The Course at Llandrindod Wells Golf Club... - 15th Mar 2004

Sculpted out of the natural contours of the land by men and horses equipped with pick, shovel, wheel barrows and horse drawn carts - no mighty earth moving machinery with which to change the face of nature - it remains today largely unchanged since its creation. Improved, perhaps, lovingly cared for, certainly, and offering the golfer the chance to play golf as it was meant to be played, on an immaculately prepared and presented piece of golfing heaven.

Those were the heady days of Cleeks, Mashies, Niblicks, Jiggers and Hickory shafts; when winning the Open was as much about the size of your hat as it was about your four round total; when it took guile and cunning to think your way round a tricky course; golf truly was a different game when this wonderful course was born.

Perhaps best described as an "Upland Links" course, it provides a true test for golfers of all abilities. Lush upland turf on which the ball sits up invitingly, turf banks and natural hazards, with well protected true greens, rated amongst the best in Wales, it offers the chance to play links type golf amongst the rolling hills. By the standards of today, the course is not long but do not be lulled into thinking that it is a push over; against a par of 69 the course record still stands at only 65.

Overlooking the town and the neighbouring valleys, you get a sense of timelessness as you look down from the first tee across the boating lake to the roofs of the Victorian town.

To play the course you almost need a new game plan each time that you step onto the next tee. Length is not the most important asset on the course.

If you fail to place the ball in the correct part of the fairway off the tee, many approach shots are played blind, and blind shots can be dangerous and often lead to ugly double bogies!

Out of bounds comes into play on eight of the holes and a solid 75 can soon become a disappointing 85 if you put a couple over the fence and lose one or two when going for dangerous shots.

To add to the interest, even on the stillest of days the wind comes into play. There's no protection from the elements on the hill and, if the weather decides to turn nasty when you are standing on the 15th tee, the warmth and comfort of the clubhouse can seem a long way off.

This is the romance of playing golf at Llandrindod Wells. Linger a moment on your round and absorb the magic of the soft rolling hills which surround you. Admire the Buzzards and Red Kites which patrol the sky above the course.

To single out one hole is almost impossible but there has always been a certain notoriety attaching to the lucky 13th! From an elevated tee, you face a tee shot that has to carry an almost vertical bank some 200 yards away, with out of bounds tight to the left side and trees and deep rough to the right.

The approach shot from the fairway is a fairly simple one with a short iron to one of the more open greens on the course but, if you are standing on that tee with the wind in your face and the rain coming down, needing at worst a five to stay in the competition, you may well be just about to get the fright of your life ………

Not for nothing is the 297 yard, par 4, 18th named "Death or Glory". Stand on the tee and make your decision, take an iron and play safe, or a wood and attack the carry of some 250 yards over a deep ravine and the road beyond? It has been aced!

Related Links

• http://www.golf.uk.net/course/2702

All news for Powys | Local News Homepage