Porthmadog

Porthmadog Golf Club is located on the shoreline of Ceredigion Bay, with holes running along the coastline on the western side of Wales. 

 

Originally a 9-hole course, five-time Open Champion James Braid designed the extension to the course to make Porthmadog into an 18-hole layout in 1911. 

 

The course, which is split into parkland and links across its two nines, has played host to several Welsh Championships, including Ladies Team, Girls, and Boys events.  

 

  

Visit Porthmadog's website here.

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1905 saw the beginning of the Porthmadog Golf Club, and within a year, there was a 9-hole course in use. 

 

1911 saw an extension to the course to turn it into 18 holes. Five-time winner of the Open Championship, James Braid, was the man behind the changes. There were then substantial changes made to the course in the 1980s, with 4, 5 and 6 being altered.  

 

The club has hosted several important Welsh tournaments. The Welsh Girls Championship was first played at Porthmadog in 1968, with the Boys Championship held in 2003. The Welsh Professional Championship and Welsh Ladies Team Championship have also been held at the venue.  
 

Porthmadog is a perfect mixture of golf, with a little bit of everything that golfers could wish for - stunning scenery, a perfect location by the sea, a famous and revered architect, and plenty of tough and interesting holes. The course has more than enough length to test even long hitters and is a charming mix of heathland and links land. Indeed, the course is very much a tale of two halves, with the front nine played on typical inland turf, and the back nine, which stretches out to the sea, a classic links test. It is just over 6,300 yards from the back tees and plays as a Par 71. 

 

The course starts with a gentle opener, whose only real trouble comes in the form of a stream that runs diagonally in front of the green. The 2nd plays across the same stream, but perpendicular to the 1st. There are no bunkers on 2, but the square green is not the biggest. The 3rd is the first of four par 5s on the course, before the difficult 4th – the longest par 4 on the property at more than 450 yards from the tips.  

 

The 5th is a tricky dog-leg right that epitomises risk-and-reward holes. There is water either side of the fairway and a two-tiered green. If the pin is on the top level, make sure you take enough club as anything short can run back down to the front portion of the green. 6 is then a short par 3 and played to an island green, and the signature hole at Porthmadog. The 7th and 8th are back-to-back par 5s, with the latter only 475 yards from the tips, providing a great birdie opportunity. After a couple of gentle holes around the turn, the tough stretch kicks in.  

 

11 is a par 3 of almost 220 yards, playing back towards the shoreline, while the 12th plays with the beach along its left side, playing as a dog-leg that follows the sand. 13 is one of the course's signature holes, it is played with Cardigan Bay at your back, Harlech Castle on the right, and Criccieth Castle on the left. The green is hidden, and the length means you will be using a long iron or more. It is followed by the hardest hole on the course. You must play your tee shot to a fairway hidden by a large natural bunker and negotiate yet more sand when you get to the well-protected green. 

 

If you can get through that tough run of holes unscathed, then there are some scoring chances on the closing stretch at Porthmadog. 15 is a par 4 which is less than 380 yards, while the 16th is only 325 yards from the tips. 17 is the last par 5 on the course, and the longest hole on the property. It is a sharp dog-leg left, with the closing hole then being a dog-leg right to bring you back to the clubhouse. At 400 yards, it is a strong finisher at Porthmadog.  
 

Where is Porthmadog Golf Club located?  
Porthmadog Golf Club is located on the west coast of Wales, overlooking Black Rock Sands Beach and the Afon Dwyryd. It is between the towns of Borth-y-Gest and Morfa Bychan, while the town of Porthmadog is a couple of miles to the north. 

 

Porthmadog has its own railway station, with trains running to Shrewsbury, Birmingham, Pwllheli and Harlech among others. The nearest major airports are across the border in England. Both Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport are around two hours from Porthmadog Golf Club, with the latter being the busiest airport in the United Kingdom based outside London.

 

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Wales venues nearby?
Porthmadog is one of several cracking golf courses in this part of Wales on the northern end of the west coast. Royal St David's is 12 miles south, while the trio of Nefyn & District, Pwllheli and Abersoch, all of which are on the Llyn Peninsula, are within 25 miles of Porthmadog.

What golf facilities does Porthmadog Golf Club offer?  
Along with the great James Braid-designed golf course, Porthmadog also has a couple of practice areas. There is a driving range with matted and grass tees, along with a shorter practice field to the side of the 17th hole. On that part of the course, there is a practice chipping green with three bunkers to work on your sand saves.  

What are the green fees at Porthmadog Golf Club?  

The price of a green fee at Porthmadog Golf Club changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.  
 

For more information on current green fees at Porthmadog, visit their website here. 

 

 

Visit Porthmadog's website here.

Go back to the NCG's Top 100s Homepage.