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[Ed Tilley]

Recently returned from a week at Nefyn on the Lleyn peninsula in North Wales. This really is one of the most beautiful places on earth with lovely beaches and fantastic mountain scenery. When the sun shines, which isn't very often, you wouldn't want to be anywhere else. We had great weather all week, unbelievably in this most awful of UK summers.

Nefyn and district consists of 26 holes. There is a new and an old course with 10 common holes. The Old course is the one to play as this features the original 8 holes on a slim and spectacular peninsula. There are some astonishingly quirky, spectacular and completely unfair holes here. Luckily / unluckily, there was a competition on the New course all week so I was only able to play the 8 original holes.

Hole 11. There is a cliff off the right. The green is just over the top of the steep hill.



second from the right rough



green



12th drive! Did I mention this was quirky?



Over the ridge



Green (being mowed). There is a blow hole (fenced off) to the ocean below in the middle of the fairway.



13th tee. One of the most spectacular holes in golf.



View to the right of the tee



Approach



Green from the side



More to follow

[Jon Wiggett]

So far it looks great

[Ed Tilley]

14th hole. There is a grass tee to the right, but the main tee is an artificial tee on the tower you can see to the left of the 13th fairway. To say this is exposed would be an understatement. I really liked this hole, even ignoring its stunning setting. The prevailing wind is behind and from the right meaning you can't land and hold the green. You need to work it from the right using the natural slopes.





15th drive - don't go left.



second to skyline green



16th tee. Par 3 over 12th fairway. One of the drawbacks is that the holes are very tightly clustered meaning you are often playing over / near other holes. If you are playing badly at this point you could retire to the Ty Coch Inn on the beach below for a swift pint or two.



17th tee, par 5. Other than the 13th this was my favourite hole. I don't really know why but it reminded me in some ways of the 16th at St. Enodoc.



Second




Looking back down the 17th



View of the 2nd hole from the 17th fairway.



18th hole. Very much 'after the lord mayor's show' - a pretty mundane short par 4.



A view of the peninsula from the other side of teh bay. Note the tower with the 14th tee.



Doing my bit for the Welsh tourist board.

From Snowdon:



Does anyone know the way to Llanfairpwyll.........?

[Philip Gawith]

Thanks for the pics Ed. It takes a LOT of believing that that is Wales 8/2007, not Crete or Cyprus! I would love to get there one day, though somehow the chances of replicating the weather you enjoyed would appear remote! The quirk factor reminds me of Perranporth, though Nefyn clearly wins the scenery stakes.

[RJ_Daley]

Thanks Ed for a wonderful overview of this most interesting course.

I looked up their home page....

http://www.nefyn-golf-club.com/index.php

I can't figure who laid it out in 1907.  All I could find on a quick search is that Fred Hawtree remodeled it in the 60s.  

I'm curious if those, like myself, who think blind shots can be overdone on modern designs, can embrace these sort of holes.  

For my own part the answer is unequivocably, yes.  I just experienced a modern course trying to embrace minimalist lay out features that left many blind shots in the routing.  Too many.  And, to complicate that matter, trees and more native rough areas, apparently way more severe than seen in your photos, Ed.  

What a spectacular place, and open all year!  see webpage green fees... wow.  

[Ed Tilley]

Ed

Thanks for the lovely pix.  That 13th really is a superb hole.  Its unfortunate that nearly all of the remaining bits of the course are a letdown.  This really is a beauty and no brains place.  Even so, Nefyn does have its admirers.  In truth, its not a bad course, just not a good un'.  I for one prefer the Ty Coch and did drop down for libations.  That beach down there is lovely drinking spot.

Ciao  

It's a fantastic spot but the course is not quite as good as it should be. The bunkers have no real character to them, the greens seem to be very flat - it looks like they have been flattened. I think if someone who knew what they were doing got their hands on it, and the club was prepared to spend some money you could get a wonderful course out of the land.

[Adrian_Stiff]

James Braid did the original course.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

The problems are that once you get away from the first couple of holes and until you get on the peninsula holes the rest are pretty uninteresting, although the views are always good. And, as you say, if you're not playing well you can get in serious trouble. The place can be crowded with families with buckets and spades heading down the track on the headland, so make sure your insurance is up to date. I agree about the condition, but like many North Wales it doesn't have a lot of money, it is in no position to whack up its membership fees, and it cannot simply put its green fees up when there is characterful, inexpensive golf to be had elsewhere locally (Porthmadog, Pwllheli, Holyhead, Bull Bay, Anglesea, St Deiniol). If it has any cash reserves it must be kept for the next landslip - bits of the headland keep crashing into the sea - hence the spare holes. But, like Painswick, you play here for reasons other than conditioning.  Great pics!

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

This has to beat Old Head's visuals--probably a better course. OT --after viewing the sign, I now know why the Superfurry Animals are probably the most artistic modern pop band.