not so annual any more! |
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| 07 November 2005
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| | Played yesterday for first time this year. Warm, sunny, high winds, typical links conditions and a traditional golf course deserving to be in the top 10 of British Golf Courses!!
Well grassed but fine and wiry unlike many of the current top courses ive played, which to me are over-grassed and have lost some of the true seaside links character.
Must be the best three starting holes on a golf course worldwide. |
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| 04 August 2005
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| | I loved this course more for its views and playability (in reasonable conditions I should add). The clubhouse is a mixture of the old and the new and there is certainly more a sense of a green fee welcome rather than the friendly members you find in most of the courses in Wales. I couldn't fault this course to be honest and a must if your planning to tour these parts. |
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| 28 October 2004
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| | Tradition, tradition, tradition ........What you see is what you get. This is real quality from start to finish - great setting with the waves crashing dramatically right from the start. Holes towards the end of the round are long and tough with the 16th the hardest - long par 4, tricky to get on in two and would probably make its way on to a list of the hardest finishing holes on this website - (maybe an idea for the future ??)
Clubhouse is very old school so be prepared ..... nice though .....
As a rating I would put Porthcawl slightly lower than 22 - around the 40 mark for me. |
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| 20 September 2004
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| | A thoroughly enjoyable experience at Royal Porthcawl. This is a very fair course, which played relatively easily from the yellows...we all played close to or better than our handicaps. In the afternoon we played off the whites and that's a different proposition. It's worth playing simply for the sea views - quite stunning. I really couldn't fault the course, but they could improve the service in the clubhouse...ordering bar food by telephone seems strange in the extreme. Unusual wooden clubhouse with a very traditional olde worlde golf club atmosphere. |
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| 18 September 2004
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| | Beautiful golf course - you can see the sea from every hole. A simply stunning golfing experience and a fantastic day out. But watch out, this course is so tough when the wind blows - a real test of golf. The clubhouse is warm and friendly too. |
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| 14 June 2004
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